Elden Auker
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2009) |
Elden Auker | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: Norcatur, Kansas, U.S. | September 21, 1910|
Died: August 4, 2006 Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 95)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 10, 1933, for the Detroit Tigers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 20, 1942, for the St. Louis Browns | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 130–101 |
Earned run average | 4.42 |
Strikeouts | 594 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Elden LeRoy "Submarine" Auker (September 21, 1910 – August 4, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns between 1933 and 1942. Auker batted and threw right-handed. Auker was noted for his submarine pitching style.
Athletic career
Auker was born and raised in
During his ten-year Major League career, Auker played with the Tigers,
During the 1935 World Series, Auker was interviewed by a young Cubs broadcaster, Ronald Reagan. When they met after Reagan had been elected governor of California, Reagan told him, "You probably won't remember me, but I'll remember you as long as I live." The radio interview, Reagan said, "was my first big break."[2]
Before the 1939 season, Auker was traded by Detroit to the Red Sox for Pinky Higgins and Archie McKain. That season was Ted Williams's rookie year in Boston, and the two would develop what became a lifelong friendship during the season. However, Auker chafed playing under Red Sox manager Joe Cronin, and his 9–10 record in the year was the lowest win total of any full season he played. Auker finished his career playing three seasons with the Browns (1940–1942). During the 1941 season, he gave up hits to Joe DiMaggio during two games of DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak.
As a hitter, Auker was a better than average hitting pitcher, posting a .187
Post-playing career
Auker retired in 1943 so that he could contribute to the war effort. From 1943 to 1945, he worked on airplane and naval guns. From 1946 until 1975, Auker worked for Bay State Abrasives in Massachusetts, a company that made armaments and abrasive materials, retiring as the company president.[2]
He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1969.[1]
Auker appeared at the last game played at Tiger Stadium on September 27, 1999. Auker spoke at the ceremony and told the crowd: "Never forget us, for we live on by those that carry on the Tiger tradition and who so proudly wear the olde English D."[3]
In 2001, Auker published his memoirs, entitled Sleeper Cars and Flannel Uniforms, written with Tom Keegan.
He died due to congestive heart failure, at age 95, in his home in Vero Beach, Florida.[2] He was the last surviving member of the 1935 World Champion Detroit Tigers.
Works
- Auker, Elden; ISBN 1892049252.
References
- ^ a b c "Auker, Eldon Inducted 1969". Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c Schudel, Matt (April 6, 2006). "Depression-Era Submarine Pitcher Elden Auker". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (August 5, 2006). "Elden Auker, 95, Pitcher Known for Submarine Style, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
Further reading
- Downey, J. A. (November 14, 2006). "Sleeper Cars & Flannel Uniforms". Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
- Sargent, Jim. "Elden Auker: Pitching in the Big Leagues the Underhand Way". Baseball Almanac.
- Schaefer, Robert H. "Elden Auker". SABR.
- Tanner, Beccy (March 29, 2010). "Native Kansan pitched his way to baseball greatness". The Wichita Eagle.
- Walker, Ben (August 4, 2006). "Former pitcher Elden Auker dies". USA Today. AP.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet