Earl Whitehill
Encyclopedia
Earl Oliver Whitehill was a Major League Baseball
pitcher
. He played for the Detroit Tigers
for the most significant portion of his career (1923–1932), and later with the Washington Senators
(1933–1936), Cleveland Indians
(1937–1938), and the Chicago Cubs
(1939). Consistently winning in double digits for thirteen years (1924–1936), left-handed Whitehill went on to become one of the Top 100 winning pitchers of all time
. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
.
"The Earl", as many called him, was a handsome and often temperamental pitcher who often showed up in the top 10 in hit batsmen, leading the league in his first full year, 1924, when he hit 13 (tied with George Uhle
).
Whitehill averaged 14 wins each season and he never dipped below 11 wins in a full season (30 starts or more). Whitehill made his debut on September 15, 1923. He was a small left-handed pitcher, who weighed around 175 pound
s. With Detroit, he came to be known as one of the most consistent pitchers in the league. From 1928 through 1932, he never had an ERA
higher than 4.62 and never had one lower than 4.08; a difference of only .54 in those years.
In his rookie season, Whitehill was 17-8, with a 3.86 ERA, and two shutout
s). The Tigers' offensive support helped, as the Tigers finished 1st in most major offensive categories in 1923. Reduced run support became a factor later in his stint with Detroit, which lead some to believe his overall record could have been better. In his early years with Detroit, Whitehill was part of a starting rotation that included Hooks Dauss
, Dutch Leonard
, and Lil Stoner.
Whitehill, one of the top pitchers of the Roaring Twenties, had a celebrity marriage to Violet Geissinger. Geissinger was a model for Sun-Maid Raisins during the 1920s. She was known as The Sun-Maid Raisin Girl.
After he was traded to Washington, for Firpo Marberry
and Carl Fischer
, Whitehill fit right in there, going a career-best 22-8 in his first year, with a 3.33 ERA (also a career-best, excluding his first year when he pitched in 8 games and had a 2.73 ERA). With Washington that year, he saw his first (and last) postseason action, when the Senators were defeated by the New York Giants
in 5 games. However, Whitehill did his part, getting the only win of the series for Washington. In that game, he pitched a complete game
shutout allowing 5 hits
and 2 walks
. Because he didn't start until Game 3, it became his only start of the Series, and his only start of the postseason. Thus, his final postseason ERA was 0.00, tied with many others for a record.
Whitehill one-hit the New York Yankees
on May 30, 1934. The Yanks' Ben Chapman broke up the no-hitter
in the ninth inning.
He was traded as part of a three team deal on December 10, 1936. The Senators received Jack Salveson
from the Chicago White Sox
, who received Thornton Lee
from the Indians, which is where Whitehill was headed. In Cleveland, Whitehill had two average years and made a number of relief appearances (mostly in 1937). His final record with the Indians was 17-16.
Whitehill signed with the Cubs in 1939, went 4-7 with a 5.14 ERA there, and was released in October 1939. In 17 seasons, he was 218-185 with a career ERA of 4.36, having given up 1726 earned run
s in 3564 and 2/3 innings pitched
. He recorded 1350 career strikeout
s. He pitched in 541 games, 473 of them starts. His lifetime ERA of 4.36 is higher than any other 200-game winner.
After serving as a coach for the Indians, the Philadelphia Phillies
, and in the International League
in the early 1940s, he became a sales representative for the A. G. Spalding sporting goods
firm. Whitehill died in an automobile accident in Omaha, Nebraska
at the age of 54.
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...
. He played for 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...
for the most significant portion of his career (1923–1932), and later with 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...
(1933–1936), Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1937–1938), 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...
(1939). Consistently winning in double digits for thirteen years (1924–1936), left-handed Whitehill went on to become one of the Top 100 winning pitchers of all time
Top 100 winning pitchers of all time
This is a list of the top 500 Major League Baseball winningest pitchers. In the sport of baseball, a win is a statistic credited to the pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead...
. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
.
"The Earl", as many called him, was a handsome and often temperamental pitcher who often showed up in the top 10 in hit batsmen, leading the league in his first full year, 1924, when he hit 13 (tied with George Uhle
George Uhle
George Ernest Uhle was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he began his playing career with his hometown Cleveland Indians...
).
Whitehill averaged 14 wins each season and he never dipped below 11 wins in a full season (30 starts or more). Whitehill made his debut on September 15, 1923. He was a small left-handed pitcher, who weighed around 175 pound
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
s. With Detroit, he came to be known as one of the most consistent pitchers in the league. From 1928 through 1932, he never had an ERA
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...
higher than 4.62 and never had one lower than 4.08; a difference of only .54 in those years.
In his rookie season, Whitehill was 17-8, with a 3.86 ERA, and two 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). The Tigers' offensive support helped, as the Tigers finished 1st in most major offensive categories in 1923. Reduced run support became a factor later in his stint with Detroit, which lead some to believe his overall record could have been better. In his early years with Detroit, Whitehill was part of a starting rotation that included Hooks Dauss
Hooks Dauss
George August "Hooks" Dauss was a Major League pitcher who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. Nicknamed 'Hooks' or 'Hookey' because of his hard-to-hit curveball...
, Dutch Leonard
Dutch Leonard (left-handed pitcher)
Hubert Benjamin "Dutch" Leonard, was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career from 1913–1921, 1924-1925. He played for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, and holds the major league modern-era record for the lowest single-season ERA of all time — 0.96...
, and Lil Stoner.
Whitehill, one of the top pitchers of the Roaring Twenties, had a celebrity marriage to Violet Geissinger. Geissinger was a model for Sun-Maid Raisins during the 1920s. She was known as The Sun-Maid Raisin Girl.
After he was traded to Washington, for Firpo Marberry
Firpo Marberry
Frederick "Firpo" Marberry was an American right-handed starting and relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from to , most notably with the Washington Senators...
and Carl Fischer
Carl Fischer (baseball)
Charles William "Carl" Fischer , was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns.-External links:...
, Whitehill fit right in there, going a career-best 22-8 in his first year, with a 3.33 ERA (also a career-best, excluding his first year when he pitched in 8 games and had a 2.73 ERA). With Washington that year, he saw his first (and last) postseason action, when the Senators were defeated by the 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....
in 5 games. However, Whitehill did his part, getting the only win of the series for Washington. In that game, he pitched a complete game
Complete 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...
shutout allowing 5 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and 2 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
. Because he didn't start until Game 3, it became his only start of the Series, and his only start of the postseason. Thus, his final postseason ERA was 0.00, tied with many others for a record.
Whitehill one-hit the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
on May 30, 1934. The Yanks' Ben Chapman broke up the 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"...
in the ninth inning.
He was traded as part of a three team deal on December 10, 1936. The Senators received Jack Salveson
Jack Salveson
John Theodore Salveson was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for five seasons. He played for the New York Giants from 1933 to 1934, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox in 1935, and the Cleveland Indians in 1943 and 1945.Salveson had a long and successful minor league career,...
from the 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...
, who received Thornton Lee
Thornton Lee
Thornton Starr Lee , also nicknamed "Lefty", was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox and New York Giants . Lee batted and threw left-handed. He is the father of pitcher Don Lee, a former big leaguer.-Career:Lee was born in Sonoma,...
from the Indians, which is where Whitehill was headed. In Cleveland, Whitehill had two average years and made a number of relief appearances (mostly in 1937). His final record with the Indians was 17-16.
Whitehill signed with the Cubs in 1939, went 4-7 with a 5.14 ERA there, and was released in October 1939. In 17 seasons, he was 218-185 with a career ERA of 4.36, having given up 1726 earned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
s in 3564 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...
. He recorded 1350 career strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s. He pitched in 541 games, 473 of them starts. His lifetime ERA of 4.36 is higher than any other 200-game winner.
After serving as a coach for the Indians, the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and in the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in the early 1940s, he became a sales representative for the A. G. Spalding sporting goods
Spalding (sports equipment)
Spalding is a sporting goods company founded by Albert Spalding in Chicago, Illinois, in 1876 and now headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The company specializes in the production of balls for many sports, but is most-known for its basketballs...
firm. Whitehill died in an automobile accident in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
at the age of 54.
Quick Facts
- Got angry with manager/teammate Ty CobbTy CobbTyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
when the hall-of-famer came in from center field to advise him to throw curveballCurveballThe curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
s; Whitehill wanted to throw fastballFastballThe fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
s - On April 23, 1933, knocked Lou GehrigLou GehrigHenry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
unconscious with a pitch during Gehrig's famed games playedGames playedGames played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
streak. Gehrig recovered and finished the game. - Had highest (worst) earned run average of any 200-game winner with 4.36 (winning answer in 1987 SABR trivia semi-final).
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen ListMLB All-Time Hit Batsmen ListThis is a list of top 100 Major League Baseball pitchers who have the most hit batsmen of all time. There is an of hitters who have been hit by pitch the most times.Active players are denoted in bold text.-The List:* Bold denotes active player...
External links
- Des Moines Register, 3/24/1963, "Whitehill in Iowa's 'Hall'; Rapids Pitcher Won 218" http://desmoinesregister.com/sports/extras/hall/whitehill.html
- Baseball Library.com article on Whitehill