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 anAmericanprofessionalbaseballplayer. He played inMajor League Baseballas a right-handedstarting pitcherand played his entire career for theNew York Yankeesfrom 1937 through 1947.
He was named theAmerican League'sMost Valuable Playerin1943after anchoring the team's pitching staff with 20winsand only 4 losses as New York won its third consecutive pennant; his 1.64earned run averagein that season was the lowest by any major league pitcher between 1920 and 1967, and remains a Yankees team record. In eleven seasons, he never suffered a losing record; with a total of 109 wins and 43 losses, his career winning percentage of.717 is the highest of any pitcher with at least 100 victories since 1876.
Early life
[edit]Chandler was born inCommerce, Georgiato Leonard Ferdinand Chandler (1871–1942) and Olivia Catherine Hix (1872–1957).[1]He grew up inFranklin Countyand graduated fromCarnesvilleHigh School in 1928,[2]and attended theUniversity of Georgia.He playedfootballas ahalfback,throwing a touchdown pass to help defeatYalein a 1929 game dedicating a new stadium. He also pitched for the baseball team and competed on thetrackteam. He was a brother of theAlpha Gamma Rhofraternity and graduated with a degree inagriculture.
Professional career
[edit]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 sixcomplete games(including twoshutouts). The following year, he was 14–5, and in 1939 he was 3–0 in 11 relief appearances. Although the Yankees won theWorld Seriesin each of those years, Chandler did not appear in the postseason. Bothered by injuries during his early career, after records of 8–7 and 10–4 in 1940 and 1941 he improved further to 16–5 in1942,finishing third in the AL with a 2.38 ERA and earning his first of fourAll-Starselections. He was the All-Star Game's winning pitcher in 1942. Chandler had one start in the World Series each year, but lost both times, as the Yankees won in 1941 and lost in 1942.
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 fivehome runs.Chandler's 134strikeoutswere 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 successfulWorld Series,pitching two complete game victories, including a shutout in the final Game 5, as the Yankees defeated theSt. Louis Cardinals.Winning the MVP award, he beat outLuke Applingof 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 theArmyfor nearly all of the next two seasons.[2]He returned in1946with another All-Star season, going 20–8 with a 2.10 ERA (2nd in the league toHal 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 in1947,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 historic1947 World Seriesagainst theBrooklyn 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
[edit]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 548at batsin his career, and on July 26, 1940, hit two home runs including agrand slam.[3]Chandler was also a fine fielding pitcher, committing only 10 errors in 501 total chances for a career.980fielding percentage.[4]
Coaching and scouting career
[edit]Chandler latermanagedin the minor leagues, became pitching coach with theKansas City Athleticsin 1957–58, and scouted for several teams before retiring in 1984.
Legacy
[edit]He was inducted into theGeorgia Sports Hall of Famein 1969 and into theFranklin County Sports Hall of Famein 1997. He would later be inducted into the University of Georgia Ring of Honor in 2000.
Personal life
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
[edit]- ^"Spud Chandler".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedSeptember 6,2012.
- ^abFenster, Kenneth R. (January 25, 2022)."Spud Chandler, 1907-1990".New Georgia Encyclopedia.RetrievedJanuary 25,2022.
- ^"Boxscore of July 26, 1940".retrosheet.org.RetrievedMarch 28,2024.
- ^"Spud Chandler Career Stats at Baseball Reference".baseball-reference.RetrievedMarch 28,2024.
- ^Spud Chandler, 82, Star Yankee Pitcher On 7 Pennant Clubs
Further reading
[edit]- 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.SBN698-10660-1.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference
- The New Georgia EncyclopediaArchived2012-02-05 at theWayback Machine
- Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
- Spud Chandlerat theSABR Baseball Biography Project
- 1907 births
- 1990 deaths
- American League All-Stars
- American League ERA champions
- American League Most Valuable Player Award winners
- American League wins champions
- Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Binghamton Triplets players
- Cleveland Indians scouts
- Georgia Bulldogs baseball players
- Georgia Bulldogs football players
- Jacksonville Beach Sea Birds players
- Kansas City Athletics coaches
- Kansas City Athletics scouts
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Major League Baseball pitching coaches
- Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
- Minnesota Twins scouts
- Newark Bears (International League) players
- New York Yankees players
- New York Yankees scouts
- Oakland Oaks (baseball) players
- People from Commerce, Georgia
- People from Royston, Georgia
- People from South Pasadena, Florida
- Baseball players from Pinellas County, Florida
- Portland Beavers players
- Spartanburg Peaches players
- Springfield Rifles players
- Syracuse Chiefs players
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- Players of American football from Madison County, Georgia