Monday, September 6, 2010

How Many Baseball Players Were Prisoners of War and Resumed Their Baseball Career

Andy Holm Anderson (November 13, 1922 – July 18, 1982) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 10 seasons, including two in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Browns (1948–1949).

Over his major league career, Anderson compiled a batting average of .184 with 23 runs, 41 hits, eight doubles, one triples, two home runs and 17 runs batted in (RBIs) in 122 games played. Anderson also played in the minor leagues with the Class-D Paragould Browns (1941), the Class-B Springfield Browns (1942), the Double-A San Antonio Missions (1946–1947, 1950–1951), the Class-B Longview Cherokees (1952), the open-class Los Angeles Angels (1952), the Class-A Spokane Indians (1953) and the Class-A Yakima Bears (1953).

Anderson also served in the United States Army during World War II. During his service, he was captured by German soldiers and taken as a prisoner of war. He was later freed and resumed his baseball career.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Old Time Pitchers Knew How to Pitch

Teams today celebrate if a starting pitcher can go 6 innings. That was not the case years back. Check out the pitchers of old.

1905 — Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 15-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The score is the most lopsided margin of victory for a no-hitter in AL history.

1924 — Urban Shocker of the St. Louis Browns pitched two complete games against the Chicago White Sox and won both, 6-2.

1943 — At 16 years, eight months and five days, Philadelphia A’s pitcher Carl Scheib became the youngest player to appear in an American League game.

1950 — Don Newcombe missed pitching complete games in a doubleheader for the Brooklyn Dodgers by leaving in the seventh inning of the second game trailing the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0. Newcombe had won the first game 2-0.

1981 — Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 to tie a National League record of seven shutouts by a rookie pitcher.