George Albert "Lefty" Tyler (December 14, 1889 – September 29, 1953) was a professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
pitcher from 1910 to 1921.
From 1910 to 1917, Tyler played with the
Boston Doves/Braves. He performed well, having an earned run average (ERA) under 3 in all but two years. In 1918, Tyler was traded to the
Chicago Cubs for
Larry Doyle,
Art Wilson
Arthur Earl "Dutch" Wilson (December 11, 1885 – June 12, 1960) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of fourteen seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a catcher.
Wilson spent most of his career as a backu ...
, and $15,000. Tyler did well in Chicago as well, having ERA's under 4.
Tyler's career earned run average was 2.95. His brother,
Fred Tyler
Frederick Daniel Tyler (born March 15, 1954) is an American competitive swimming (sport), swimmer and aquatics coach, winner of several high school and college championships and a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1972 Summe ...
, played in the major leagues in 1914 as a catcher.
In
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
, Tyler was a member of the Braves team that went from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a
pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July.
The 1914 Boston Braves at www.thisgreatgame.com
The team then went on to defeat Connie Mack
Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...
's heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics in the 1914 World Series
The 1914 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 1914 season. The 11th edition of the World Series, it was played between the American League champion and defending World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics and ...
.
In 1916, the New York Giants set the current record of 26 consecutive wins without a defeat: Tyler beat them to end the streak on September 30, 1916.
He was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the 1918 World Series
The 1918 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1918 season. The 15th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Boston Red Sox against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. The ...
for the Cubs, as well as the hard-luck loser of a 2-1 decision in Game 6, the last game of the Series; it was the last win for the opposing Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
until 2004.
Tyler was a better than average hitting pitcher in his 12-year major league career, compiling a .217 batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(189-for-870) with 85 runs, 4 home runs and 73 RBI. He recorded a career-high 20 RBI as a member of the 1916 Boston Braves.
References
External links
Baseball-Reference
*
1889 births
1953 deaths
Major League Baseball pitchers
Boston Doves players
Boston Rustlers players
Boston Braves players
Chicago Cubs players
Baseball players from New Hampshire
Minor league baseball managers
Lowell Tigers players
Rochester Colts players
Lawrence Merry Macks players
People from Derry, New Hampshire
Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Pinkerton Academy alumni
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