Benny Frey
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Rudolph Frey was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
from 1929-36, playing primarily with the Cincinnati Reds
. Born in Dexter
, Michigan
, Frey appeared in 256 major league baseball games (127 as a starter) and had a lifetime record of 57-82 in 1160 innings pitched. He was a sidearm pitcher with a sweeping motion that was effective against right-handed hitters. His lifetime earned run average
of 4.50 was good for an adjusted ERA+
of 90. In 1930, Frey lost 18 games, most in the National League. His best season was 1934 when he was 11-16 for the Reds with a 3.52 ERA (adjusted ERA+ of 116), finishing sixteenth in the 1934 National League Most Valuable Player voting.
Frey suffered an arm injury and was sent down to a minor league team in Nashville
for the 1937 season after eight years in the majors. Frey refused to report to Nashville and asked to be put on the voluntarily retired list. Frey committed suicide that November at age 31 in Spring Arbor Township, Michigan
, by carbon monoxide poisoning
, after running a hose from the exhaust into his car.
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...
from 1929-36, playing primarily with the 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....
. Born in Dexter
Dexter, Michigan
Dexter is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The majority of the village is in the northwest corner of Scio Township with a small portion in Webster Township. The population was 4,067 at the 2010 census...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Frey appeared in 256 major league baseball games (127 as a starter) and had a lifetime record of 57-82 in 1160 innings pitched. He was a sidearm pitcher with a sweeping motion that was effective against right-handed hitters. His lifetime earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 4.50 was good for an adjusted ERA+
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 according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
of 90. In 1930, Frey lost 18 games, most in the National League. His best season was 1934 when he was 11-16 for the Reds with a 3.52 ERA (adjusted ERA+ of 116), finishing sixteenth in the 1934 National League Most Valuable Player voting.
Frey suffered an arm injury and was sent down to a minor league team in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
for the 1937 season after eight years in the majors. Frey refused to report to Nashville and asked to be put on the voluntarily retired list. Frey committed suicide that November at age 31 in Spring Arbor Township, Michigan
Spring Arbor Township, Michigan
Spring Arbor Township is a civil township of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the southern part of the state. Located west of the city of Jackson, it covers entirety of the survey township of T3S R2W...
, by carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
, after running a hose from the exhaust into his car.