Tom Zachary

Tom Zachary
Pitcher
Born:(1896-05-07)May 7, 1896 Graham, North Carolina,U.S.
Died:January 24, 1969(1969-01-24)(aged 72) Burlington, North Carolina,U.S.
Batted:Left Threw:Left
MLB debut
July 11, 1918, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
May 28, 1936, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	186–191
Earned run average	3.73
Strikeouts	720
Teams
Philadelphia Athletics(1918) Washington Senators(1919–1925) St. Louis Browns(1926–1927) Washington Senators(1927–1928) New York Yankees(1928–1930) Boston Braves(1930–1934) Brooklyn Dodgers(1934–1936) Philadelphia Phillies(1936)
Career highlights and awards
2×World Serieschampion (1924,1928)

Jonathan Thompson Walton Zachary(c. May 7, 1896 – January 24, 1969) was an Americanprofessional baseballpitcher.He played inMajor League Baseballfor 19 seasons. A left-handed pitcher, he spent most of his early career playing for theWashington Senators,with whom he won the1924 World Series.He is well known for surrenderingBabe Ruth's historic 60th home run in 1927, and he would become Ruth's teammate the following season. Over the course of his career, he also played for thePhiladelphia A's,St. Louis Browns,New York Yankees,Boston Braves,Brooklyn Dodgers,andPhiladelphia Phillies.

Early life

Tom Zachary was born on May 7, 1896, in the village ofSaxapahaw,nearGraham, North Carolina.He was born into a family ofQuakerfarmers, the seventh of eleven children born to Alfred L. Zachary and Mary Elvira Guthrie Zachary.

He attendedGuilford College,where he was a pitcher and outfielder on the baseball team, and served as team captain. Zachary's most notable collegiate game was on April 16, 1918, when he was matched againstNorth Carolina State College's ace and future major leaguerGeorge Murray.The game was called at 0-0 after sixteen innings; Murray struck out 20 batters to Zachary's 14. In the summer of 1918, Zachary joined theAmerican Red Cross,and was assigned to duty in Europe duringWorld War I.While preparing to ship out, he tried out for thePhiladelphia AthleticsunderConnie Mack,pitching in and winning two games under the name Zachary Walton, a pseudonym he used to preserve his amateur status. After spending a year in Europe, Zachary attempted to rejoin the Athletics, but was not offered a contract.

Career

1933 Goudey baseball card of Tom Zachary

Tom Zachary in 1920

Zachary contacted and tried out forClark Griffith,manager of theWashington Senators,in the summer of 1919. He was signed to a major league contract, and never played in the minor leagues.In his first season with the Senators, he appeared in 17 games (starting 7), and went 1-5 with a 2.92 ERA.

In 1924, Zachary went 15-9 with a 2.75 ERA in 202.2 innings pitched. He helped pitch the Senators to theWorld Series,where they facedJohn McGraw'sNew York Giants.As the Senators' number-two starter (behindWalter Johnson), Zachary started Games 2 and 6 of the Series, winning both. His performance in Game 6 was crucial in forcing a Game 7, which the Senators won behind Walter Johnson to take the Series.

In February 1926, Zachary was traded to theSt. Louis Browns.He remained with the Browns until midway through the 1927 season, when he was traded back to the Senators. On September 30, 1927, Zachary gave upBabe Ruth's record-setting 60thhome run.Ruth's shot barely cleared the right field foul pole, leading Zachary to suspect it was foul. There was no enmity between the two men, however, as Zachary and Ruth would become teammates and friends when theNew York Yankeesclaimed Zachary off waivers the following season.

Pitching for the Yankees, Zachary won Game 3 of the1928 World Series,defeating theSt. Louis Cardinals.The Yankees would sweep the Series in four games, earning Zachary his second World Series. In 1929, Zachary went 12–0 with a 2.48 ERA, which led toThe Sporting Newsdeclaring him "A.L. Pitcher of the Year" thanks to his low ERA, althoughLefty Groveis currently recognized as the 1929 ERA champion since Zachary did not pitch enough innings by modern standards to qualify.

Zachary was claimed off waivers by theBoston Bravesin May 1930, and spent three full seasons with the team before he was signed by theBrooklyn Dodgersin 1934. He appeared in 48 games for the Dodgers underCasey Stengel,posting a 12-18 record. He retired in 1936 after a stint with thePhiladelphia Phillies.

Pitching style

Zachary was known to be acontrol pitcher,relying on accuracy and deception rather than velocity. He primarily threw a fastball, curveball, and knuckleball, and used a variety of other offspeed pitches.He would often change paces and "slop" the ball at low speeds towards opposing batters to tempt them into swinging away. In addition, he was known for his composure on the mound, rarely showing any signs of agitation in jams.

He was a very good hitting pitcher, posting a.226batting average(254-for-1122) with 79runs,6home runs,112RBIand drawing 62bases on balls.He had a career high 14 RBI in 1926 and batted a career high.306 (22-for-72) in 1928.

Later life

Zachary returned to North Carolina after retirement, and began farmingtobacco.He was present atYankee Stadiumwhen Babe Ruth's number 3 was retired on June 13, 1948.

Zachary died on January 24, 1969, aged 72, after a series of strokes. He was survived by his wife, Etta (m. 1931), and two children.

External links

• Career statistics and player information fromMLB,orBaseball Reference,orBaseball Reference (Minors),orRetrosheet
• Tom ZacharyatFind a Grave