Mickey Haefner

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Mickey Haefner
Pitcher
Born: October 9, 1912
Lenzburg, Illinois, U.S.
Died: January 3, 1995(1995-01-03) (aged 82)
New Athens, Illinois, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 22, 1943, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 1950, for the Boston Braves
MLB statistics
Win–loss record78–91
Earned run average3.50
Strikeouts508
Teams
  • Washington Senators
    (1943–1949)
  • Chicago White Sox (1949–1950)
  • Boston Braves
    (1950)

Milton Arnold "Mickey" Haefner (October 9, 1912 – January 3, 1995) was an American

Boston Braves (1950). He was known as one of four knuckleball hurlers who were regular starting pitchers for the 1945 Senators, the last Washington team to seriously contend for the American League pennant. He was born in Lenzburg, Illinois, and was listed as 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall and 160 pounds (73 kg), leading to his baseball moniker, Itsy-Bitsy.[1]

Baseball career

Haefner's

minor league baseball, he was acquired by Washington in February 1943. As a rookie, he worked in 36 games, with 13 starts, and put up an 11–5 won–lost record and a 2.29 earned run average in 1651⁄3 innings pitched. He was third in the Junior Circuit in ERA and fourth in winning percentage (.688), while the Senators ended up second in the league to the New York Yankees—albeit by a distant, 131⁄2-game margin. His workload increased in 1944
, the first of three straight seasons in which he exceeded more than 225 innings pitched.

In

first-inning single prevented Haefner from throwing a no-hitter
. A little over two months later, on July 21, the Senators sold his contract to the White Sox.

In eight seasons and 261 career games pitched, Haefner compiled a 78–91 record with an earned run average of 3.50. He had 91 complete games, 13

bases on balls, with 508 strikeouts
, in 1,4662⁄3 MLB innings pitched.

1946 exhibition game

Although never formally selected to an All-Star team, Haefner was part of a select American League squad that played a "scrimmage" against the league champion Boston Red Sox prior to the 1946 World Series. The Red Sox were idle while the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals engaged in the best-of-three 1946 National League tie-breaker series to determine the championship of the Senior Circuit. Haefner earned a measure of notoriety when, during the tune-up exhibition game at Fenway Park on October 1, he accidentally plunked Red Sox superstar Ted Williams on the elbow with an errant knuckleball.[3] The injured Williams was ineffective in the ensuing World Series, batting only .200 with five singles, as the underdog Cardinals defeated Boston in seven games.

Mickey Haefner's professional career ended in 1951, ironically in the Red Sox' minor-league system, after 15 seasons. He died in New Athens, Illinois, the hometown of Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog, at age 82 on January 3, 1995.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Red Sox lead to reflection of Senators' starting four knuckleballers". Canfield, Owen (28 June 2016), Torrington, Connecticut Register Citizen
  2. ^ Retrosheet box score (10 May 1949): "Washington Senators 1, Cleveland Indians 0"
  3. ^ Olbermann, Keith (2012): "So, Are We Sure About These Tigers' Scrimmages?" Baseball Nerd, MLB.com

External links

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