Milburn James Shoffner (November 13, 1905 – January 19, 1978) was a

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. He played seven years in the majors, from 1929 until 1931, then again from 1937 until 1940. Shoffner debuted in the majors with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

in 1929 and pitched three seasons for them. In 1930 and 1931, his ERA was over 7.00, and by mid-season he was pitching 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 ...

. Shoffner did not return to the major leagues until 1937, with the

Boston Bees The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During ...

. That season, he made six appearances—five of them starts—with an impressive 2.53 ERA. That performance led to a larger role on the 1938 team, and while his performance slipped a bit, his record was a respectable 8–7 with a 3.54 ERA. Despite getting off to a good start in 1939, Shoffner was waived by the Bees and claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. Overall that season, Shoffner finished 6th in the league in ERA at 3.18 in 170 innings (a career high). Despite this, he did not appear in the

1939 World Series The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since winning the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in fou ...

for the Reds. The following season, Shoffner had a rougher go, as his ERA slipped back to 5.63 and he was mostly limited to mop-up duty. Once again, he did not appear in the

1940 World Series The 1940 World Series matched the Cincinnati Reds against the Detroit Tigers, with the Reds winning a closely contested seven-game series. The victory secured the Reds the second championship in their franchise history and came 21 years after th ...

, which the Reds won. During the offseason, Shoffner was traded to the New York Giants for infielder Wayne Ambler, and after pitching one last season in the minors he retired. Following his playing days, Shoffner worked as a minor league baseball umpire in the late 1940s and as a bar owner in the early 1950s. He died in

Madison, Ohio Madison is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,184 at the 2010 census. Madison was incorporated as a village in 1867. Geography Madison is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the village ...

, on January 19, 1978.

References

External links

*Interview of Milt "Pinky" Shoffner conducted by

Eugene Murdock Eugene Converse Murdock (April 30, 1921 – July 23, 1992) was an historian and author best known for his research into baseball. Early life and education Eugene C. Murdock was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on April 30, 1921, and attended school the ...

on September 14, 1974, in

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoffner, Milt Major League Baseball pitchers Cleveland Indians players Boston Bees players Cincinnati Reds players Grand Rapids Black Sox players Rochester Tribe players Jersey City Skeeters players Toledo Mud Hens players Scranton Miners players Albany Senators players Newark Bears (IL) players Jersey City Giants players Memphis Chickasaws players Baseball players from Texas 1905 births 1978 deaths