Horace Lisenbee
Encyclopedia
Horace Milton "Hod" Lisenbee (1898–1987) was a baseball
pitcher
whose career spanned over 28 years (1921–1949), although he only played eight seasons in the major leagues
. Lisenbee was born on September 23, 1898, in Clarksville, Tennessee
to John M. Lisenbee and Sarah Adiline Lisenbee, both of Clarksville, the second of six children. He attended Southwestern Presbyterian University, now Austin Peay State University
in Clarksville, Tennessee
, and he was married to Ms. Carrie West, a nurse graduate student. Together they had two daughters.
In his spare time, Lisenbee loved to fling rocks into the Cumberland River
. At age 21, Lisenbee entered Clarksville High School, and talked his way onto the baseball team. He told the coach that he was ready to pitch, but was soon cut from the team due to his poor fielding. Soon Lisenbee moved to Memphis
in an effort to advance his career. He arrived at the Memphis Chicks
playing field seeking to pitch, but his services were not needed.
Not to be put off, he moved to Vicksburg
, Mississippi
and applied to pitch for their D league team, though their manager declined. He phoned his contact on the Memphis Chicks team and was tipped to try out for the Brookhaven
baseball team. Within two days, Lisenbee pitched a four-hit game against the Vicksburg team, including nine strikeouts, and notched a 4-1 win. In his first minor league season, he earned a 10-5 record.
minor league team of the Tri-State League in 1925, and was traded to the Memphis Chicks, minor league team of the Southern Association in 1926. At the age of twenty-eight, he was acquired by the Washington, D. C. Senators for $44,000, and got his first pitching start on April 23, . He led the Washington Senators
to a 6-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox
.
One of Lisenbee’s notable accomplishments as a rookie was his consistency against the team dubbed "Murderers' Row
" . He faced the New York Yankees
six times that year and won the first five outings against this storied team. The 1927 Yankees were the object of much praise, as they established a record setting 110-44 season. The Yankee hitting was vicious and frequently devoured pitchers in one inning, but Lisenbee appeared unflappable. Lisenbee was 5-1 versus New York that season.
In his first meeting with the Yankees, Lisenbee was called to the pitcher’s mound to face Babe Ruth
. The Senators' starting pitcher had fallen behind 3-0 in the count and the manager told Lisenbee to walk Ruth. Lisenbee disagreed and threw three strikes in a row to retire Ruth. Hod pitched the remaining seven and two-thirds innings for the win over the Yankees and he struck Ruth out three times in a row. According to Hod’s recollection Ruth later quipped that it looked as though he was throwing balls at the plate from out of a hole. This was an apparent response to Lisenbee’s scrawny appearance.
Babe Ruth also set the major league home run record with 60 home runs in 1927. During their sixth meeting, Lisenbee tried to sail his side-arm curveball past Ruth to no avail. For Ruth, this was a golden opportunity to connect with the ball, and the result was Ruth’s 58th home run of the year. Lisenbee’s first year record was 18-9 for the third place Senators, and he led the American League
with four shutouts.
The following season went less favorably for Lisenbee, and in December , he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. From this point in his career, Lisenbee became a journeyman pitcher in both the majors and minors. One game in particular stands out as a low-point in his career. On September 11, , the Philadelphia Athletics
manager, Connie Mack
, tried to minimize the number of pitchers to take on a road trip. Lisenbee, who was 37 at the time, was forced to pitch the full nine innings. He ran into trouble and allowed a record-tying 26 hits as the Athletics lost to the Chicago White Sox
17-2.
From 1932 to 1942, Lisenbee pitched in only 19 major league games, but played for ten minor league clubs.
In , Lisenbee retired from baseball to run the family farm and to help grow crops for the Army. But he decided to make a come-back in , with the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League
, a minor league team and in the latter part of the season, pitched a no-hitter at the age of forty-five. This game was considered a perfect record-setting event. Lisenbee had completed a no-hit, no-walk, and no-run game. According to Lisenbee, in an article published by The Leaf-Chronicle
newspaper in 1945, he was hailed as man of the year in Syracuse sports and when he left town, the local fans gave him $200 in war bonds.
The following year, he received a $3000 sign-on bonus from the Cincinnati Reds
and pitched 31 games for the Reds, as a reliever. Lisenbee played his last game in major league baseball at the age of 47 on September 7, 1945, and was released by the Cincinnati Reds on September 11, 1945. He had the distinction of being the last player born in the 1800s to appear in a major league game. Following his release from the Reds, he returned to his hometown of Clarksville and continued to pitch for the Clarksville Colts of the Kitty Hawk League until he was fifty-one-years-old. He then sold the Clarksville Colts and retired from baseball.
Lisenbee lived in his hometown of Clarksville from the fall of 1945, until his death in 1987. His final years were spent farming on his 800 acres (3.2 km²) farm near Clarksville. He was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He died at age 89 on November 14, 1987, in Clarksville and is buried at the Liberty Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
In 1998, the Clarksville City Council renamed a portion of Dover Road (Highway 79) near the Dover Crossing interception as Hod Lisenbee memorial highway. The sign sits near the 800 acres (3.2 km²) plot of land that Lisenbee farmed for his last years of life. Lisenbee raised cattle and sold them for breeding purposes.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
whose career spanned over 28 years (1921–1949), although he only played eight seasons in the major leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Lisenbee was born on September 23, 1898, in Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
to John M. Lisenbee and Sarah Adiline Lisenbee, both of Clarksville, the second of six children. He attended Southwestern Presbyterian University, now Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
in Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
, and he was married to Ms. Carrie West, a nurse graduate student. Together they had two daughters.
Early years
Lisenbee did not play baseball until he entered high school at age twenty-one. He had attended elementary school until he was twelve, and dropped out of school to help his family survive financially. He labored for the next nine years working twelve-hour days on a tobacco farm. He would run to and from work and credits this time in his life as building endurance, a quality that helped him get through his lengthy baseball career.In his spare time, Lisenbee loved to fling rocks into the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
. At age 21, Lisenbee entered Clarksville High School, and talked his way onto the baseball team. He told the coach that he was ready to pitch, but was soon cut from the team due to his poor fielding. Soon Lisenbee moved to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
in an effort to advance his career. He arrived at the Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
playing field seeking to pitch, but his services were not needed.
Not to be put off, he moved to Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and applied to pitch for their D league team, though their manager declined. He phoned his contact on the Memphis Chicks team and was tipped to try out for the Brookhaven
Brookhaven, Mississippi
Brookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 9,861 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County...
baseball team. Within two days, Lisenbee pitched a four-hit game against the Vicksburg team, including nine strikeouts, and notched a 4-1 win. In his first minor league season, he earned a 10-5 record.
Transition to Major League Ball
Lisenbee joined the Tupelo, MississippiTupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
minor league team of the Tri-State League in 1925, and was traded to the Memphis Chicks, minor league team of the Southern Association in 1926. At the age of twenty-eight, he was acquired by the Washington, D. C. Senators for $44,000, and got his first pitching start on April 23, . He led the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
to a 6-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
.
One of Lisenbee’s notable accomplishments as a rookie was his consistency against the team dubbed "Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row
Murderers’ Row was the nickname given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri....
" . He faced the New York Yankees
1927 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was their 25th season. The team finished with a record of 110-44, winning their fifth pennant and finishing 19 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. New York was managed by Miller Huggins. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they swept the...
six times that year and won the first five outings against this storied team. The 1927 Yankees were the object of much praise, as they established a record setting 110-44 season. The Yankee hitting was vicious and frequently devoured pitchers in one inning, but Lisenbee appeared unflappable. Lisenbee was 5-1 versus New York that season.
In his first meeting with the Yankees, Lisenbee was called to the pitcher’s mound to face Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
. The Senators' starting pitcher had fallen behind 3-0 in the count and the manager told Lisenbee to walk Ruth. Lisenbee disagreed and threw three strikes in a row to retire Ruth. Hod pitched the remaining seven and two-thirds innings for the win over the Yankees and he struck Ruth out three times in a row. According to Hod’s recollection Ruth later quipped that it looked as though he was throwing balls at the plate from out of a hole. This was an apparent response to Lisenbee’s scrawny appearance.
Babe Ruth also set the major league home run record with 60 home runs in 1927. During their sixth meeting, Lisenbee tried to sail his side-arm curveball past Ruth to no avail. For Ruth, this was a golden opportunity to connect with the ball, and the result was Ruth’s 58th home run of the year. Lisenbee’s first year record was 18-9 for the third place Senators, and he led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
with four shutouts.
The following season went less favorably for Lisenbee, and in December , he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. From this point in his career, Lisenbee became a journeyman pitcher in both the majors and minors. One game in particular stands out as a low-point in his career. On September 11, , the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
manager, Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
, tried to minimize the number of pitchers to take on a road trip. Lisenbee, who was 37 at the time, was forced to pitch the full nine innings. He ran into trouble and allowed a record-tying 26 hits as the Athletics lost to the Chicago White Sox
1936 Chicago White Sox season
The 1936 Chicago White Sox season was the White Sox's 36th season in the major leagues, and their 37th season overall. They finished with a record 81-70, good enough for 4th place in the American League, 20 games behind the first place New York Yankees....
17-2.
From 1932 to 1942, Lisenbee pitched in only 19 major league games, but played for ten minor league clubs.
In , Lisenbee retired from baseball to run the family farm and to help grow crops for the Army. But he decided to make a come-back in , with the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, a minor league team and in the latter part of the season, pitched a no-hitter at the age of forty-five. This game was considered a perfect record-setting event. Lisenbee had completed a no-hit, no-walk, and no-run game. According to Lisenbee, in an article published by The Leaf-Chronicle
The Leaf-Chronicle
The Leaf-Chronicle is a newspaper in the state of Tennessee, founded, officially, in 1890.First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as the Clarksville Chronicle, the current name is the result of a subsequent merger, in 1890, with the Tobacco Leaf,...
newspaper in 1945, he was hailed as man of the year in Syracuse sports and when he left town, the local fans gave him $200 in war bonds.
The following year, he received a $3000 sign-on bonus from the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
and pitched 31 games for the Reds, as a reliever. Lisenbee played his last game in major league baseball at the age of 47 on September 7, 1945, and was released by the Cincinnati Reds on September 11, 1945. He had the distinction of being the last player born in the 1800s to appear in a major league game. Following his release from the Reds, he returned to his hometown of Clarksville and continued to pitch for the Clarksville Colts of the Kitty Hawk League until he was fifty-one-years-old. He then sold the Clarksville Colts and retired from baseball.
Later years
Hod Lisenbee was manager and half-owner of the Clarksville Colts club from 1946 to 1948. During the 1948 season, he bought the remaining half of the team, but the Colts continued to have problems both in attracting paying customers with their playing abilities on the ball field. He lost money on the Colts and sold the team.Lisenbee lived in his hometown of Clarksville from the fall of 1945, until his death in 1987. His final years were spent farming on his 800 acres (3.2 km²) farm near Clarksville. He was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He died at age 89 on November 14, 1987, in Clarksville and is buried at the Liberty Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
In 1998, the Clarksville City Council renamed a portion of Dover Road (Highway 79) near the Dover Crossing interception as Hod Lisenbee memorial highway. The sign sits near the 800 acres (3.2 km²) plot of land that Lisenbee farmed for his last years of life. Lisenbee raised cattle and sold them for breeding purposes.
Outside Sources
- The Leaf-ChronicleThe Leaf-ChronicleThe Leaf-Chronicle is a newspaper in the state of Tennessee, founded, officially, in 1890.First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as the Clarksville Chronicle, the current name is the result of a subsequent merger, in 1890, with the Tobacco Leaf,...
, article February 28, 1945, page 6, Story outlining Lisenbee's career highlights and offer to return to MLB, includes information about his year with the Syracuse International League, and his no-hitter game pitched in 1944.
- The Leaf-Chronicle, article December 4, 1966, page 1B, Interview with Lisenbee, covers early years in the minor league in Tennessee and Mississippi and first year with the Washington Senators.
- The Leaf-Chronicle, front page, lead story and obituary of Lisenbee's career in baseball and farming.
- ”Ramblings of a Tennessee Boy,” by Charles Bryant, biography of Hod Lisenbee