Wallace Andrew Hebert (August 21, 1907 – December 8, 1999) was a sidearming left-handed

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), ...

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

who played from 1931 to 1933 for 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 ...

and in 1943 for 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 ...

. His professional career began in 1930.

Baseball career

Hebert played for the

Springfield Midgets The Springfield Midgets were a minor league baseball team that played from 1903 to 1904 in the Missouri Valley League and from 1906 to 1909 and 1921 to 1930 in the Western Association. Based in Springfield, Missouri, they were affiliated with the St ...

in 1930, going 15–16 in 36 games. He rose to the big leagues quickly, making his debut on May 1, 1931, with the Browns. That season, Hebert went 6–7 with a 5.07 ERA in 23 games (13 starts). In 103 innings, he walked 43 batters and struck out only 26. In 1932, Hebert went 1–12 with a 6.48 ERA in 35 games (15 starts). In 108 innings, he had 29 strikeouts and 45 base on balls. After going 4–6 with a 5.30 ERA in 33 games (10 starts) in 1933, he was traded, with

Smead Jolley Smead Powell Jolley (January 14, 1902 – November 17, 1991) was an American outfielder in professional baseball. He played from 1922 to 1941, including four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1930 to 1933. Jolley was considered a good h ...

and

Jim Levey James Julius Levey (September 13, 1906 – March 14, 1970) was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played from 1930 to 1933 for the St. Louis Browns. His professional career began in 1927. He also was a halfback for the Pittsburgh Pirates of th ...

, to the

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 ...

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 ...

for

Alan Strange Alan Cochrane Strange (November 7, 1906 – June 27, 1994) was an American professional baseball player and manager. A shortstop, he appeared in 314 Major League Baseball games during all or parts of five seasons (1934–35; 1940–42) with th ...

. He would spend about the next decade in the minor leagues. In 1934 and 1935, Hebert pitched for the

, going 11–11 with a 4.24 ERA in 37 games in 1934 and 10–17 with a 4.93 ERA in 39 games in 1935. Hebert played for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

from 1936 to 1942. In his first year with the Padres, he made 35 appearances, and he went 18–12 with a 3.03 ERA. He posted a 17–14 record with a 3.02 ERA in 39 games in 1937, and in 1938 he went 12–16 with a 3.11 ERA in 37 games. For the first time in his professional career, he won 20 games in 1939, as he went 20–10 with a 3.13 ERA in 39 games. In 1940, he went 15–18 with a 3.92 ERA and in 1941, he went 22–10 with a 3.00 ERA. After going 22–15 with a 2.37 in 40 games in 1942, Hebert was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1942 Rule 5 draft. With the Pirates in 1943, Hebert went 10–11 with a 2.98 ERA in 34 games (23 starts). In 184 innings, he had 12 complete games and he walked 45 batters, striking out only 41. He played his final big league game on September 29, 1943. Pittsburgh offered him a deal for the 1944 season, however he opted to retire. Overall, Hebert went 21–36 with a 4.63 in 125 big league appearances (61 starts). In 483 innings, he had 168 walks and only 115 strikeouts. He was also a solid hitter, posting a .270 career batting average in 159 at-bats. In the minor leagues, Hebert posted a 162–139 record, as well as a .239 batting average.

Chapter 10 of ''The Walk West, A Walk Across America 2''

The book ''The Walk West, A Walk Across America 2'' by Peter Jenkins and Barbara Jenkins tells the second part of the story of the authors' walking trip across the United States. In the 10th chapter, the hikers are traveling through Louisiana and stay for a few days with Wally Hebert and his wife Bobbie. Peter and Barbara Jenkins were friends with Wally Hebert, Jr. in New Orleans, and the younger Hebert suggested at the time that if they were ever passing through the town of Westlake, that they could find a place to stay with Preacher and Bobbie. The 10th chapter is entitled "

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yank ...

, and Preacher Hebert." In it, Hebert relates his experiences in major and minor league baseball, tells about his life growing up in the Louisiana swamps and bayous, discusses his football experiences, and gives a glimpse into his post baseball life as a farmer and as a fisher of the Louisiana waterways.Jenkins, Peter, and Jenkins, Barbara: ''The Walk West, A Walk Across America 2.'' pps. 98–109. William Morrow and Co., 1981.

The nickname

Hebert got the nickname "Preacher" in first grade when he wore a hat to school that his classmates thought was a preacher's hat. However, ''The Walk West, A Walk Across America 2'' states otherwise. Hebert claims that he got his nickname from baseball, and remarks that his first nickname was "Mississippi Mudcat." However, as another player had that moniker, his teammates then changed the nickname to "Preacher" and he never could figure out why they chose it.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hebert, Wally 1907 births 1999 deaths Sportspeople from Lake Charles, Louisiana Baseball players from Louisiana St. Louis Browns players Pittsburgh Pirates players San Diego Padres (minor league) players