Albert Peter "Lefty" Leifield (September 5, 1883 – October 10, 1970) was an American

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), ...

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 ...

with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

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 ...

and the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

between 1905 and 1920. He batted and threw left-handed.

Baseball career

In 1905, Leifield was the ace of the Western League's Des Moines Underwriters, winning 26 games to help the Underwriters take the pennant. In September, Pittsburgh Pirates' owner

Barney Dreyfuss Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss (February 23, 1865 – February 5, 1932) was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to his death. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Drey ...

purchased his contract for $2,500. Leifield pitched a shutout in his major league debut. From 1906 to 1911, Leifield stayed in the Pittsburgh starting rotation, winning 15 or more games each season. In 1909, he went 19-8 to help the Pirates win the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

pennant. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1912. On July 4, 1906, in the first game of a doubleheader at Exposition Park, Leifield lost a double one-hitter to

Mordecai Brown Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown (October 19, 1876 – February 14, 1948), nicknamed Three Finger Brown or Miner, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and manager during the first two decades of the 20th century (known as the " dead-ball e ...

and the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 (1 of only 5 double one-hitters in major league history, 4 since 1901). Leifield had a no-hitter going into the 9th inning but gave up a run on a hit and an error. Leifield's own single was the only hit for the Pirates. He would be the only pitcher in MLB history to lose a decision despite throwing at least nine innings with one or fewer hits and no walks allowed, until Rich Hill of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

gave up a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

Josh Harrison Joshua Isaiah Harrison (born July 8, 1987) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics and C ...

of the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 23, 2017. Coincidentally, the game was held at

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...

, which is located near where Exposition Park once stood. After being released in 1913, Leifield returned home, and then went to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

to pitch in 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 1915, he went to spring training with the Pirates but instead played for the

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 ...

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 ...

. On August 20, he struck out 15 in a game for the Saints. In 1918, Leifield returned to the majors as a player-coach for the St. Louis Browns, and then as a full-time coach for the

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 eight ...

and

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 ...

. He finished his major league career with 124 wins. Leifield died in

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

at the age of 87. He was the last surviving member of the 1909 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leifeld, Lefty 1883 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Illinois St. Louis Browns players Pittsburgh Pirates players Chicago Cubs players People from Clinton County, Illinois Joplin Miners players Des Moines Prohibitionists players Des Moines Underwriters players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players St. Paul Saints (AA) managers St. Paul Saints (AA) players Boston Red Sox coaches Detroit Tigers coaches St. Louis Browns coaches Minor league baseball managers

Baseball career

See also

References

External links