Elias Calvin "Liz" Funk (October 28, 1904 – January 15, 1968) was an American left-handed

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 tea ...

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

. Funk played professional baseball from 1925 to 1941, including four seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1929),

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1930), and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

(1932–1933). He played only two full seasons in the majors. In 1930, he was Detroit's starting

and compiled a .275

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 ...

with 26

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

s, 11

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

s, 65 RBIs, and 12

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s. In 1932, he was Chicago's starting center fielder with a .259 batting average, 40 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. Known for his speed, his range factor in the outfield ranked second in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in both 1930 and 1932. During his minor league career, Funk also played for the

Oklahoma City Indians The Oklahoma City Indians was the primary name of an American professional baseball team representing Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from 1904 though 1957, except for 1913 and three seasons during World War II. The team played in several different minor ...

(1925–1926),

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

(1927–1928),

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

(1929),

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

(1931-1932), San Francisco Seals (1933–1934),

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

(1935–1936), Salina Millers (1939), and

Pueblo Rollers In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Tribe (Native American), Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorer ...

(1941).

Early years

Funk was born in 1904 on a farm near

La Cygne, Kansas La Cygne (pronounced ) is a city in Linn County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Marais des Cygnes River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,050. The city is named after the Marais des Cygnes River which is ...

. He moved to

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

and attended Oklahoma City Central High School. In high school, he played baseball (as a

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 ...

and outfielder) and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

(as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and an all-state halfback) from 1921 to 1923. He then attended the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

for a year, though he did not play football or baseball there due to restrictions on freshman eligibility.

Professional baseball

Oklahoma City

Funk signed his first professional contract with the

of the Western League while still in high school. Playing at the time as a pitcher, he did not make the club during spring training and returned to high school. He returned to the Indians in April 1925. He played in the outfield for the Indians during the 1925 season and hit .306 with a .447

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

, 41 doubles, 15 triples, and seven home runs. Funk improved further in 1926, batting .339 with a .491 slugging percentage. He also had 209 hits and 129 runs, led the Western League with 53 stolen bases, and tied for the league lead with 21 triples. And in the outfield, he tallied 431

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s and 18

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s against 17

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

St. Paul, New York and Hollywood

Funk was purchased by the

on October 12, 1926. During the Yankees' training camp in 1927, Funk was touted as the man who would replace Earl Combs in center field. The ''New York Daily News'' called Funk "a demon outfielder", and Manager

Miller Huggins Miller James Huggins (March 27, 1878 – September 25, 1929) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Huggins played second base for the Cincinnati Reds (1904–1909) and St. Louis Cardinals (1910–1916). He managed the ...

described him as "a fine young player – a hard left-handed hitter, fast in the outfield and a good thrower." Despite the praise heaped on Funk during spring training, the Yankees sent him under option in late March 1927 to the

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. He spent the 1927 and 1928 seasons at St. Paul. He showed a strong throwing arm in the outfield while playing with St. Paul, tallying 22 assists in 1927 and 21 in 1928. He also impressed at the plate, batting .311 in 1927 (with a .451 slugging percentage) and .304 in 1928. He also hit 20 triples in 1927. Funk finally made it to the Yankees at the start of the 1929 season, but he appeared in only one game, on April 26, 1929, and did not have a plate appearance. In early May, he was sold to the

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. In 150 games for the Stars, he compiled a .384 batting average with a career-high .554 slugging percentage and 302 total bases.

Detroit Tigers

In September 1929, the

purchased Funk from Hollywood in exchange for cash and two players. In 1930, Funk appeared in 140 games for the Tigers, including 127 as the team's starting

. He hit .279 with a .389 slugging percentage, 21 doubles, 11 triples, four home runs, 65 RBIs, 74 runs, and 12 stolen bases. His four home runs included a grand slam on July 26 against the

– the team that had discarded him without a single plate appearance. He also hit a bases-loaded triple against the Yankees on August 14. Funk also ranked third in the American League with 23

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, and ...

s and fifth with five times having been hit by a pitch. He also ranked among the league's as a center fielder with 354 putouts (third), eight assists (third), four double plays (third), a .965 fielding percentage (fourth), and 13 errors (second). His range factor of 2.98 per nine innings was the third best among all American League outfielders. As the 1931 season began, the Tigers were full of talent in the outfield, and the ''Detroit Free Press'' noted that Funk's "attitude has proven to be unpleasant all spring." The Tigers initially sold Funk to Sacramento in the

(PCL). However, Funk threatened to quit the game rather than return to the PCL where he had spent his 1929 season. Accordingly, on April 14, the Tigers sold Funk to the

of the

Louisville and Chicago

Funk appeared in 150 games for Louisville in 1931, batting .282 with a .404 slugging percentage and 15 triples. In the outfield, he made 375 putouts and had 13 assists and 16 errors. On April 21, 1932, Louisville traded Funk to the

in exchange for Mel Simons. Funk played in 122 games for the White Sox (103 as the team's starting

) in 1932 As in 1930, he ranked among the American League's center fielders with 311 putouts (fifth), 11 assists (third), four double plays (second), seven errors (fifth), and a .979 fielding percentage (fourth). His range factor of 3.22 per nine innings was the second highest among all of the league's outfielders. At the plate, Funk's batting average dipped to .259 in 1932. He ranked fifth in the league with 17 stolen bases, but he also ranked second with 15 times caught stealing. In 1933, Funk played in only 10 games for the White Sox. He appeared in his last major league game on May 20, 1933.

Minor leagues

On May 25, 1933, the San Francisco Seals acquired Funk on an option from the White Sox. He appeared in 110 games for the Seals in 1933 with a .298 batting average and .413 slugging percentage. He returned to the Seals in 1934, appeared in 169 games, and compiled a .288 batting average and .384 slugging percentage. In 1935, Funk tried to purchase the

. When his efforts were unsuccessful, he signed with the

of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He played for Tulsa in both 1935 and 1936. In 1939, Funk was player-manager for the Salina Millers of the Western Association. He played in 20 games and compiled a .397 batting average and .500 slugging percentage. In 1941, Funk finished his baseball career at age 36 with the

in the Western League. In his final season, he compiled a .288 batting average with a .399

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

in 61 games.

Later years

Funk did not marry and had no children. He died in 1968 at age 63 in an Oklahoma City hospital. He was buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Liz 1904 births 1968 deaths Major League Baseball center fielders Baseball players from Kansas New York Yankees players Detroit Tigers players Chicago White Sox players Oklahoma City Indians players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Hollywood Stars players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Salina Millers players People from La Cygne, Kansas University of Oklahoma alumni