|
The
Story of the 1930 Championship Season
| The Cardinals'
four-game sweep by the Yankees in 1928 so utterly embarrassed Sam
Breadon - and the fact the Cards walked Ruth only once in that
Series so completely confounded him - that prior to the 1929
season, he demoted manager McKechnie to Rochester, and replaced
him with former Card's outfielder Billy Southworth, who had been
managing Rochester. That season was a roller-coaster ride
that saw Southworth sent back to Rochester and McKechnie brought
back in June of 1929. Finishing 20 games behind in fourth
place was more than enough to motivate Breadon to allow McKechnie
to depart to Boston after the season. And 1929 was the year
that Grover Cleveland Alexander won his last game, number
373. McKechnie, realizing Alex had serious problems with
sobriety, had no choice but to send Alexander home. Breadon,
always partial to the man who had saved the 1926 World Series,
paid him off in full and sent him home to Nebraska.
Breadon,
his financials suffering greatly from the effects of the
Depression, sought a manager who knew the Cardinals but wouldn't
command a big salary. He hired coach Gabby Street, who had
spent 80 percent of his 30-year baseball career working in the
minors, to manage the team. Filled with enthusiasm and
optimism, Street kept the Cards headed in the right direction.
The Cards started the season hot, winning 17 of 18 at one point.
But a variety of illnesses and injuries soon plunged them into a
1-11 tailspin.
|
Clyde Ware, coach; Gabby
Street, manager; Frank Frisch, captain, and Ray Blades,
coach, preparing for the 1930 World Series. |
Burleigh Grimes, a grizzled 36, and
one of the last remaining "legal" spitballers, came to
the Cardinals in a blockbuster June trade the sent Bill Sherdel
and Fred Frankhouse to Bill McKechnie and the Boston Braves.
In a summer when 133 St. Louisans
died from heat related illnesses, the Cardinals returned from a
12-14 road trip August 4, still in fourth place, 9 1/2 games out
of first. The thermometer reached 105*, making it the 18th
consecutive day of 100+ degree heat. The Cards dropped 3 of
four games to start the home-stand and trailed the Brooklyn club by
12 games. But the next day, the Cards got a
bottom-of-the-ninth bases-loaded single from catcher Jimmie Wilson
to get a 4-3 victory. This started a nine-game winning
streak.
Brooklyn played sub-.500 ball down
the stretch. The Cubs went 19-19. But the red-hot
Redbirds won 31 of their final 38 games (31-7), and 39 of their
last 49 (39-10), including 17 victories in their last 22 road
games. On September 16-18, the Cards swept a 3-game series
at then-leader Brooklyn, the finale coming behind Grimes, and thus
moved into first place. During the opening game of that
series, Hallahan retired the first 20 batters he faced to silence
the 30,000 Ebbets Field fans. He lost the no-hitter in the
8th but won 1-0 in 10 innings.
On September 25, Grimes was the
winning pitcher with a seven-hitter, and Bottomley cranked a 3-run
homer for a 9-0 victory over Pittsburgh, guaranteeing nothing less
than a tie for first place. "Pop" Haines, then 37,
was the winning pitcher September 26 when the Cards clinched the
pennant with a 10-5 win over the Pirates.
In a wild city-wide celebration, a
parade for the NL Champions snaking down Olive Street left just
enough room for their autos to crawl through ticker tape and
roses. Newspapers said the demonstration was exceeded only
by St. Louis' reception for returning World War I soldiers,
Charles Lindbergh, and the 1926 pennant-winners.
It had been a mind-boggling year of
offense, and the Cardinals more than kept pace. They led the
League with a phenomenal 1,004 runs, better than 6 1/2 per
game. Every regular batted better than .300, led by a .373
mark from right fielder George Watkins that remains the highest by
a rookie. As expected, pitchers suffered throughout the
League, as the ball had more juice than a Florida grapefruit - the
League ERA was 4.97. Still, the Cardinals' was better than
most. Hallahan led the League in strikeouts. And
Grimes went 13-6 with a 3.01 ERA after joining the club.
In a moment that seemed
insignificant at the time, Street decided to rest his regular
hurlers for the Series with the pennant already in hand on the
final day of the regular season. So he gave the start to a
19-year-old rookie fresh from winning a combined 25 games in the
Western Association and Texas League. Making his big league
debut, Dizzy Dean gave the Pirates only three hits and 3 walks,
striking out 5, and winning 3-1. One
of the more humorous stories of the season, and frequently
referred to as an "all-time fantastic tale" of baseball
was produced in mid-September, concerning Flint Rhem. A
talented pitcher with a big league thirst for Prohibition booze,
Flint had been sent to the minors in the hope the demotion would
sober him up. Now he was back and pitching well.
Penciled in to work the opener against the Dodgers, Flint wandered
into the hotel that morning with his eyes swimming, his clothing
disheveled, his hand unsteady. The tale he had to tell was a
beauty. Two men, it seemed, had kidnapped him the night
before, driven him to a house in New Jersey, and by gunpoint
forced him to drink cup after cup of straight whiskey. They
were gamblers, Flint swore, who were plunging heavily on Brooklyn
the next day and wanted to turn him into a wet rag so he wouldn't
be able to pitch. The thought of someone forcing Flint to
drink whiskey against his will was as fanciful as ordering the
ocean tides to go elsewhere. While no one believed Flint, no
one ever disproved his story. As one teammate said,
"Anybody who tried to investigate that story to see if it was
true or not was out of his mind." So Rhem was scratched
and Hallahan took his place, delivering the "game of his
life," beating the great Dazzy Vance 1-0 in ten
innings. (An amused Hallahan gave up Rhem years later,
telling a writer that "some friends of Flint's had come up
from South Carolina to see the games in New York and
Brooklyn. After the games in the Polo Grounds they went out
for a few drinks and just kept going.") |
Back
to Top
1930
Regular Season Highlights
|
|
Typical Lineup |
| 1. |
Douthit, CF |
| 2. |
Adams, 3B |
| 3. |
Frisch, 2B |
| 4. |
Bottomley, 1B |
| 5. |
Hafey, LF |
| 6. |
Blades, RF |
| 7. |
Mancuso, C |
| 8. |
Gelbert, SS |
| 9. |
pitcher |
Regular Season Offensive Performances
|
Pos. |
Name |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
HR |
RBI |
Runs |
SB |
Notables |
|
1B |
Bottomley |
.304 |
|
|
15 |
97 |
92 |
5 |
|
|
2B |
Frisch |
.346 |
|
|
10 |
114 |
121 |
15 |
|
|
SS |
Gelbert |
.304 |
|
|
3 |
72 |
92 |
6 |
|
|
3B |
Adams |
.314 |
|
|
0 |
55 |
98 |
7 |
|
|
LF |
Hafey |
.336 |
|
|
26 |
107 |
108 |
12 |
|
|
CF |
Douthit |
.303 |
|
|
7 |
93 |
109 |
4 |
|
|
RF |
Watkins |
.373 |
|
|
17 |
87 |
85 |
5 |
rookie record for average |
|
C |
Wilson |
.318 |
|
|
1 |
58 |
54 |
8 |
|
|
Team |
|
.314 |
|
|
104 |
942
|
1,004 |
72 |
|
Regular Season Pitching
Performances
|
Pos. |
Name |
W-L |
Pct. |
Sv. |
G |
GS |
CG |
SHO |
ERA |
Notables |
|
SP |
Rhem |
12-8 |
|
0 |
26 |
19 |
9 |
0 |
4.45 |
|
|
SP |
Grimes |
13-6 |
|
0 |
22 |
19 |
10 |
1 |
3.01 |
|
|
SP |
Haines |
13-8 |
|
1 |
29 |
24 |
14 |
0 |
4.30 |
|
|
SP |
Hallahan |
15-9 |
.625 |
2 |
35 |
32 |
13 |
2 |
4.66 |
Most SO in
League, 5th best winning pct. |
|
SP |
Johnson |
12-10 |
|
2 |
32 |
24 |
9 |
2 |
4.65 |
|
|
RP |
Bell |
4-3 |
|
8 |
39 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
3.90 |
League leader
in saves |
|
Team |
|
92-62 |
|
21 |
154 |
154 |
63 |
6 |
4.39 |
|
Team
Accomplishments
| League Leaders: |
Runs (1,004) |
| League Leaders: |
SO (641), SO/G (4.2),
Saves (21) |
Individual Accomplishments
| Doubles |
Slugging
Pct. |
Win
Percentage |
Saves |
|
5th
- Frisch (46)
|
4nd
- Hafey ()
|
5th -
Hallahan (.625) |
1st
- Bell (8)
|
|
Fewest Hits/Game |
Fewest BB/Game |
Strikeouts |
Strikeouts/Game |
|
2nd
- Hallahan (8.85)
|
2nd
- Johnson (1.82)
|
1st
- Hallahan (177)
|
1st -
Hallahan (6.72)
5th
- Johnson (4.40)
|
|
Opponents B.A. |
|
|
|
|
3rd
- Hallahan (.260)
|
|
|
|
|
Philadelphia Athletics |
|
Manager: |
Connie Mack |
|
|
Typical Lineup |
|
1. |
Bishop, 2B |
|
2. |
Dykes, 3B |
|
3. |
Cochrane, C |
|
4. |
Simmons, LF |
|
5. |
Foxx, 1B |
|
6. |
Miller, RF |
|
7. |
Haas, CF |
|
8. |
Boley, SS |
|
9. |
pitcher |
Back
to Top Game
Summaries
|
|
Pitching 85
percent of the Series with a combined ERA of 1.02, Philadelphia aces
George Earnshaw and Lefty Grove chilled the red-hot Cardinals, who had hit
.314 and averaged 6 1/2 runs per game in the regular season. The A's
hit only .197 themselves in the Series, but more than half their hits went
for extra bases as they outscored the Cardinals 21-12 and took their
second consecutive world championship in six games. |
October 1 at Philadelphia
(attendance: 32,295) Cardinals
Starter: Burleigh Grimes (RHP), 13-6 Athletics
Starter: Lefty Grove (LHP), 28-5
| STL |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2 |
9 |
0 |
| PHI |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
X |
|
5 |
5 |
0 |
Homeruns:
Cochrane - Philadelphia; Simmons - Philadelphia WP:
Grove (1-0) LP:
Grimes (0-1) Athletics
lead Series 1-0 Highlights:
Grove faced Cardinal
spitballer Grimes in the opener, giving up nine hits, including four
singles in the Cards' two-run third. The A's, for their part,
touched Grimes for only five hits, all in separate innings. But
every hit - a double, two triples, and two home runs - resulted in a run,
and Grove and the A's emerged 5-2 victors.
October 2 at Philadelphia (attendance:
32,295) Cardinals
Starter: Flint Rhem (RHP), 12-8 Athletics
Starter: George Earnshaw (RHP), 22-13
| STL |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
6 |
2 |
| PHI |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
X |
|
6 |
7 |
2 |
Homeruns:
Cochrane - Philadelphia; Watkins - St. Louis WP:
Earnshaw (1-0) LP:
Rhem (0-1) Athletics
lead Series 2-0 Highlights:
In the first inning,
Cochrane homered again, sending Earnshaw on his way to Philly's second
win.
October 4 at Saint Louis
(attendance: 36,944) Athletics
Starter: Rube Walberg (LHP),13-12 Cardinals
Starter: Bill Hallahan (RHP), 15-9
| PHI |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
7 |
0 |
| STL |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
X |
|
5 |
10 |
0 |
Homeruns:
Douthit - St. Louis WP:
Hallahan (1-0) LP:
Walberg (0-1) Athletics
leads Series 2-1 Highlights:
When the Series moved
to St. Louis, though, the Cards came alive. Wild Bill Hallahan (their
leading winner during the season, with 15) spaced seven hits for a
shutout. Taylor Douthit's fourth-inning home run off Rube Walberg was the
first Cardinal hit, but the Cards knocked out nine more for four more runs
before they were finished.
October 5 at Saint Louis
(attendance: 39,946) Athletics
Starter: Lefty Grove (LHP), 28-5 Cardinals
Starter: Jesse Haines (RHP), 13-8
| PHI |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
4 |
1 |
| STL |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
X |
|
3 |
5 |
1 |
Homeruns:
none WP:
Haines (1-0) LP:
Grove (1-1) Series
tied 2-2 Highlights:
A pair of unearned
runs evened the Series the next day when A's third baseman Jimmie Dykes'
wild throw to first in the fourth inning let in a tie-breaking second
Cardinal run and led to a third against the ultimate loser Lefty Grove.
Meanwhile, Cardinal veteran Jesse
Haines, after yielding three Philadelphia hits and a run in the first
inning, shut out the A's on one hit the rest of the way.
October 6 at Saint Louis
(attendance: 38,844) Athletics
Starter: George Earnshaw (RHP), 22-13 Cardinals
Starter: Burleigh Grimes (RHP), 13-6
| PHI |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
2 |
5 |
0 |
| STL |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
3 |
1 |
Homeruns:
Foxx - Phi WP:
Grove (2-1) LP:
Grimes (0-2) Athletics
lead the Series 3-2 Highlights:
Earnshaw and Grove
combined to restore the Series lead to the Athletics in Game Five with a
three-hit shutout. Grove, who took over when Earnshaw left for a pinch
hitter in the eighth, garnered his second Series win as Jimmie
Foxx homered off Grimes in the top of the ninth for the game's only
runs.
October 8 at Philadelphia
(attendance: 32,295) Athletics
Starter: George Earnshaw (RHP), 22-13 Cardinals
Starter: Bill Hallahan (RHP), 15-9
| STL |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
1 |
5 |
1 |
| PHI |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
X |
|
7 |
7 |
0 |
Homeruns:
Dykes - Phi; Simmons - Phi WP:
Earnshaw (2-0) LP:
Hallahan (1-1) Athletics
win the Series 4-2 Highlights:
After a travel day to
Philadelphia, Earnshaw pitched again for the A's in Game Six, and pushed
the Cardinals' scoreless streak to 21 innings before allowing them a token
run in the ninth. But by then seven A's had crossed the plate and the
Series was theirs.
Back
to Top Series
Composite Box Score
|
PHI (A)
|
|
PLAYER- POS
|
AVG
|
G
|
AB
|
R
|
H
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
RB
|
BB
|
SO
|
SB
|
|
Max Bishop, 2b
|
.222
|
6
|
18
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
3
|
0
|
|
Joe Boley, ss
|
.095
|
6
|
21
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Mickey Cochrane, c
|
.222
|
6
|
18
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
|
Jimmy Dykes, 3b
|
.222
|
6
|
18
|
2
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
|
George Earnshaw, p
|
.000
|
3
|
9
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
|
Jimmie Foxx 1b
|
.333
|
6
|
21
|
3
|
7
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
|
Lefty Grove, p
|
.000
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
Mule Haas, of
|
.111
|
6
|
18
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
|
Eric Mc Nair, ph
|
.000
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Bing Miller, of
|
.143
|
6
|
21
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
Jim Moore, of-1
|
.333
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Jack Quinn, p
|
.000
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Bill Shores, p
|
.000
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Al Simmons, of
|
.364
|
6
|
22
|
4
|
8
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
|
Rube Walberg, p
|
.000
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
TOTAL
|
.197
|
-
|
178
|
21
|
35
|
10
|
2
|
6
|
21
|
24
|
32
|
0
|
|
PITCHER
|
W
|
L
|
ERA
|
G
|
GS
|
CG
|
SV
|
SHO
|
IP
|
H
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
|
George Earnshaw
|
2
|
0
|
0.72
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
25.0
|
13
|
2
|
7
|
19
|
|
Lefty Grove
|
2
|
1
|
1.42
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
19.0
|
15
|
3
|
3
|
10
|
|
Jack Quinn
|
0
|
0
|
4.50
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2.0
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Bill Shores
|
0
|
0
|
13.50
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1.1
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
|
Rube Walberg
|
0
|
1
|
3.86
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.2
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
TOTAL
|
4
|
2
|
1.73
|
9
|
6
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
52.0
|
38
|
10
|
11
|
33
|
|
STL
(N)
|
|
PLAYER- POS
|
AVG
|
G
|
AB
|
R
|
H
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
RB
|
BB
|
SO
|
SB
|
|
Sparky Adams, 3b
|
.143
|
6
|
21
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
Hi Bell, p
|
.000
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Ray Blades, of-3
|
.111
|
5
|
9
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
|
Jim Bottomley, 1b
|
.045
|
6
|
22
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
9
|
0
|
|
Taylor Douthit, of
|
.083
|
6
|
24
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
George Fisher, ph
|
.500
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Frankie Frisch, 2b
|
.208
|
6
|
24
|
0
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Charlie Gelbert, ss
|
.353
|
6
|
17
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
|
Burleigh Grimes, p
|
.400
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Chick Hafey, of
|
.273
|
6
|
22
|
2
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
|
Jesse Haines, p
|
.500
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Bill Hallahan, p
|
.000
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Andy High, 3b
|
.500
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Syl Johnson, p
|
.000
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Jim Lindsey, p
|
1.000
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Gus Mancuso, c
|
.286
|
2
|
7
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
|
Ernie Orsatti, ph
|
.000
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
George Puccinelli, ph
|
.000
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Flint Rhem, p
|
.000
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
George Watkins, of
|
.167
|
4
|
12
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
|
Jimmie Wilson, c
|
.267
|
4
|
15
|
0
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
TOTAL
|
.200
|
-
|
190
|
12
|
38
|
10
|
1
|
2
|
11
|
11
|
33
|
1
|
|
PITCHER
|
W
|
L
|
ERA
|
G
|
GS
|
CG
|
SV
|
SHO
|
IP
|
H
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
|
Hi Bell
|
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Burleigh Grimes
|
0
|
2
|
3.71
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
17.0
|
10
|
7
|
6
|
13
|
|
Jesse Haines
|
1
|
0
|
1.00
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
9.0
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
2
|
|
Bill Hallahan
|
1
|
1
|
1.64
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
11.0
|
9
|
2
|
8
|
8
|
|
Syl Johnson
|
0
|
0
|
7.20
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5.0
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
|
Jim Lindsey
|
0
|
0
|
1.93
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Flint Rhem
|
0
|
1
|
10.80
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3.1
|
7
|
4
|
2
|
3
|
|
TOTAL
|
2
|
4
|
3.35
|
11
|
6
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
51.0
|
35
|
19
|
24
|
32
|
Back
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Series
MVP
 George
Earnshaw didn't make it to the majors until he was 28 years old, but from
1929 through 1932 he teamed with Lefty Grove to give Connie Mack a
terrific left-right pitching combination. Relying on a blazing fastball,
Earnshaw won 86 games during those four seasons to help the A's to three
World Series appearances. And in the 1930 Series against the Cards he
pitched 22 scoreless innings.
Yet Earnshaw, a man born into wealth, cared
little for baseball achievements. Writer Ira Smith described him as
"sociable, fine dresser, good storyteller and a hand at playing
practical jokes. Proficient at billiards, tennis and golf. All in all, a
type of man rarely encountered in a sport which he took very lightly at
first but which brought him fame and success when he fully applied his
brain and talents to it."
Born on New York's Riverside Drive and
listed in the Social Register, Earnshaw attended Swarthmore and excelled
in baseball, basketball, and football, serving as the school's basketball
captain in 1923 and 1924. A large man at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he was
given the nickname "Moose." Although he signed a contract with
Jack Dunn's International League Baltimore Orioles as a sophomore, he did
not join them until two years later in 1924. He simply didn't need the
money.
That year Earnshaw went 7-0. The next year
he was 29-11 in a spectacular Baltimore rotation that included Tommy
Thomas, at 32-12, and Johnny Ogden, at 28-11. In 1926 Earnshaw was 22-14,
but in 1927 he fell to 17-18. At one point Washington owner Clark Griffith
offered Dunn $100,000 for Earnshaw but was turned down. Early in the 1928
season, after posting a 3-5 mark and a 6.15 ERA in 13 games, Earnshaw was
purchased by Mack for far less than $100,000. Earnshaw was by then 28
years old.
He was only 7-7 in his rookie season in the
majors, but in 1929 he went 24-8 for the world champion A's and led the AL
in wins. The A's repeated in 1930, with Earnshaw going 22-13 and then
capping it off with 22 scoreless innings in the Fall Classic. He won two
games in that year's Series, and had he not been removed for a pinch
hitter in the ninth inning of Game 5 he might have recorded three
victories.
In 1931 Earnshaw was 21-7, but the A's lost
the Series to the Cards, this time in seven games. He was a 2-0 loser in
Game 2, a 3-0 winner in Game 4, and a 4-2 loser to Burleigh Grimes in the
seventh game. Earnshaw had one more big season left, going 19-13 in 1932,
but his arm was gone and he fell to 5-10 in 1933. He was among the first
to go the following season when Mack once again broke up a championship
club to pay his bills.
The White Sox bought Earnshaw for $20,000.
He managed to go 14-11 in 1934 but was sold to the Dodgers. In 1936 Dodger
manager Casey Stengel made him an offer that he decided to refuse. With
Brooklyn leading, 2-0, and two out in the ninth, a Pirate batter hit an
easy flyball to colorful outfielder Frenchy Bordagaray. The ball popped
out of his glove and a run scored. Earnshaw got the last out, but he was
none too pleased with his outfielder.
"Tell you what, George," Stengel
said back in the clubhouse. "I'll hold this guy and you bite him on
the leg and be sure and take an extra chew for me." Earnshaw pondered
the offer, then said, "Unless that's an order, boss, I'd just as soon
not."
In July 1936 Brooklyn sold Earnshaw to the
Cardinals. "I can still see the Moose," Bob Broeg wrote in 1977,
"trying to hang on with the Cardinals, his fast ball gone with an arm
injury, sitting in his uniform pants, on the top of the third base dugout
at Sportsman's Park. He was shirtless and soaking up the sun to sweat out,
before the gates opened, the transgressions of the night before."
In World War II, despite being 41, Earnshaw
served in the Navy, rising to lieutenant commander. He was awarded the
Commendation Ribbon by Admiral Chester Nimitz for his actions during a
carrier strike on Truk on April 29, 1944. The proclamation read,
"With exceptional ability and judgment, and commendable calmness, he
controlled and directed effective anti-aircraft fire against three fast,
low-flying planes, and contributed directly in saving his ship from
serious damage."
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