Spud Chandler
Spud Chandler | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: Commerce, Georgia, U.S. | September 12, 1907|
Died: January 9, 1990 South Pasadena, Florida, U.S. | (aged 82)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 6, 1937, for the New York Yankees | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 26, 1947, for the New York Yankees | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 109–43 |
Earned run average | 2.84 |
Strikeouts | 614 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Spurgeon Ferdinand "Spud" Chandler (September 12, 1907 – January 9, 1990) was an
He was named the
Early life
Chandler was born in Commerce, Georgia to Leonard Ferdinand Chandler (1871–1942) and Olivia Catherine Hix (1872–1957).[1] He grew up in Franklin County and graduated from Carnesville High School in 1928,[2] and attended the University of Georgia. He played football as a halfback, throwing a touchdown pass to help defeat Yale in a 1929 game dedicating a new stadium. He also pitched for the baseball team and competed on the track team. He was a brother of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and graduated with a degree in agriculture.
Professional career
Chandler spent five seasons in the Yankees organization after signing with the team, his favorite since boyhood. Chandler finally made his major league debut at age 29 on May 6, 1937, and went 7–4 that season with a 2.84 ERA and six
His greatest year came in 1943. In addition to his outstanding ERA, he led the league with 20 wins in 30 starts, as well as 20 complete games and five shutouts. In 253 innings pitched, he gave up 46 earned runs, allowing only five home runs. Chandler's 134 strikeouts were third in the league, and equalled his combined total of the previous two seasons. He made the AL All-Star team for the second time. Chandler finally had a successful World Series, pitching two complete game victories, including a shutout in the final Game 5, as the Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals. Winning the MVP award, he beat out Luke Appling of the Chicago White Sox. Chandler remains the only Yankee pitcher to win the Most Valuable Player award.
After one start in 1944, he entered World War II military service with the Army for nearly all of the next two seasons.[2] He returned in 1946 with another All-Star season, going 20–8 with a 2.10 ERA (2nd in the league to Hal Newhouser) and a career-high 138 strikeouts. That year, he also had 20 complete games for the second time in his career. He earned his last All-Star selection in 1947, but finished the year with only a 9–5 record as injuries ended his career at age 40. He pitched for the last time in the historic 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, pitching two relief innings in a Game 3 loss. In four World Series, he had a 2–2 record with a 1.62 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and 1 shutout.
Career statistics
Over his career Chandler was 109–43 in 211 games (109 complete, 26 shutouts), with a 2.84 ERA. He had 614 career strikeouts and gave up 64 home runs and in 1,485 innings pitched, allowed 1,327 hits. As a hitter, he had a batting average of .201, with a .234 on-base percentage; he had 110 hits in 548 at bats in his career, and on July 26, 1940, hit two home runs including a grand slam.[3] Chandler was also a fine fielding pitcher, committing only 10 errors in 501 total chances for a career .980 fielding percentage.[4]
Coaching and scouting career
Chandler later
Legacy
He was inducted into the
Personal life
Chandler died at age 82, and his sons Richard and Frank Chandler, both of St. Petersburg, FL have also died. His grandchildren include Richard, Kelly, Rick and Jason Chandler.[5]
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
References
- ^ "Spud Chandler". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ a b Fenster, Kenneth R. (January 25, 2022). "Spud Chandler, 1907-1990". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "Boxscore of July 26, 1940". retrosheet.org. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Spud Chandler Career Stats at Baseball Reference". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Spud Chandler, 82, Star Yankee Pitcher On 7 Pennant Clubs
Further reading
- Honig, Donald (1975) Baseball When the Grass Was Real: Baseball from the Twenties to the Forties Told by the Men Who Played It. New York: Coward, McGann & Geoghegan. pp. 223–236. SBN 698-10660-1.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- The New Georgia Encyclopedia Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
- Spud Chandler at the SABR Baseball Biography Project