Dean Stone
Encyclopedia
Darrah Dean Stone is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
. The 6'4", 205 lb. left-hander was signed by the Chicago Cubs
as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season. He played for the Washington Senators
(1953-1957), Boston Red Sox
(1957), St. Louis Cardinals
(1959), Houston Colt .45s (1962), Chicago White Sox
(1962), and Baltimore Orioles
(1963). He also played one season in Japan for the Taiyo Whales
(1964).
Stone is perhaps best-known for being the winning pitcher of the 1954 All-Star
Game without retiring a single batter. This took place at Cleveland Stadium
on July 13. He entered the game with two out in the top of the 8th to face Duke Snider
, with the American League
behind, 9-8. Red Schoendienst
, the baserunner on third, tried to steal home and Stone threw him out at the plate. The A.L. then scored three runs
in the bottom of the 8th and won the game 11-9, as Virgil Trucks
hurled a scoreless 9th inning to save
it.
After having pitched two minor league
no-hitter
s in 1952 and going 8-10 with a 3.33 ERA for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
of the Southern Association
in 1953, he reached the big leagues. His first appearance was in relief against the Detroit Tigers
on September 13, 1953. He would go on to pitch the majority of his games (60%) in relief at the major league level.
In Stone's 8-year career, 1954 stands out as his best season. He won a career-high 12 games, lost 10, had an earned run average
of 3.22, and it was his only season as an All-Star. In his other seven years, he had a combined record of 17-29 with a 4.91 ERA.
Stone provided some immediate pitching help for the expansion Houston Colt .45s of 1962. He pitched a three-hit shutout
against the Chicago Cubs
in Houston's third game (April 12), then another shutout against the Cubs one week later, giving the Colts a 5-3 record. He pitched ineffectively for Houston after that, and he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Russ Kemmerer
on June 22. The Baltimore Orioles acquired Stone during the off-season, and he made his last major league appearance on June 21, 1963.
Career totals include a record of 29-39 in 215 games pitched
, 85 games started
, 19 complete games, 5 shutouts, 52 games finished
, 12 saves, and an ERA of 4.47. In 686 innings he struck out 380 and walked 373. He had a batting average
of .088 in 170 at bats with one home run
.
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...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe 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 a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. The 6'4", 205 lb. left-hander was signed by 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...
as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season. He played for the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1953-1957), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1957), St. Louis Cardinals
St. 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...
(1959), Houston Colt .45s (1962), Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1962), and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1963). He also played one season in Japan for the Taiyo Whales
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
(1964).
Stone is perhaps best-known for being the winning pitcher of the 1954 All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
Game without retiring a single batter. This took place at Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
on July 13. He entered the game with two out in the top of the 8th to face Duke Snider
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...
, with the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
behind, 9-8. Red Schoendienst
Red Schoendienst
Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst is an American Major League Baseball coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star. After a 19-year playing career with the St...
, the baserunner on third, tried to steal home and Stone threw him out at the plate. The A.L. then scored three runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in the bottom of the 8th and won the game 11-9, as Virgil Trucks
Virgil Trucks
Virgil Oliver Trucks is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1941 through 1958, Trucks played for the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Browns , Chicago White Sox , Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed...
hurled a scoreless 9th inning to save
Save (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...
it.
After having pitched two minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
s in 1952 and going 8-10 with a 3.33 ERA for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
in 1953, he reached the big leagues. His first appearance was in relief against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
on September 13, 1953. He would go on to pitch the majority of his games (60%) in relief at the major league level.
In Stone's 8-year career, 1954 stands out as his best season. He won a career-high 12 games, lost 10, had an 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 3.22, and it was his only season as an All-Star. In his other seven years, he had a combined record of 17-29 with a 4.91 ERA.
Stone provided some immediate pitching help for the expansion Houston Colt .45s of 1962. He pitched a three-hit 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....
against 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...
in Houston's third game (April 12), then another shutout against the Cubs one week later, giving the Colts a 5-3 record. He pitched ineffectively for Houston after that, and he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Russ Kemmerer
Russ Kemmerer
Russell Paul Kemmerer is an American retired professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox , the Washington Senators , the Chicago White Sox , and the Houston Colt .45s to finish his career.He attended the University of Pittsburgh.He debuted for the...
on June 22. The Baltimore Orioles acquired Stone during the off-season, and he made his last major league appearance on June 21, 1963.
Career totals include a record of 29-39 in 215 games pitched
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
, 85 games started
Games started
In baseball statistics, games started indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he faces the first opposing batter...
, 19 complete games, 5 shutouts, 52 games finished
Games finished
In baseball statistics, a relief pitcher is credited with a game finished if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game. A starting pitcher is not credited with a GF for pitching a complete game...
, 12 saves, and an ERA of 4.47. In 686 innings he struck out 380 and walked 373. He had a batting average
Batting 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 :...
of .088 in 170 at bats with one 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...
.
Trivia
- Stone led Middle Atlantic LeagueMiddle Atlantic LeagueThe Middle Atlantic League was a lower-level circuit in American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century.-History:...
pitchers with 158 bases on balls (in 145 innings) while playing for the Erie SailorsErie SailorsThe Erie Sailors was the name of several minor league baseball teams that played in Erie, Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1994.-Pre-1930s:Several unrelated teams used the Erie Sailors name in the Interstate League , the Ohio-Pennsylvania League , and the Central League .-1938-1963:During these years,...
in 1951. - He ranked third in the American League with 114 bases on balls (in 180 innings) in 1955.