Johnny Niggeling

Johnny Niggeling
Johnny Niggeling
	Pitcher
	Born: July 10, 1903; Remsen, Iowa, U.S.
	Died: September 16, 1963 (aged 60); Le Mars, Iowa, U.S.
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
	April 30, 1938, for the Boston Bees
Last MLB appearance
	September 1, 1946, for the Boston Braves
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	64–69
Earned run average	3.22
Strikeouts	620
Teams
	Boston Bees (1938); Cincinnati Reds (1939); St. Louis Browns (1940–1943); Washington Senators (1943–1946); Boston Braves (1946);

John Arnold Niggeling (July 10, 1903 – September 16, 1963) was an American

Washington Senators. He was a right-handed knuckleball

specialist who was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg).

Born in

minor league seasons. But his major-league debut would have to wait until April 30, 1938, when he was 34 years old. He had two brief National League trials with the 1938 Bees and 1939 Reds, totaling 421⁄3 innings pitched, before he was acquired by the Browns in January 1940. In the American League over the next six seasons, Niggeling would exceed 150 innings pitched each year, win 56 games, and place in the Junior Circuit's top ten pitchers in earned run average three times (1942–1944), and strikeouts

twice (1942 and 1944).

He won a career-high 15 games with the Browns in 1942 before joining the wartime Senators, who in both 1944 and

bases on balls, with 620 strikeouts, in 1,2502⁄3 innings of work; he was credited with 81 complete games and 12 shutouts

. He retired from pro ball in 1947.

In later years, Niggeling worked as a barber in Le Mars, Iowa.^[1]

Niggeling died at age 60 in LeMars, having committed suicide by hanging himself in his hotel room. He had been suffering from back pain the last few years of his life and was recently divorced from his wife.^[1]