Art Nehf
Encyclopedia
Arthur Neukom Nehf was an American baseball
pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball
for the Boston Braves
(1915–1919), New York Giants
(1919–1926), Cincinnati Reds
(1926–1927), and the Chicago Cubs
(1927–1929). He was left-handed, 5'9" and 176 pounds
when he made his debut in 1915.
and attended the Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute. His parents were Charles T. Nehf and Wilhelmina Neukom. Art married Elizabeth B. May on November 1, 1916.
and also picked up a total of 844 strike outs in 2707 and 2/3 innings pitched
.
Some years, he pitched as a starter only, and some as a relief pitcher
and a starter, but he was always solid in both roles, earning a reputation around the majors as an always-consistent pitcher.
with 8 home run
s and 76 RBIs. Of his 8 home runs, 2 came in one game in 1924. It was his only multiple home run season. Art Nehf was the last pitcher to have 3 hits in a World Series Game (Game 1~October 4, 1924) until Orel Hershiser tied that record in 1988.
s with 28 in 1918, and showed up in the top 10 in wins, three times, including the year that he was traded to the Giants mid-season. In 1917, Nehf had what is generally thought of as his best season with the Braves, when he went 17-8 with a 2.16 ERA, pitching very consistently, and completing 17 of his 23 starts, with five shutout
s, while also finishing seven games on the year. He also had his career-high in strike out
s that year with 101, the only time he had more than 100 strike outs.
with the Giants: 1921
, 1922
, 1923
and 1924
. He was the last man to win back to back seventh games in the World Series in 1921 and 1922. In 1924, he defeated Walter Johnson
in 12 innings in the WS opener, but the Giants lost to the Washington Senators
that year. The Giants won in 1921 and 1922 with the help of Nehf, who had an all-time World Series record of 4-4 with an ERA of 2.16 in twelve games, and nine starts, with six complete games. He had 28 strikeouts all-time in the World Series. Nehf also participated in the 1929 World Series
with the Cubs in his last year, as the Cubs lost to the Philadelphia Athletics
.
, their loss in the 1st game of a doubleheader
on September 27, 1928, was made all the more controversial. New York's Shanty Hogan
hit a ball back to Nehf who threw to third base
to get the runner, but the runner Andy Reese
was off with the crack of the bat and was already at home plate
, knocking over catcher
Gabby Hartnett
. Hartnett grabbed the runner to keep from falling, and as Hartnett held him, Reese was tagged out by the Cubs third baseman. The Giants bench erupted, but umpire
Bill Klem
ruled Reese out. The subsequent protest was turned down despite clear pictures showing Reese being held back. The Giants went on to lose the pennant to the Cards by two games. Coincidentally, the Cubs were two games behind that.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1915–1919), New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1919–1926), Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1926–1927), and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1927–1929). He was left-handed, 5'9" and 176 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
when he made his debut in 1915.
Early life
Nehf was born in Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
and attended the Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute. His parents were Charles T. Nehf and Wilhelmina Neukom. Art married Elizabeth B. May on November 1, 1916.
Career overview
Besides finishing with a 184-120 record and a 3.20 ERA in 451 games, Nehf had 182 complete games and 28 shutouts (30 including postseason) in 319 starts. He had 13 career savesSave (sport)
In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...
and also picked up a total of 844 strike outs in 2707 and 2/3 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
.
Some years, he pitched as a starter only, and some as a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
and a starter, but he was always solid in both roles, earning a reputation around the majors as an always-consistent pitcher.
Batting
Nehf had a .210 career batting averageBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 8 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 76 RBIs. Of his 8 home runs, 2 came in one game in 1924. It was his only multiple home run season. Art Nehf was the last pitcher to have 3 hits in a World Series Game (Game 1~October 4, 1924) until Orel Hershiser tied that record in 1988.
Braves
Nehf came up with the Braves in 1915, and frequented the leaderboards throughout his time with them; he led the league in complete gameComplete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s with 28 in 1918, and showed up in the top 10 in wins, three times, including the year that he was traded to the Giants mid-season. In 1917, Nehf had what is generally thought of as his best season with the Braves, when he went 17-8 with a 2.16 ERA, pitching very consistently, and completing 17 of his 23 starts, with five shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s, while also finishing seven games on the year. He also had his career-high in strike out
Strike Out
Strike Out, , North American Harness racing championStrike Out was born in 1969 at Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and is by Bret Hanover out of the mare Golden Miss....
s that year with 101, the only time he had more than 100 strike outs.
Giants
Nehf was traded to the Giants for four players and cash on August 15, 1919. He won a career-high 21 games in 1920, his first full year with the Giants. Nehf pitched in four consecutive World SeriesWorld Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
with the Giants: 1921
1921 World Series
In the 1921 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees five games to three. This was the last of the experimental best-five-of-nine series....
, 1922
1922 World Series
In the 1922 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees in five games...
, 1923
1923 World Series
In the 1923 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in six games. This would be the first of the Yankees' 27 World Series championships...
and 1924
1924 World Series
In the 1924 World Series, the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants in seven games. The Giants became the first team to play in four consecutive World Series, winning in 1921–1922 and losing in 1923–1924. Their long-time manager, John McGraw, made his ninth and final World Series appearance...
. He was the last man to win back to back seventh games in the World Series in 1921 and 1922. In 1924, he defeated Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...
in 12 innings in the WS opener, but the Giants lost to the Washington Senators
1924 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators won 92 games, lost 62, and finished in first place in the American League. Fueled by the excitement of winning their first AL pennant, the Senators won the World Series in dramatic fashion, a 12-inning game 7 victory.-Regular season:...
that year. The Giants won in 1921 and 1922 with the help of Nehf, who had an all-time World Series record of 4-4 with an ERA of 2.16 in twelve games, and nine starts, with six complete games. He had 28 strikeouts all-time in the World Series. Nehf also participated in the 1929 World Series
1929 World Series
In the 1929 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs in five games.The famous "Mack Attack" occurred in 1929, named for manager of the Athletics, Connie Mack, in which the Athletics overcame an eight-run deficit by scoring ten runs in the seventh inning of Game 4...
with the Cubs in his last year, as the Cubs lost to the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
Reds and Cubs
Nehf won 107 games with the Giants, while he lost only 60. After many solid, and sometimes great, seasons with the Giants and then being traded to Cincinnati, and then to Chicago, most thought Nehf's career was virtually over. But he managed to put up one more very good year in 1928 with the Cubs. He went 13-7 with a still very low, 2.65 ERA. That year, he was also involved in a very strange and controversial play against his former team, the Giants. With the Giants in a tight pennant race against the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, their loss in the 1st game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
on September 27, 1928, was made all the more controversial. New York's Shanty Hogan
Shanty Hogan
James Francis "Shanty" Hogan was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1925 to 1937. Hogan was listed at 6'1", 240 pounds — an exceptionally large player, especially for his era. Due to this, there are many anecdotes relating to Hogan and food...
hit a ball back to Nehf who threw to third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
to get the runner, but the runner Andy Reese
Andy Reese
Andrew Jackson Reese was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants, appearing at all four infield and all three outfield positions....
was off with the crack of the bat and was already at home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
, knocking over catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Gabby Hartnett
Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League...
. Hartnett grabbed the runner to keep from falling, and as Hartnett held him, Reese was tagged out by the Cubs third baseman. The Giants bench erupted, but umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
Bill Klem
Bill Klem
William Joseph Klem, born William Joseph Klimm , known as the "father of baseball umpires", was a National League umpire in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941...
ruled Reese out. The subsequent protest was turned down despite clear pictures showing Reese being held back. The Giants went on to lose the pennant to the Cards by two games. Coincidentally, the Cubs were two games behind that.
Highlights
- Top 5 in the National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
in ERA, twice (1922, 28), and in the top 10 one more time (1917) - Top 10 in wins, six times (1917, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
- Top 10 in winning percentageWinning percentageIn sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
, six times (1917, 19, 20, 21, 24, 28) - Led the league in complete games in 1918 (28), and made the top 10, four more times (1919, 20, 21, 22)
- Top 10 in strike outs, twice (1918, 24), and top 10 in strikeouts per nine innings, twice (1924, 25)
- Winning pitcher in final game of both the 1921 & 1922 World Series