Lester Leo Sweetland (August 15, 1901 – March 4, 1974) was a professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the Major Leagues from 1927 to 1931. He played for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. Sweetland's 7.71 ERA in 1930 is the highest in the modern era for a full season in which the pitcher qualified for the ERA title. After impressing scouts with a string of sturdy years in Class B baseball, the Phillies picked up Sweetland in the middle of the 1927 season. As the perennial bottom-feeders in the standings throughout the 1920s, the hard-pressed Phillies stuck with Sweetland for four seasons. However, his poor performances occasionally led to his reassignment from the rotation to the bullpen. During his tenure in Philadelphia, he posted a .329 winning percentage, a 6.33 ERA, and a 1.856 WHIP. The Cubs picked him up with high hopes for the 1931 season. Despite winning eight of his fifteen decisions, the Cubs were disappointed by Sweetland's subpar year, which ultimately led to a demotion to Chicago's farm system. Sweetland never returned to the Major Leagues.

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1901 births 1974 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Michigan Philadelphia Phillies players Chicago Cubs players People from St. Ignace, Michigan {{US-baseball-pitcher-1900s-stub