Stan Coveleski
Encyclopedia
Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski) (July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was a Major League Baseball
player during the 1910s and 1920s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Coveleski, a starting pitcher
, was known for throwing the spitball
; and he was one of the 17 pitchers permitted to continue throwing the pitch when it was outlawed in 1920. His older brother, Harry Coveleski
, also gained notability as a professional baseball player.
. Like many of his peers, he began work as a "breaker boy" at a local colliery
at the age of 12. In return for 72 hours of labor per week, the young Coveleski received $3.75, or about five cents an hour. "There was nothing strange in those days about a twelve-year-old Polish kid working in the mines for 72 hours a week at a nickel an hour", he later recalled. "What was strange is that I ever got out of there". Coveleski was rarely able to play baseball as a child, given that he almost never saw the sunlight.
Nevertheless, he worked on his pitching skills during the evenings, when he would "put a tin can on a log, or tie it to a tree, and stand maybe 40 or 50 feet away and throw stones at it". When he was 18 years old, Coveleski's abilities caught the attention of the local semi-professional ball club, which invited him to pitch for them. "When it came to throwing a baseball, why it was easy to pitch", Coveleski recalled. "After all, the plate's a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at". His baseball career in Shamokin was short-lived, however. After five games with the local ball club, Coveleski relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
.
Coveleski signed his first professional contract in 1909 with the minor league Lancaster Red Roses
, a club affiliated with the Tri-State League
. He later recalled that his trip to Lancaster was "the first time I ever rode on a train," and he added that he "was too shy to eat in the hotel with the rest of the team". Despite his soft-spoken demeanor and relative lack of experience, Coveleski excelled during his three seasons in Lancaster, earning a record of 53 wins and 38 losses in 109 appearances. He eventually moved on to the Portland Beavers
in the Pacific Coast League
, where he pitched a remarkable 64 games in one season.
Coveleski made his major league debut in , with the Philadelphia Athletics, pitching in five games that season. He didn't remain with the team long, however. At the time of his debut, the Philadelphia club retained several talented pitchers, including Eddie Plank
, Chief Bender
, and Jack Coombs
. "Don't know if I could have beat them out for a spot in the rotation", Coveleski later admitted. "[Connie] Mack
didn't think so and let me go". The pitcher added, "I know he was sorry afterwards". In , Coveleski returned to the major leagues as a member of the Cleveland Indians
and enjoyed a string of very successful seasons. He won over 20 games each season from until and was the star of the 1920 World Series
, in which he pitched three complete game victories. In 2002, baseball historian William C. Kashatus wrote that Coveleski's "incredible ERA of .67 still stands as a World Series record". Kashatus observed that, despite Coveleski's enormous success in Cleveland, he "really didn't like playing there". Asked about his experiences there, Coveleski refused to get into details and merely stated: "The best thing that happened to me there was pitching to Steve O'Neill
. He caught me for nine years in Cleveland and knew me so well he didn't even need to give me a sign".
In 1925, after nine years pitching for Cleveland, Coveleski was traded to the Washington Senators
. This followed a lackluster season in which he posted a 4.04 ERA
. During his first season in Washington, Coveleski rebounded, working up a 20–5 record and ending with "a league-leading 2.84 ERA". That same year, he made his second World Series appearance, though he performed less impressively, losing two games to Pittsburgh. Coveleski pitched for Washington during the 1926 season and part of the 1927 season, but his performance declined due to "a chronically sore arm". He retired after the season with the New York Yankees
. In his final season, he posted a 5–1 record in 12 appearances and helped the Yankees to another pennant.
In a 14-year career, Coveleski was 216–142, with a 2.89 ERA
in 450 games, 385 of them starts. Two-hundred-and twenty-four of those he completed
, and 38 for shutout
s. He struck out
981 in 3082 innings pitched
. He was 3–2 in World Series games started (1920 and 1925). Both Babe Ruth
and Ty Cobb
called Coveleski one of the toughest pitchers either faced. His control was legendary, and it was not unusual for him to pitch a complete game having thrown 95 pitches or less. Baseball statistician Bill James
ranked Coveleski 24th among the greatest right-handed pitchers of all time in career value.
, where he opened a service station. There, he became a popular member of the community, providing free pitching lessons to local youth in a field behind his garage. His health declined in later years, and he was eventually admitted to a local nursing home, where he died in March 1984.
. He is one of the top 100 winning pitchers of all time. In 1984, the minor league baseball stadium
in South Bend, Indiana, was named in his honor. A New York Times obituary noted that Coveleski won 20 games in five out of 14 seasons.
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...
player during the 1910s and 1920s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Coveleski, a starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
, was known for throwing the spitball
Spitball
A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of saliva, petroleum jelly, or some other foreign substance....
; and he was one of the 17 pitchers permitted to continue throwing the pitch when it was outlawed in 1920. His older brother, Harry Coveleski
Harry Coveleski
Harry Frank Coveleski was a Major League Baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, he began his career with the Phillies in 1907...
, also gained notability as a professional baseball player.
Early years
Coveleski was born as the youngest of five ball-playing brothers in the coal-mining community of Shamokin, PennsylvaniaShamokin, Pennsylvania
Shamokin is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, at the western edge of the Anthracite Coal Region. At the 2000 census the population was 8,009 residents...
. Like many of his peers, he began work as a "breaker boy" at a local colliery
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
at the age of 12. In return for 72 hours of labor per week, the young Coveleski received $3.75, or about five cents an hour. "There was nothing strange in those days about a twelve-year-old Polish kid working in the mines for 72 hours a week at a nickel an hour", he later recalled. "What was strange is that I ever got out of there". Coveleski was rarely able to play baseball as a child, given that he almost never saw the sunlight.
Nevertheless, he worked on his pitching skills during the evenings, when he would "put a tin can on a log, or tie it to a tree, and stand maybe 40 or 50 feet away and throw stones at it". When he was 18 years old, Coveleski's abilities caught the attention of the local semi-professional ball club, which invited him to pitch for them. "When it came to throwing a baseball, why it was easy to pitch", Coveleski recalled. "After all, the plate's a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at". His baseball career in Shamokin was short-lived, however. After five games with the local ball club, Coveleski relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
.
Baseball career
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
, a club affiliated with the Tri-State League
Tri-State League
The Tri-State League was the name of five different circuits in American minor league baseball.-History:The first league of that name played for four years and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia....
. He later recalled that his trip to Lancaster was "the first time I ever rode on a train," and he added that he "was too shy to eat in the hotel with the rest of the team". Despite his soft-spoken demeanor and relative lack of experience, Coveleski excelled during his three seasons in Lancaster, earning a record of 53 wins and 38 losses in 109 appearances. He eventually moved on to the Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, where he pitched a remarkable 64 games in one season.
Coveleski made his major league debut in , with the Philadelphia Athletics, pitching in five games that season. He didn't remain with the team long, however. At the time of his debut, the Philadelphia club retained several talented pitchers, including Eddie Plank
Eddie Plank
Edward Stewart Plank , nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is the first left-handed pitcher to win 200 games and then 300 games, and now ranks third in all-time wins among left-handers with 326 career victories and first all-time in career shutouts by a...
, Chief Bender
Chief Bender
Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...
, and Jack Coombs
Jack Coombs
John Wesley "Jack" Coombs , nicknamed Colby Jack after his alma mater, was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Philadelphia Athletics , Brooklyn Robins , and Detroit Tigers...
. "Don't know if I could have beat them out for a spot in the rotation", Coveleski later admitted. "[Connie] Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
didn't think so and let me go". The pitcher added, "I know he was sorry afterwards". In , Coveleski returned to the major leagues as a member of the 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...
and enjoyed a string of very successful seasons. He won over 20 games each season from until and was the star of the 1920 World Series
1920 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 5, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York-Game 2:Wednesday, October 6, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York-Game 3:Thursday, October 7, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York-Game 4:...
, in which he pitched three complete game victories. In 2002, baseball historian William C. Kashatus wrote that Coveleski's "incredible ERA of .67 still stands as a World Series record". Kashatus observed that, despite Coveleski's enormous success in Cleveland, he "really didn't like playing there". Asked about his experiences there, Coveleski refused to get into details and merely stated: "The best thing that happened to me there was pitching to Steve O'Neill
Steve O'Neill
Stephen Francis O'Neill was an American catcher, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball.Born to Irish immigrants in Minooka, Pennsylvania , O'Neill was one of six brothers who escaped a life in the coal mines by playing in the major leagues...
. He caught me for nine years in Cleveland and knew me so well he didn't even need to give me a sign".
In 1925, after nine years pitching for Cleveland, Coveleski was traded to 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...
. This followed a lackluster season in which he posted a 4.04 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...
. During his first season in Washington, Coveleski rebounded, working up a 20–5 record and ending with "a league-leading 2.84 ERA". That same year, he made his second World Series appearance, though he performed less impressively, losing two games to Pittsburgh. Coveleski pitched for Washington during the 1926 season and part of the 1927 season, but his performance declined due to "a chronically sore arm". He retired after the season with 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...
. In his final season, he posted a 5–1 record in 12 appearances and helped the Yankees to another pennant.
In a 14-year career, Coveleski was 216–142, with a 2.89 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...
in 450 games, 385 of them starts. Two-hundred-and twenty-four of those he completed
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...
, and 38 for 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. He struck out
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....
981 in 3082 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 was 3–2 in World Series games started (1920 and 1925). Both Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
and Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
called Coveleski one of the toughest pitchers either faced. His control was legendary, and it was not unusual for him to pitch a complete game having thrown 95 pitches or less. Baseball statistician Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
ranked Coveleski 24th among the greatest right-handed pitchers of all time in career value.
Retirement
In 1929, after leaving major league baseball, Coveleski relocated to South Bend, IndianaSouth Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, where he opened a service station. There, he became a popular member of the community, providing free pitching lessons to local youth in a field behind his garage. His health declined in later years, and he was eventually admitted to a local nursing home, where he died in March 1984.
Legacy
In addition to Coveleski's 1969 induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1976 he was also inducted into the National Polish-American Hall of FameNational Polish-American Hall of Fame
The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum was founded February 30, 1973 to honor and recognize outstanding American athletes, both amateur and professional, of Polish descent....
. He is one of the top 100 winning pitchers of all time. In 1984, the minor league baseball stadium
Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium
Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium is a baseball stadium in South Bend, Indiana, home to the South Bend Silver Hawks, a minor league baseball team which plays in the Class-A Midwest League. The stadium opened in 1987, and its open concourse is considered the template for many later minor league...
in South Bend, Indiana, was named in his honor. A New York Times obituary noted that Coveleski won 20 games in five out of 14 seasons.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball earned run average champions
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
External links
- Stan Coveleski at Find a Grave