Eddie Rommel
Eddie Rommel | |
---|---|
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
Died: August 26, 1970 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 72)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 19, 1920, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 17, 1932, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 171–119 |
Earned run average | 3.54 |
Strikeouts | 599 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Edwin Americus Rommel (September 13, 1897 – August 26, 1970) was an American baseball player, coach, and umpire who played as a right-handed pitcher and in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire playing career (1920–1932) with the Philadelphia Athletics. He is considered to be one of the earlier adaptors of the modern knuckleball[1].[2]
Early life and career
Born in
Pitching career
In 1922, Rommel led the
Rommel was reasonably handy with the bat for a pitcher, compiling a lifetime batting average of .199—though this was in an era where batting averages were generally higher than today. In 1931, he was called upon three times by Mack to play the outfield, where he made six putouts without an error, and once to play second base, where he was given no fielding chances.
Rommel surrendered ten home runs to Babe Ruth, tying him for tenth place. However, fellow Athletics pitchers Rube Walberg (17) and Howard Ehmke (13, but nine of them were with other teams) surrendered more, and Rommel gave up the same number of Ruth home runs as teammate George Earnshaw. Toward the end of his career, he relied mostly on the knuckleball.
Notable games
Rommel pitched in relief and earned the win in the epic Game 4 of the 1929 World Series; the Athletics overcame an 8–0 deficit by scoring ten runs against the Chicago Cubs in the seventh inning to win 10–8. Sent into the game with the Athletics down 7–0, he pitched one inning, gave up one run and was taken out for a pinch hitter. Rommel wound up the winning pitcher as the result of the "Mack Attack".
On an intense stretch of four home doubleheaders and a single road game in five days, Rommel pitched 17 innings in relief on
Coaching and umpiring career
After retiring as a player, Rommel became an Athletics coach in 1933 and 1934, and then managed the Richmond Colts of the Piedmont League in 1935, capturing the league championship in his only season before leaving in a salary dispute.[4] He also pitched eight games for Richmond, posting a 6–2 mark.
Rommel turned to umpiring in the
Rommel worked in the World Series in 1943 and 1947, serving as crew chief the first time, and becoming the third man to appear in the Series both as a player and as an umpire. He also umpired in the All-Star Game six times: 1939, 1943, 1946, 1950, 1954 and 1958; he called balls and strikes in the 1943, '54 and '58 contests. Rommel was the second base umpire for the one-game playoff to decide the 1948 AL pennant. He was the first umpire in Major League history to wear glasses in a regular season game.
Later life
Rommel became an aide to Maryland governor J. Millard Tawes in August 1960.[6] He died in Baltimore in August 1970 after a lengthy illness at age 72.[4]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball umpires
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
References
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7954-6.
- ^ "Knuckle Ball Inventor Dead". Cumberland Evening Times. December 27, 1968. Retrieved March 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Klingman, Mike (July 8, 2013). "This Week in Sports". The Baltimore Sun. p. 2 Sports.
Eddie Rommel pitched the Newark Bears to an 11-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in an International League game on July 8, 1919.
- ^ a b c d e "Obituaries". The Sporting News. September 12, 1970. p. 38.
- ^ "Player Pitching Game Finder: In the Regular Season, from 1901 to 2021, requiring BR >= 30, sorted by greatest BR". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ Beard, Gordon (December 6, 1961). "Rommel's Ump Service Handy as Governor's Aide". The Salisbury Times. p. 22. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Retrosheet
- Eddie Rommel at Find a Grave