Lon Warneke
Encyclopedia
Lonnie Warneke (March 28, 1909 - June 23, 1976) , nicknamed the "The Arkansas Hummingbird," was a Major League Baseball
player, Major League umpire
, county judge, U.S. Military serviceman, and businessman from Montgomery County, Arkansas
whose career won-loss record as a pitcher
for the Chicago Cubs
(1930-36, 1942-43, 1945) and St. Louis Cardinals
(1937-1942) was 192-121.
Warneke pitched for the National League
in the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game
in 1933
, hitting the first triple and scoring the first National League run in All-Star game history. He pitched in two other All-Star Games (1934
, 1936
) and was also selected in 1939
and 1941
.
Warneke pitched in two World Series
for the Cubs (1932
, 1935
), compiling a record of 2-1, 2.63. He pitched a no-hitter
for the Cardinals on August 30, 1941; opened the 1934 season with back to back one-hitters (April 17 and 22); and set a Major League Baseball fielding record for pitchers (since eclipsed) of 221 consecutive chances
without an error
, covering 154 games. After retiring as a player in 1945, Warneke was an umpire in the Pacific Coast League
for three years and then in the National League from 1949 to 1955. Warneke is the only Major Leaguer who has both played and umpired in both the All Star Game (umpire, 1952
) and the World Series (umpire, 1954
).
Warneke was a businessman in Hot Springs, Arkansas
before serving as County Judge of Garland County, Arkansas from 1963 to 1972. Warneke was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on January 19, 1961 and still leads all Arkansas players in many Major League pitching categories including wins
, games started
, innings pitched
, complete games, and shutouts. Warneke died on June 23, 1976 at his home in Hot Springs. He is buried in Owley Cemetery in Owley (Montgomery County), Arkansas, which was also the place of his birth. On July 21, 2011 Warneke was posthumously inducted into the Reading
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Young Lonnie Warneke attended grade school in the one-room schoolhouse in Owley. He soon grew to be among the tallest students in the tiny school. He helped his father on the farm and did chores for his mother. In his free time, he enjoyed the outdoors, hunted and fished; he also played the guitar and fiddle--pursuits that would occupy him his entire life. "Lonnie Warneke is a country boy. He loves hunting dogs and good guns, the trails and loneliness of the wilderness in the rugged mountains surrounding his old home." Even after he became a professional ballplayer, he would return to the country and enjoy the outdoors--as well as play in ballgames with the locals. Because the school in Owley went only through "middle school" years, Warneke attended the nearest high school, that in Mount Ida. Because of his 6'2" stature, Warneke played first base for the high school team. In his final year he was pressed into service as a relief pitcher: Warneke faced a semi-professional team and struck out five of six batters he faced. Warneke also played for the Mount Ida Athletics, a squad that played Montgomery County area teams.
After high school Warneke moved to Houston, Texas
, where his older sister, Kate, and her husband lived. Warneke got a job delivering telegrams by bicycle for Western Union
. In Spring 1928, Warneke approached the president of the Houston Buffaloes
, a Texas League
baseball team in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and asked for a tryout as a first baseman. Rebuffed at first, Warneke offered to pay his own way to training camp. At camp, Buffaloes manager Frank "Pancho" Snyder (former catcher for the Cardinals and New York Giants) took a look at Warneke and told the nineteen year old that he had the arm of a pitcher. After Snyder's evaluation, Warneke was sent off to pitch for the Laurel Cardinals of the Cotton States League
. Warneke impressed no one at Laurel and the Cardinals released him. Due to Warneke's ensuing major league success, the St. Louis Cardinals later instituted a policy such that "any decision to release a player who possesse[s] even one major-league skill (speed, arm, defense, hitting, power) must be made by more than one person" of their organization. Warneke completed the year with another team in the Cotton States League, the Alexandria Reds, a team affiliated with Shreveport of the Texas League. One of Warneke's teammates on Alexandria was Ray Prim
, with whom he would pitch for the Cubs in 1943 and 1945. As a converted pitcher in his first professional season, Warneke posted a 1928 combined record for Laurel and Alexandria of 6 wins, 14 losses, with a 5.32 ERA in 176 innings pitched.
Warneke returned to Alexandria for the 1929 season and posted a 16-10 record, with a 3.09 ERA in 245 innings pitched. Alexandria finished first under manager Pete Kilduff
. Warneke's success attracted the Chicago Cubs, that year's National League pennant winner. On August 23, just before the Cotton States season closed, the Associated Press carried a story announcing that Warneke had been sold to the Cubs "for $10,000 or more," the highest price ever paid for a Cotton States League player. The sale was initially denied by the Shreveport organization but then confirmed by telegraph to the Alexandria Daily Town Talk a few days later by Kilduff, although he stated the sales price of Warneke was $7,500.
Whatever the figure, Lonnie "Country" Warneke reported to the Chicago Cubs spring training facilities on Santa Catalina Island, California
in late-February 1930, a month before his twenty-first birthday. Warneke was at once involved in an on-field accident that sent him to the hospital. On February 24, while pitchers were taking batting practice, fellow rookie Bill McAfee
, fresh out of the University of Michigan
, was taking swings and lost his grip on his bat, sending it hurtling against the forehead of Warneke, who was standing near the batting cage. Warneke slumped to the ground but suffered no serious damage, although he did have to report to the hospital and receive a couple stitches.
Warneke made the regular season roster for the Cubs, although he appeared in only one game before being assigned to the Cubs Class-AA affiliate Reading Keystones on May 23. A week later Warneke pitched a complete game 6-2 victory over Newark, allowing eight hits and striking out five. Yet success largely escaped Warneke that year, as he compiled a 9-12 win-loss record with a 6.03 ERA. He allowed 236 hits in 185 innings for Reading, which finished under .500. Despite such numbers, Warneke would never appear in another minor league game; instead he played at the major league level for the next fourteen years.
Among his teammates on Reading was infielder Billy Jurges
, who would play in the major leagues for seventeen years, including six seasons (1931-36) with Warneke as a Cub.
Lon Warneke appeared in one major league game for the Cubs in 1930. His major league debut was on the fourth day of the season, Friday April 18, at Sportsmans Park, St. Louis versus the Cardinals with 6000 in attendance. The twenty-one-year-old Warneke took the mound in the bottom of the sixth in relief of Guy Bush
, with the Cardinals ahead 5-0. Warneke promptly doubled the Cub's deficit. He worked the sixth inning and gave up one run. In the seventh he recorded only one out and gave up another four runs before being pulled for fellow rookie Lynn Nelson. In all, Warneke faced eleven batters, walked five of them, surrendered two hits and allowed five earned runs and a wild pitch in 1 1/3 innings. The final score of the game was 11-1; the winning pitcher was Bill ("Wild Bill") Hallahan
. Warneke would not pitch again in the majors until exactly one year later.
The defending National League Champion Cubs finished in second place, two games behind the Cardinals in 1930. Rogers Hornsby
, future Hall of Famer
, took over managing the Cubs from Joe McCarthy with four games left in the 1930 season. Hornsby continued as player-manager for the Cubs throughout 1931 and the first ninety nine games of 1932.
First major league loss
Warneke's second major league game was a year to the date after his first. It was also his first major league loss. This time he took the mound on the fifth day of the season, Saturday, April 18, 1931 before 30,000 at Wrigley Field
, Chicago versus the visiting Cardinals. The Cubs had rallied for two runs in the ninth to tie the score 5-5 and, having used eight pitchers in the first four games of the season and another two in this game, sent Warneke out in the top of the tenth. He again showed signs of wildness, walking three of six batters faced, allowing a hit and two earned runs, and lasting two thirds of the inning before getting pulled. The Cubs could not make up the deficit and lost 7-5, with Bill ("Wild Bill") Hallahan once again recording the win--and Warneke the loss.
In two games, a year apart, Warneke's major league record was 0-1, 2 innings pitched, allowing seven earned runs on three hits and eight walks, for an ERA of 31.50 and a WHIP
of 5.50. Although Warneke was not sent down to the minors, and never saw minor league service again in his career, he didn't pitch again for the Cubs for two months.
First major league strike out
On June 18 Warneke pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a game at Ebbets Field
against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He fanned two batters, which strike outs were the first two of 1140 in his career.
First major league start
Warneke's performance earned him the first start of his career, three days later, on Sunday, June 21 in the series closer against Brooklyn. With 15,000 in attendance, Warneke pitched seven innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits and five walks, with one hit batsman. He allowed his only home run of the season to the Dodgers clean up hitter, Del Bissonette
and departed the game after seven with the Cubs down 6-3. Chicago rallied for three in the top of the ninth, thus removing Warneke as the pitcher of record. The Dodgers scored one in the ninth to win the game.
Warneke lost his next two starts, versus the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Philadelphia Phillies
, before recording his first major league win.
First major league win and complete game
On Wednesday, August 5, Warneke pitched a complete game victory at Wrigley Field against the Cincinnati Reds
for the first of 192 career victories and 192 career complete games. Warneke faced 37 batters, allowing 2 earned runs on 8 hits (all singles) and two walks, while striking out 3, winning 3-2. Warneke doubled to drive in the first run of his career.
The Chicago Tribune wrote:
"Of great importance in yesterday's game was Lon Warneke, another of the [player-manager, Rogers] Hornsby debutants who may be heard from in the future. The slat-like lad threw so skillfully that...the Reds were confined to eight hits."
Warneke started three more games in 1931, two of them complete games. For the year, Warneke finished 2-4 with a 3.22 ERA in twenty games, including seven starts. In 64 1/3 innings pitched he allowed 67 hits and 37 walks while striking out 27. The Cubs ended the year 84-70 in third place, 17 games behind the repeat league champion Cardinals.
First post-season appearance
Between 1903 and 1942 the Cubs and Chicago White Sox
, when neither team was playing in the World Series, would almost annually face off in a post-season "City Series," which since 1905 were officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball. Although official rules and league umpires were used, results and statistics, just as those for the World Series, were not added to regular season totals. Other such "city series" were played elsewhere, such as in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Ohio. The 1931 Chicago City Series was played on seven consecutive days from Wednesday, September 30 to Tuesday, October 6.
Warneke played in Game 1 of the 1931 Chicago City Series, in which 43-year old Urban (Red) Faber
of the White Sox shut out the Cubs 9-0 at Wrigley Field before a crowd of 15,000. Warneke came on in the seventh inning, faced six batters, allowed one hit and one walk, no runs.
After the 1931 season, Warneke returned home to the family farm in Owley and invested part of his summer pay in 200 feeder cattle
at $2.00 a head. Soon after fattening his herd, the cattle market bottomed out. Warneke remarked that he would "keep 'em as pets."
and hard-braking curveball
. Warneke mused that he would win "about a half dozen games" during the regular season.
Instead, Warneke led the National League in wins (22), earned run average
(2.37), shutouts (4), and winning percentage
(.786), leading the Cubs to the National League Pennant and placing second in Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award
voting. Warneke rose to the top of a pitching staff that included Guy Bush
(19-11), Charlie Root
(15-10), and Pat Malone
, another 15-game winner. Offensive stars included Gabby Hartnett
, Charlie Grimm
, Riggs Stephenson
, Billy Herman
.
Warneke opened the season with five straight complete game victories, helping the Cubs to a 17-6 first-place start to the season. From mid-June to late July, Warneke ran off a nine game winning streak, all complete games, in a span of 44 Cubs games in which the rest of the pitching staff went 14-21. On August 4, The Sporting News reported on its front page: "Warneke...is the sensation of the outfit, and there is as yet no indication that he is going to slow down." That same day first baseman Charlie Grimm took over as the Cubs' manager, replacing player-manager Rogers Hornsby
, whose record was 53-46; the Cubs were in second place, five games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates
. On August 11, Warneke started, but did not win, a 3-2 extra inning victory in which the Cubs leapfrogged over the Pirates into first place, where they remained for the last 47 games of the season. The Cubs finished 37-18 under Grimm. Warneke went 5-1 with two shut outs and four no decisions down the stretch.
, who finished 107-47, outscoring their opponents 1002-724. Led by sluggers Babe Ruth
(.341-41-137), Lou Gehrig
(.349-34-151), Tony Lazzeri
(.300-15-113), Bill Dickey
(.310-15-84), and Ben Chapman (.299-10-107), the team was never shut out all season. The pitching staff included Lefty Gomez
(24-7), Red Ruffing
(18-7), George Pipgras
(16-9), and Johnny Allen
(17-4). The Cubs' scored 720 runs (fourth in the N.L.) and were shutout eight times. Only three Cub's batters drove in more than 65 runs: Stephenson, 85; Grimm, 80; Kiki Cuyler
, 77. Both teams led their leagues in ERA: the Yankees, 3.98 and the Cubs, 3.44.
The Yankees swept the Cubs in the World Series
. Warneke started and lost Game 2, 5-2, before 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium in New York. Nevertheless he was the Cubs' most effective starter during the series, throwing Chicago's only complete game, in which he scattered ten hits
, all singles
. Warneke suffered early game jitters, walking the first two batters he faced (both scored) before striking out Babe Ruth. Warneke allowed two more runs in the third and another in the fifth. He retired the side in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, facing the minimum nine batters. He struck out seven Yankees in the game and eight in the Series, the most by any Cubs' starter and twice as many as any other Cubs' pitcher. On just two days rest, with the Cubs down three games to none, Warneke was called upon to relieve in the first inning of Game 4; he departed in the fourth inning with the Cubs ahead.
.
for infielder Ripper Collins
and pitcher Roy Parmelee
. The trade was not popular with many Cub fans and may have cost the Cubs the pennant. Cub's Gabby Hartnett, player-manager from 1938 to 1940, said "That trade hurt us. It probably cost us the pennant in '37."
Without Warneke the Cubs finished 93-61, in second place, three games behind the New York Giants. Meanwhile Warneke led the Cardinals staff with an 18-11 record. Parmelee went 7-8 for the Cubs and was sold the following year; Collins lasted two seasons with the Cubs. Warneke won 83 games for the Cardinals during his five and a half seasons in St. Louis.
In 1937, Warneke led the Cardinals' staff with an 18-11 record. This was the only season in which Warneke and fellow Arkansas phenom pitcher Dizzy Dean
were on the same team.
With the Cardinals, Warneke played guitar
and banjo
and sang as a member of teammate John "Pepper" Martin's
"Mississippi Mudcats" band.
Warneke was inducted into military service on March 23, 1944, five days before he turned 35. He had previously announced that he was ready "to toss hand grenades at Hitler and Hirohito." Warneke was put in charge of recreation at the Naval Ordnance Plant near Camden, Arkansas
and he organized, managed, and pitched in a baseball league comprised of teams from nearby cities, colleges, and military facilities. He rejoined the Cubs in June, 1945 but pitched in only nine games in his final season as a player. Although the Cubs won the Pennant, Warneke did not appear in the World Series.
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...
player, Major League umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
, county judge, U.S. Military serviceman, and businessman from Montgomery County, Arkansas
Montgomery County, Arkansas
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 9,487. The county seat is Mount Ida. Montgomery County is Arkansas's 45th county, formed on December 9, 1842, and named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War...
whose career won-loss record as a 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...
for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1930-36, 1942-43, 1945) and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1937-1942) was 192-121.
Warneke pitched for the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
in the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
in 1933
1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the first playing of the midseason exhibition baseball game between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 6, 1933 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the home...
, hitting the first triple and scoring the first National League run in All-Star game history. He pitched in two other All-Star Games (1934
1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the second playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10 at the Polo Grounds in New York City, the home of the New...
, 1936
1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 4th playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 7, 1936 at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts, the home of...
) and was also selected in 1939
1939 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1939 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 7th playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 11, 1939 at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City, the home...
and 1941
1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the ninth playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball...
.
Warneke pitched in two World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
for the Cubs (1932
1932 World Series
The 1932 World Series was played between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs , with the Yankees holding home field advantage. The Yankees swept the Cubs, four games to none...
, 1935
1935 World Series
The 1935 World Series featured the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, with the Tigers winning in six games for their first championship in five Series appearances. They had lost in , , , and ....
), compiling a record of 2-1, 2.63. He pitched a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
for the Cardinals on August 30, 1941; opened the 1934 season with back to back one-hitters (April 17 and 22); and set a Major League Baseball fielding record for pitchers (since eclipsed) of 221 consecutive chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
without an error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
, covering 154 games. After retiring as a player in 1945, Warneke was an umpire in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
for three years and then in the National League from 1949 to 1955. Warneke is the only Major Leaguer who has both played and umpired in both the All Star Game (umpire, 1952
1952 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1952 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 19th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 8, 1952, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the home of...
) and the World Series (umpire, 1954
1954 World Series
The 1954 World Series matched the National League champion New York Giants against the American League champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since , defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the...
).
Warneke was a businessman in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
before serving as County Judge of Garland County, Arkansas from 1963 to 1972. Warneke was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on January 19, 1961 and still leads all Arkansas players in many Major League pitching categories including wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
, games started
Games started
In baseball statistics, games started indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he faces the first opposing batter...
, innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
, complete games, and shutouts. Warneke died on June 23, 1976 at his home in Hot Springs. He is buried in Owley Cemetery in Owley (Montgomery County), Arkansas, which was also the place of his birth. On July 21, 2011 Warneke was posthumously inducted into the Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early years
Lonnie Warneke, which was his baptismal name, was born March 28, 1909, the fourth of five children to Louis W. ("Luke") Warneke and Martha Belle Scott Warneke in Owley, Arkansas, six miles south of Mount Ida, the County Seat of Montgomery County. Mount Ida had a population of 298 in 1920 and 512 in 1930. Luke Warneke (who stood 6'6") had homesteaded 160 acres and was a successful farmer in the farming community of Owley, which consisted of fifteen families. Montgomery County was one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties of Arkansas; by 1910 its population had peaked at 12,455. At the time of Lon Warneke's birth the county had no paved roads, no electricity, and no running water. Luke Warneke, from 1907 to 1913, was in charge of improving the county roads and, using the newly acquired road graders drawn by eight mules, he made major improvements to the roads throughout the county, transforming them from dirt trails often overgrown by brush, pocketed by mud holes, and punctured by tree stumps, to passable, graded two-lane (wagon) roads--although still unpaved. Electricity and, with it, running water, would not come to most of the county until the 1930s.Young Lonnie Warneke attended grade school in the one-room schoolhouse in Owley. He soon grew to be among the tallest students in the tiny school. He helped his father on the farm and did chores for his mother. In his free time, he enjoyed the outdoors, hunted and fished; he also played the guitar and fiddle--pursuits that would occupy him his entire life. "Lonnie Warneke is a country boy. He loves hunting dogs and good guns, the trails and loneliness of the wilderness in the rugged mountains surrounding his old home." Even after he became a professional ballplayer, he would return to the country and enjoy the outdoors--as well as play in ballgames with the locals. Because the school in Owley went only through "middle school" years, Warneke attended the nearest high school, that in Mount Ida. Because of his 6'2" stature, Warneke played first base for the high school team. In his final year he was pressed into service as a relief pitcher: Warneke faced a semi-professional team and struck out five of six batters he faced. Warneke also played for the Mount Ida Athletics, a squad that played Montgomery County area teams.
Minor League career
Lon Warneke pitched only three years in the minors, 1928, 1929, and 1930After high school Warneke moved to Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, where his older sister, Kate, and her husband lived. Warneke got a job delivering telegrams by bicycle for Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
. In Spring 1928, Warneke approached the president of the Houston Buffaloes
Houston Buffaloes
The Houston Buffaloes or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team that was founded in 1888, played in the Texas League in the years 1888-90, 1892, 1895-99, and 1907-1958 ; in the South Texas League in the years 1903-06; and in the American Association from 1959-61...
, a Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
baseball team in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and asked for a tryout as a first baseman. Rebuffed at first, Warneke offered to pay his own way to training camp. At camp, Buffaloes manager Frank "Pancho" Snyder (former catcher for the Cardinals and New York Giants) took a look at Warneke and told the nineteen year old that he had the arm of a pitcher. After Snyder's evaluation, Warneke was sent off to pitch for the Laurel Cardinals of the Cotton States League
Cotton States League
The Cotton States League name was used five different times in baseball history. The first Cotton States League ran from 1902 through 1908 as a class D league. After the league shut down, another Cotton States League was reformulated in 1910, with three of the six '08 members returning for the new...
. Warneke impressed no one at Laurel and the Cardinals released him. Due to Warneke's ensuing major league success, the St. Louis Cardinals later instituted a policy such that "any decision to release a player who possesse[s] even one major-league skill (speed, arm, defense, hitting, power) must be made by more than one person" of their organization. Warneke completed the year with another team in the Cotton States League, the Alexandria Reds, a team affiliated with Shreveport of the Texas League. One of Warneke's teammates on Alexandria was Ray Prim
Ray Prim
Raymond Lee "Ray" Prim , nicknamed "Pop," was an American pitcher who played Major League Baseball during the 1930s and 1940s. During his professional career, he also pitched for the Los Angeles Angels of the AAA-Class Pacific Coast League...
, with whom he would pitch for the Cubs in 1943 and 1945. As a converted pitcher in his first professional season, Warneke posted a 1928 combined record for Laurel and Alexandria of 6 wins, 14 losses, with a 5.32 ERA in 176 innings pitched.
Warneke returned to Alexandria for the 1929 season and posted a 16-10 record, with a 3.09 ERA in 245 innings pitched. Alexandria finished first under manager Pete Kilduff
Pete Kilduff
Peter John Kilduff , is a former professional baseball player who played second base from 1917-1920. He appeared in the 1920 World Series with the Brooklyn Robins where he was one of three outs in Bill Wambsganss's unassisted triple play...
. Warneke's success attracted the Chicago Cubs, that year's National League pennant winner. On August 23, just before the Cotton States season closed, the Associated Press carried a story announcing that Warneke had been sold to the Cubs "for $10,000 or more," the highest price ever paid for a Cotton States League player. The sale was initially denied by the Shreveport organization but then confirmed by telegraph to the Alexandria Daily Town Talk a few days later by Kilduff, although he stated the sales price of Warneke was $7,500.
Whatever the figure, Lonnie "Country" Warneke reported to the Chicago Cubs spring training facilities on Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
in late-February 1930, a month before his twenty-first birthday. Warneke was at once involved in an on-field accident that sent him to the hospital. On February 24, while pitchers were taking batting practice, fellow rookie Bill McAfee
Bill McAfee
William Fort McAfee was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, Washington Senators, and St. Louis Browns.-External links:...
, fresh out of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, was taking swings and lost his grip on his bat, sending it hurtling against the forehead of Warneke, who was standing near the batting cage. Warneke slumped to the ground but suffered no serious damage, although he did have to report to the hospital and receive a couple stitches.
Warneke made the regular season roster for the Cubs, although he appeared in only one game before being assigned to the Cubs Class-AA affiliate Reading Keystones on May 23. A week later Warneke pitched a complete game 6-2 victory over Newark, allowing eight hits and striking out five. Yet success largely escaped Warneke that year, as he compiled a 9-12 win-loss record with a 6.03 ERA. He allowed 236 hits in 185 innings for Reading, which finished under .500. Despite such numbers, Warneke would never appear in another minor league game; instead he played at the major league level for the next fourteen years.
Among his teammates on Reading was infielder Billy Jurges
Billy Jurges
William Frederick Jurges was an American shortstop, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in Bronx, New York. During the 1930s, he was central to three National League champion Chicago Cubs teams...
, who would play in the major leagues for seventeen years, including six seasons (1931-36) with Warneke as a Cub.
1930 & 1931
First major league appearanceLon Warneke appeared in one major league game for the Cubs in 1930. His major league debut was on the fourth day of the season, Friday April 18, at Sportsmans Park, St. Louis versus the Cardinals with 6000 in attendance. The twenty-one-year-old Warneke took the mound in the bottom of the sixth in relief of Guy Bush
Guy Bush
Guy Terrell Bush was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, nicknamed the Mississippi Mudcat....
, with the Cardinals ahead 5-0. Warneke promptly doubled the Cub's deficit. He worked the sixth inning and gave up one run. In the seventh he recorded only one out and gave up another four runs before being pulled for fellow rookie Lynn Nelson. In all, Warneke faced eleven batters, walked five of them, surrendered two hits and allowed five earned runs and a wild pitch in 1 1/3 innings. The final score of the game was 11-1; the winning pitcher was Bill ("Wild Bill") Hallahan
Bill Hallahan
William Anthony "Wild Bill" Hallahan was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1920s and 1930s...
. Warneke would not pitch again in the majors until exactly one year later.
The defending National League Champion Cubs finished in second place, two games behind the Cardinals in 1930. Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
, future Hall of Famer
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
, took over managing the Cubs from Joe McCarthy with four games left in the 1930 season. Hornsby continued as player-manager for the Cubs throughout 1931 and the first ninety nine games of 1932.
First major league loss
Warneke's second major league game was a year to the date after his first. It was also his first major league loss. This time he took the mound on the fifth day of the season, Saturday, April 18, 1931 before 30,000 at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, Chicago versus the visiting Cardinals. The Cubs had rallied for two runs in the ninth to tie the score 5-5 and, having used eight pitchers in the first four games of the season and another two in this game, sent Warneke out in the top of the tenth. He again showed signs of wildness, walking three of six batters faced, allowing a hit and two earned runs, and lasting two thirds of the inning before getting pulled. The Cubs could not make up the deficit and lost 7-5, with Bill ("Wild Bill") Hallahan once again recording the win--and Warneke the loss.
In two games, a year apart, Warneke's major league record was 0-1, 2 innings pitched, allowing seven earned runs on three hits and eight walks, for an ERA of 31.50 and a WHIP
Walks plus hits per inning pitched
In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base...
of 5.50. Although Warneke was not sent down to the minors, and never saw minor league service again in his career, he didn't pitch again for the Cubs for two months.
First major league strike out
On June 18 Warneke pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a game at Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He fanned two batters, which strike outs were the first two of 1140 in his career.
First major league start
Warneke's performance earned him the first start of his career, three days later, on Sunday, June 21 in the series closer against Brooklyn. With 15,000 in attendance, Warneke pitched seven innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits and five walks, with one hit batsman. He allowed his only home run of the season to the Dodgers clean up hitter, Del Bissonette
Del Bissonette
Adelphia Louis Bissonette was an American first baseman, manager and coach in Major League Baseball.Born in Winthrop, Maine, Bissonette attended Westbrook Seminary, the University of New Hampshire and Georgetown University before signing a professional baseball contract with Valleyfield-Cap de la...
and departed the game after seven with the Cubs down 6-3. Chicago rallied for three in the top of the ninth, thus removing Warneke as the pitcher of record. The Dodgers scored one in the ninth to win the game.
Warneke lost his next two starts, versus the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, before recording his first major league win.
First major league win and complete game
On Wednesday, August 5, Warneke pitched a complete game victory at Wrigley Field against 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....
for the first of 192 career victories and 192 career complete games. Warneke faced 37 batters, allowing 2 earned runs on 8 hits (all singles) and two walks, while striking out 3, winning 3-2. Warneke doubled to drive in the first run of his career.
The Chicago Tribune wrote:
"Of great importance in yesterday's game was Lon Warneke, another of the [player-manager, Rogers] Hornsby debutants who may be heard from in the future. The slat-like lad threw so skillfully that...the Reds were confined to eight hits."
Warneke started three more games in 1931, two of them complete games. For the year, Warneke finished 2-4 with a 3.22 ERA in twenty games, including seven starts. In 64 1/3 innings pitched he allowed 67 hits and 37 walks while striking out 27. The Cubs ended the year 84-70 in third place, 17 games behind the repeat league champion Cardinals.
First post-season appearance
Between 1903 and 1942 the Cubs and Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, when neither team was playing in the World Series, would almost annually face off in a post-season "City Series," which since 1905 were officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball. Although official rules and league umpires were used, results and statistics, just as those for the World Series, were not added to regular season totals. Other such "city series" were played elsewhere, such as in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Ohio. The 1931 Chicago City Series was played on seven consecutive days from Wednesday, September 30 to Tuesday, October 6.
Warneke played in Game 1 of the 1931 Chicago City Series, in which 43-year old Urban (Red) Faber
Red Faber
Urban Clarence "Red" Faber was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from through , playing his entire career for the Chicago White Sox. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964....
of the White Sox shut out the Cubs 9-0 at Wrigley Field before a crowd of 15,000. Warneke came on in the seventh inning, faced six batters, allowed one hit and one walk, no runs.
After the 1931 season, Warneke returned home to the family farm in Owley and invested part of his summer pay in 200 feeder cattle
Feeder cattle
Feeder cattle are steers or heifers mature enough to be placed in a feedlot where they will be fattened prior to slaughter. Feeder calves are less than 1 year old; feeder yearlings are between 1 and 2 years old. Both types are often produced in a cow-calf operation.-References:...
at $2.00 a head. Soon after fattening his herd, the cattle market bottomed out. Warneke remarked that he would "keep 'em as pets."
1932
During spring training, one story has it that a teammate spotted a flaw in Warneke's pitching delivery. Instead of looking at the plate when he threw, he looked down at his feet. Warneke corrected the error and gained more control over his blazing fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
and hard-braking curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
. Warneke mused that he would win "about a half dozen games" during the regular season.
Instead, Warneke led the National League in wins (22), earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(2.37), shutouts (4), and winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
(.786), leading the Cubs to the National League Pennant and placing second in Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
voting. Warneke rose to the top of a pitching staff that included Guy Bush
Guy Bush
Guy Terrell Bush was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, nicknamed the Mississippi Mudcat....
(19-11), Charlie Root
Charlie Root
Charles Henry Root was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs for sixteen seasons from 1926 through 1941. He holds the club record for games, innings pitched, and career wins with 201....
(15-10), and Pat Malone
Pat Malone
Perce Leigh Malone was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees . Listed at 6' 0", 200 lb., Malone batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania.Malone was outstanding in his first three Major...
, another 15-game winner. Offensive stars included Gabby Hartnett
Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League...
, Charlie Grimm
Charlie Grimm
Charles John Grimm , nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs; he was also a sometime radio broadcaster, and a popular goodwill ambassador for baseball...
, Riggs Stephenson
Riggs Stephenson
Jackson Riggs Stephenson was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed Old Hoss, Stephenson played for the Cleveland Indians from to and the rest of his career from to with the Chicago Cubs...
, Billy Herman
Billy Herman
William Jennings Bryan "Billy" Herman was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball during the 1930s and 1940s. He was known for his stellar defense and consistent batting...
.
Warneke opened the season with five straight complete game victories, helping the Cubs to a 17-6 first-place start to the season. From mid-June to late July, Warneke ran off a nine game winning streak, all complete games, in a span of 44 Cubs games in which the rest of the pitching staff went 14-21. On August 4, The Sporting News reported on its front page: "Warneke...is the sensation of the outfit, and there is as yet no indication that he is going to slow down." That same day first baseman Charlie Grimm took over as the Cubs' manager, replacing player-manager Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
, whose record was 53-46; the Cubs were in second place, five games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. On August 11, Warneke started, but did not win, a 3-2 extra inning victory in which the Cubs leapfrogged over the Pirates into first place, where they remained for the last 47 games of the season. The Cubs finished 37-18 under Grimm. Warneke went 5-1 with two shut outs and four no decisions down the stretch.
1932 World Series
The Cubs' World Series opponent were the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, who finished 107-47, outscoring their opponents 1002-724. Led by sluggers 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...
(.341-41-137), Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
(.349-34-151), Tony Lazzeri
Tony Lazzeri
Anthony Michael "Tony" Lazzeri was an American Major League Baseball player during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly with the New York Yankees. He was part of the famed "Murderers' Row" Yankee batting lineup of the late 1920s , along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bob Meusel...
(.300-15-113), Bill Dickey
Bill Dickey
William Malcolm Dickey was a Major League Baseball catcher and manager.He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the New York Yankees . During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning eight championships...
(.310-15-84), and Ben Chapman (.299-10-107), the team was never shut out all season. The pitching staff included Lefty Gomez
Lefty Gómez
Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez was an American left-handed major league pitcher who played in the American League for the New York Yankees between 1930 and 1942. Considered one of the great pitchers of the day, Gomez was a seven-time All-Star and a five-time World Series Champion with the Yankees...
(24-7), Red Ruffing
Red Ruffing
Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing was a Major League Baseball pitcher most remembered for his time with the highly successful New York Yankees teams of the 1930s and 1940s...
(18-7), George Pipgras
George Pipgras
George William Pipgras was an American right-handed starting pitcher and umpire in Major League Baseball. Known as "The Danish Viking," he spent most of his playing career with the New York Yankees, breaking in as a rookie in 1923...
(16-9), and Johnny Allen
Johnny Allen (baseball)
John Thomas Allen was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Giants....
(17-4). The Cubs' scored 720 runs (fourth in the N.L.) and were shutout eight times. Only three Cub's batters drove in more than 65 runs: Stephenson, 85; Grimm, 80; Kiki Cuyler
Kiki Cuyler
Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler was a Major League Baseball right fielder from 1921 until 1938. He was born in Harrisville, Michigan.Cuyler broke into the big leagues in 1921 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and became a fixture in the lineup in 1924...
, 77. Both teams led their leagues in ERA: the Yankees, 3.98 and the Cubs, 3.44.
The Yankees swept the Cubs in the World Series
1932 World Series
The 1932 World Series was played between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs , with the Yankees holding home field advantage. The Yankees swept the Cubs, four games to none...
. Warneke started and lost Game 2, 5-2, before 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium in New York. Nevertheless he was the Cubs' most effective starter during the series, throwing Chicago's only complete game, in which he scattered ten hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, all singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
. Warneke suffered early game jitters, walking the first two batters he faced (both scored) before striking out Babe Ruth. Warneke allowed two more runs in the third and another in the fifth. He retired the side in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, facing the minimum nine batters. He struck out seven Yankees in the game and eight in the Series, the most by any Cubs' starter and twice as many as any other Cubs' pitcher. On just two days rest, with the Cubs down three games to none, Warneke was called upon to relieve in the first inning of Game 4; he departed in the fourth inning with the Cubs ahead.
1932 Accolades
Major American newspapers of the day called Warneke the outstanding National League pitcher of the 1932 season and The Sporting News (which had hailed Warneke as "a great pitcher, such as pops up once in a lifetime") named him as one of two pitchers to its 1932 All-Star team, honors foreshadowing the then non-existent Cy Young AwardCy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
.
St. Louis Cardinals 1937-1942
In October 1936 the Cubs traded Warneke to the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for infielder Ripper Collins
Ripper Collins
James Anthony "Rip" Collins was a Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates....
and pitcher Roy Parmelee
Roy Parmelee
Le Roy Earl Parmelee , was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the New York Giants, Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals.-External links:...
. The trade was not popular with many Cub fans and may have cost the Cubs the pennant. Cub's Gabby Hartnett, player-manager from 1938 to 1940, said "That trade hurt us. It probably cost us the pennant in '37."
Without Warneke the Cubs finished 93-61, in second place, three games behind the New York Giants. Meanwhile Warneke led the Cardinals staff with an 18-11 record. Parmelee went 7-8 for the Cubs and was sold the following year; Collins lasted two seasons with the Cubs. Warneke won 83 games for the Cardinals during his five and a half seasons in St. Louis.
In 1937, Warneke led the Cardinals' staff with an 18-11 record. This was the only season in which Warneke and fellow Arkansas phenom pitcher Dizzy Dean
Dizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
were on the same team.
With the Cardinals, Warneke played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and sang as a member of teammate John "Pepper" Martin's
Pepper Martin
Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the Wild Horse of the Osage because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St...
"Mississippi Mudcats" band.
Chicago Cubs 1942-1945
On July 8, 1942, two days after the All-Star Game, the Chicago Cubs purchased the contract of Lon Warneke for $7,500.Warneke was inducted into military service on March 23, 1944, five days before he turned 35. He had previously announced that he was ready "to toss hand grenades at Hitler and Hirohito." Warneke was put in charge of recreation at the Naval Ordnance Plant near Camden, Arkansas
Camden, Arkansas
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Long an area of American Indians villages, the French also made a permanent settlement here because of its advantageous location above the Ouachita River. According to 2007 Census...
and he organized, managed, and pitched in a baseball league comprised of teams from nearby cities, colleges, and military facilities. He rejoined the Cubs in June, 1945 but pitched in only nine games in his final season as a player. Although the Cubs won the Pennant, Warneke did not appear in the World Series.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Retrosheet
- Mike Drago, "Warneke was among best of 'Golden Era'", Reading Eagle, July 3, 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
- New York Times obituary