Red Anderson (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Arnold Revola "Red" Anderson (June 19, 1912 – August 7, 1972) was a professional baseball
player whose career spanned eight seasons, including three in Major League Baseball
with the Washington Senators
in 1937 and again from 1940 to 1941. Anderson, who was a pitcher
, had a career major league record of 5–8 with a 4.35 earned run average
(ERA), three complete game
s and 40 strikeout
s in 36 games pitched, nine starts
. Anderson also played in the minor leagues
. From 1936 to 1942, Anderson played with the Class-D Sioux Falls Canaries
, the Class-B Charlotte Hornets
, the Class-A1 Chattanooga Lookouts
and the Class-A Springfield Nationals. His baseball career was interrupted in 1943 after he entered service in the United States Navy
during World War II
. After the war, Anderson returned to baseball for a season in 1946 to play with the Class-C Aberdeen Pheasants
and the Class-C Sioux Falls Canaries
.
career in 1936 with the Class-D Sioux Falls Canaries
of the Nebraska State League
. That season, he went 9–7 with in 23 games. In 1937, Anderson started his season with the Sioux Falls Canaries. During his time with Sioux Falls, Anderson pitched a record of 20–8 with a 2.96 earned run average
(ERA) in 30 games pitched. Amongst pitchers in the Nebraska State League, Anderson was third in wins and fifth in ERA. That season, Anderson made his debut in Major League Baseball
with the Washington Senators
on September 19, against the Chicago White Sox
going 3 innings
, giving-up seven runs
(all earned
). With the Senators that season, Anderson pitched two games, going 0–1 with a 6.75 ERA. One of his games in the majors that season was a start
, while the other was a relief
appearance. In 1938, Anderson returned to the minor leagues
, joining the Charlotte Hornets
of the Class-B Piedmont League
. That season, Anderson went 12–8 with a 5.03 ERA in 32 games pitched. Anderson joined the Class-B Springfield Nationals in 1939. With Springfield, Anderson went 12–15 with a 4.34 ERA in 31 games, 26 starts. In 1940, Anderson started the season with Springfield, going 12–13 with a 2.87 ERA in 32 games, 27 starts.
During September 1940, Anderson made his return to Major League Baseball, pitching two games with the Senators. He made his season debut on September 8, against the Philadelphia Athletics, giving-up four runs (all earned) in five innings pitched. On the season, Anderson went 1–1 with a 3.86 ERA, two complete games and three strikeouts in two games, both starts. Anderson spent the entire 1941 season with the Senators. His first start of the season was on April 16, against the Boston Red Sox
, picking-us the loss. On June 29, in a game against the New York Yankees
, Anderson gave-up the hit to Joe DiMaggio
that broke George Sisler's
American League
41-game hitting streak
record. During the season, Anderson went 4–6 with a 4.18 ERA, one complete game and 32 strikeouts in 32 games, six starts. In 1942, Anderson returned to the minor league and spent the entire season with the Class-A! Chattanooga Lookouts
of the Southern Association
. That season, he went 2–3 with a 4.09 ERA in eight games, five starts.
during World War II
in 1942. He was in Pearl Harbor
during his first year of service. Anderson completed his service in 1945. That year, he returned to baseball for one final season. He played with the Class-C Aberdeen Pheasants
and the Sioux Falls Canaries
of the Northern League and went 12–13 with a 3.63 ERA in 32 games pitched between the two teams.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player whose career spanned eight seasons, including three in Major League Baseball
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...
with 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...
in 1937 and again from 1940 to 1941. Anderson, who was 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...
, had a career major league record of 5–8 with a 4.35 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...
(ERA), three complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s and 40 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in 36 games pitched, nine starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
. Anderson also played in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. From 1936 to 1942, Anderson played with the Class-D Sioux Falls Canaries
Sioux Falls Canaries
The Sioux Falls Pheasants are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The Pheasants are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1993 season, the...
, the Class-B Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (baseball)
The Charlotte Hornets was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club was originally founded in 1901, and lasted in some form until 1973, capturing 11 league titles during its history...
, the Class-A1 Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
and the Class-A Springfield Nationals. His baseball career was interrupted in 1943 after he entered service in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, Anderson returned to baseball for a season in 1946 to play with the Class-C Aberdeen Pheasants
Aberdeen Pheasants
The Aberdeen Pheasants were a class C minor league baseball team located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Pheasants were the Class C minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns until 1953. When the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and changed their name to the Orioles, the Pheasants remained in...
and the Class-C Sioux Falls Canaries
Sioux Falls Canaries
The Sioux Falls Pheasants are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The Pheasants are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1993 season, the...
.
Baseball career
Anderson began his professional baseballProfessional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
career in 1936 with the Class-D Sioux Falls Canaries
Sioux Falls Canaries
The Sioux Falls Pheasants are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The Pheasants are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1993 season, the...
of the Nebraska State League
Nebraska State League
The Nebraska State League was an American professional baseball league with five incarnations. At least, the name was adopted five times: in 1892, from 1910 to 1915, from 1922 to 1923, from 1928 to 1938 and from 1956 to 1959....
. That season, he went 9–7 with in 23 games. In 1937, Anderson started his season with the Sioux Falls Canaries. During his time with Sioux Falls, Anderson pitched a record of 20–8 with a 2.96 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...
(ERA) in 30 games pitched. Amongst pitchers in the Nebraska State League, Anderson was third in wins and fifth in ERA. That season, Anderson made his debut in Major League Baseball
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...
with 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...
on September 19, against the 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...
going 3 innings
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...
, giving-up seven runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(all earned
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
). With the Senators that season, Anderson pitched two games, going 0–1 with a 6.75 ERA. One of his games in the majors that season was a start
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
, while the other was a relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
appearance. In 1938, Anderson returned to the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, joining the Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (baseball)
The Charlotte Hornets was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club was originally founded in 1901, and lasted in some form until 1973, capturing 11 league titles during its history...
of the Class-B Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
. That season, Anderson went 12–8 with a 5.03 ERA in 32 games pitched. Anderson joined the Class-B Springfield Nationals in 1939. With Springfield, Anderson went 12–15 with a 4.34 ERA in 31 games, 26 starts. In 1940, Anderson started the season with Springfield, going 12–13 with a 2.87 ERA in 32 games, 27 starts.
During September 1940, Anderson made his return to Major League Baseball, pitching two games with the Senators. He made his season debut on September 8, against the Philadelphia Athletics, giving-up four runs (all earned) in five innings pitched. On the season, Anderson went 1–1 with a 3.86 ERA, two complete games and three strikeouts in two games, both starts. Anderson spent the entire 1941 season with the Senators. His first start of the season was on April 16, against 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"...
, picking-us the loss. On June 29, in a game against the New York Yankees
New 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...
, Anderson gave-up the hit to Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
that broke George Sisler's
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...
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...
41-game hitting streak
Hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the number of consecutive official games in which a player gets at least one base hit.According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits...
record. During the season, Anderson went 4–6 with a 4.18 ERA, one complete game and 32 strikeouts in 32 games, six starts. In 1942, Anderson returned to the minor league and spent the entire season with the Class-A! Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
. That season, he went 2–3 with a 4.09 ERA in eight games, five starts.
Military career
Anderson began his service in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1942. He was in Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
during his first year of service. Anderson completed his service in 1945. That year, he returned to baseball for one final season. He played with the Class-C Aberdeen Pheasants
Aberdeen Pheasants
The Aberdeen Pheasants were a class C minor league baseball team located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Pheasants were the Class C minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns until 1953. When the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and changed their name to the Orioles, the Pheasants remained in...
and the Sioux Falls Canaries
Sioux Falls Canaries
The Sioux Falls Pheasants are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The Pheasants are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1993 season, the...
of the Northern League and went 12–13 with a 3.63 ERA in 32 games pitched between the two teams.