Owen Thomas "Ownie" Carroll, (November 11, 1902 – June 8, 1975) 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 (A ...

pitcher who played nine seasons in the major leagues with 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 ...

(1925, 1927–1930),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

(1930),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1930–1932), and

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

(1933–1934).

High school and college career

Born in

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,Saint Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accred ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. He accumulated a record of 49 wins and 2 losses at St. Benedict's Prep. Carroll attended

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

, where he became widely known as the best pitcher in college baseball. He pitched a complete game, 15-inning 2–1 win against

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1922. Between 1922 and 1925, he had a record of 50 wins and 2 losses for the Holy Cross Crusaders. His two losses came as a sophomore, and he compiled perfect records of 8–0 in 1922, 11–0 in 1924 and 16–0 in 1925.

Major League career

Carroll made his major league debut for the Tigers on June 20, 1925. His best season was 1928 when he went 16–12 for the Tigers in 231 innings. He came in 20th in the American League Most Valuable player voting in 1928 after finishing ninth in the league in

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 numb ...

(ERA) (3.27), ninth in complete games (19), ninth in

Adjusted ERA+ Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average (ERA) according to the pitcher's ballpark (in case the ballpark favors batters or pitchers) and the ERA of ...

(126), and sixth in hits allowed per 9 innings (8.53). In 1929, Carroll's record turned on its head as he went 9–17, with his 17 losses ranking seventh in the league. Three years later, Carroll lost 18 games for the Reds, the most losses by a pitcher that year. Caroll finished his career in 1934 with the Dodgers. Over his 11-year major league career, Carroll was 64–90 in 1,330 inning pitched with an ERA of 4.43. Carroll holds the record for having been traded for future Hall of Famers. He was traded to the Yankees for

Waite Hoyt Waite Charles Hoyt (September 9, 1899 – August 25, 1984) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for seven different teams during 1918–1938. He was one of the dominant pitchers of the ...

, to the Cards for

Jim Bottomley James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was an American professional baseball player, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1922 to 1937, most prominently as a member of the St. Loui ...

, and to the Dodgers for

Dazzy Vance Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher for five different franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) in a career that spanned twenty years. Known for ...

Coaching career

Carroll was the coach of the

Seton Hall Pirates The Seton Hall Pirates are the intercollegiate athletic sports teams representing Seton Hall University, located in South Orange, New Jersey. The Pirates compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level (non-football sub-level), primarily compe ...

from 1948 to 1972. Carroll led the Seton Hall Pirates to a winning record in 21 of his 25 years as their coach. The Pirates under Coach Caroll had ten seasons with winning percentages above .700, including the following: * 1948: 13–1 (.900) * 1949: 18–3 (.857) * 1950: 15–5 (.750) * 1951: 15–4 (.775) * 1953: 11–3 (.786) * 1959: 13–4 (.765) * 1964: 25–5 (.833) * 1966: 20–6 (.759) The baseball field at Seton Hall was renamed Owen T. Carroll Field in his honor.

Death

Carroll died in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

in 1975 at age 72, and was buried at

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents i ...

East Hanover, New Jersey East Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 11,157, reflecting a decline of 236 (−2.1%) from the 11,393 counted in the 2000 Census, whic ...

. He was survived by 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

References

External links

Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Ownie 1902 births 1975 deaths Brooklyn Dodgers players Cincinnati Reds players Holy Cross Crusaders baseball players Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players People from Kearny, New Jersey Seton Hall Pirates baseball coaches Hanover Raiders players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Toledo Mud Hens players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Baseball players from Hudson County, New Jersey St. Benedict's Preparatory School alumni Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (East Hanover, New Jersey)