Marlin Henry Stuart (August 8, 1918 – June 16, 1994) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
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 ...
. The
right-hander
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
from
Paragould, Arkansas
Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...
, appeared in 196
games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although except ...
(165 in
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
) 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 three
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 ...
teams. He batted left-handed and was listed as tall and .
Baseball career
Minor leagues
Stuart played for
Greene County Tech,
Paragould High School
Paragould High School is a public school serving grades nine through twelve located in Paragould, Arkansas. The campus is located at 1701 West Court Street in Paragould and is administered by Paragould School District. Oak Grove High School ...
and local
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
teams while working as a farmer and picking cotton. He signed as a free agent with 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 ...
' system in 1940 and began his
minor league baseball career at the Class D level with the
Mayfield Browns Mayfield may refer to:
People
* Mayfield (surname)
Places Australia
* Mayfield, New South Wales
* Mayfield, New South Wales (Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council)
* Mayfield, Tasmania
Canada
* Mayfield, Edmonton, a neighborhood in Alberta
* M ...
of the
KITTY League
Kitty or Kittie may refer to:
Animals
* Cat, a small, domesticated carnivorous mammal
** Kitten, a young cat
Film
* Kitty Films, an anime production company in Japan
* ''Kitty'' (1929 film), based on the Deeping novel; the first British talk ...
. Before his 40th and last appearance of the season, Stuart asked his
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
if he could pitch barefoot, which was his custom as a boy. Given the green light, Stuart went to the mound on September 7 without socks or spikes and defeated the
Fulton Tigers, throwing a
seven-inning complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
and striking out 11. After three years in the lower minors, Stuart missed the 1943–1945 seasons while performing
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
military duty. He returned to baseball in 1946 and was acquired by the
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 ...
' organization during the 1948 minor-league campaign. On June 27, 1950, Stuart pitched a
perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
for the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
of the
Triple-A 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 ...
, defeating the Indianapolis Indians, 1-0.
Major leagues
Stuart first appeared in the major leagues the Tigers in as a 30-year-old
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
. He got into 33 games for Detroit in 1949 and , with some return visits to the minor leagues, then spent the full season with the Tigers, working in 29 contests. In —a nightmarish season for the Tigers, who would lose 104 games and finish last—he fashioned a winning
record (3–2) in 30 games with Detroit through August 14, when he was traded back to the Browns in an eight-player
waiver deal. In , the last year the Browns would spend in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
before transferring to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, he led the pitching staff with eight victories; his 8–2 won–lost record was notable, for the Browns posted a poor 54–100 mark all season. He was second in the American League with 60 appearances, after finishing fifth in the Junior Circuit the previous year with 42 games pitched.
Information
at Baseball Reference
Baseball-Reference is a website providing baseball statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. The site is often used by major media organizations and baseball broadcasters as a source for statistics. It offers a variety of advan ...
His last MLB
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), ...
season was , when he pitched in 22 games for the relocated Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
and ten games 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 ...
. He retired from professional baseball in 1956.
Despite pitching for several struggling teams, Stuart compiled a career won–lost mark of 23–17 ( .575), along with 12 saves. As a starting pitcher, he threw seven complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
s, although none was a shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
. He allowed 544 hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
and 256 bases on balls
A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...
in innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
, with 185 strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s. His lifetime MLB earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
was 4.65.
Stuart died in Paragould at age 75 in June of 1994.
References
External links
Marlin Stuart
at Baseballbiography.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Marlin
1918 births
1994 deaths
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from Arkansas
Detroit Tigers players
Elmira Pioneers players
Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mayfield Browns players
Montgomery Rebels players
New York Yankees players
Paragould Browns players
People from Paragould, Arkansas
St. Joseph Autos players
St. Louis Browns players
San Antonio Missions players
Springfield Browns players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players