Marvin Earl "Pete" Center (April 22, 1912 – August 8, 2004) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

, a

right-handed 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 ...

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 ...

who appeared in 77 Major League games over all or part of four seasons (1942–1943; 1945–1946) for 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 ...

. A native of

Hazel Green, Kentucky Hazel Green (also Trimbles Store) is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Wolfe County, Kentucky, United States. It lies along Routes 191 and 205 northeast of the city of Campton, the county seat of Wolfe County. Its ele ...

, the , Center attended

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...

. Center's pitching career began in 1934 in the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

' farm system. After spending two seasons in Class D baseball, he was out of the professional ranks in 1936, then spent 1937 as a position player before resuming his mound career in 1938 in the Class B

Southeastern League The Southeastern League was the name of four separate baseball leagues in minor league baseball which operated in the Southeastern and South Central United States in numerous seasons between 1897 and 2003. Two of these leagues were associated wit ...

. Acquired by the Indians the following year, Center rose to A ball, then the top level of minor league baseball, before making his debut with Cleveland on September 11, . In relief of Jim Bagby, Jr., Center allowed seven hits, four bases on balls and six

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

s in 3 innings pitched as the Indians bowed to 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 eigh ...

, 15–2, at League Park. He spent the full campaign with Cleveland, appearing in 24 games, all but one as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

, then served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during the 1944 campaign. Center then returned to the Indians for the season. That year he worked in 31 games, eight as a starting pitcher, and won six of nine decisions, with two complete games and one save. His MLB career wound down in , with 21 appearances, all in relief, for Cleveland. Altogether, Center allowed 154 hits and 70 bases on balls in 160 innings pitched in the majors, with 50 strikeouts and three saves. He finished with seven wins and seven losses in 14 decisions and posted a 4.10 career

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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Center, Pete 1912 births 2004 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Americus Cardinals players Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball players from Kentucky Cleveland Indians players Greensburg Trojans players Greensburg Red Wings players Jackson Senators players Knoxville Smokies players Major League Baseball pitchers Morehead State Eagles baseball players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players People from Wolfe County, Kentucky