Rollie Stiles
Encyclopedia
Rolland Mays Stiles was an American
right-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who played for the St. Louis Browns
from to . Born in Ratcliff, Arkansas
, he batted and threw right-handed, and was 9-14 with an earned run average
of 5.92 in his three seasons. Rollie attended Southeastern State Teachers College. His first game in the major leagues was on June 19, , and his last game was October 1, . Stiles' nicknames when playing baseball were "Leapin' Lena", "Lena", and "Rollie", all typical of how he signed autographs for baseball fans.
He made an appearance and gave a speech at the St. Louis Browns Reunion dinner held at the Missouri Athletic Club
on June 8, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri
.
Stiles died in his sleep at age 100 on July 22, 2007 at the Bethesda Southgate Nursing Home in St. Louis http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/B64D0FA08A4EBE3686257321000C2385?OpenDocument. He was the last living person to have pitched to baseball legend Babe Ruth
. While Stiles was the oldest living major league ballplayer at the time of his death, he was not the oldest living professional baseball player, as that honor belonged to Emilio Navarro
of the Negro Leagues, who turned 103 years old in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed 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...
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...
who played for the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
from to . Born in Ratcliff, Arkansas
Ratcliff, Arkansas
Ratcliff is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 191 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ratcliff is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, he batted and threw right-handed, and was 9-14 with an 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...
of 5.92 in his three seasons. Rollie attended Southeastern State Teachers College. His first game in the major leagues was on June 19, , and his last game was October 1, . Stiles' nicknames when playing baseball were "Leapin' Lena", "Lena", and "Rollie", all typical of how he signed autographs for baseball fans.
He made an appearance and gave a speech at the St. Louis Browns Reunion dinner held at the Missouri Athletic Club
Missouri Athletic Club
The Missouri Athletic Club , founded in 1903, is a traditional gentlemen's club and athletic club in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA, with a separate athletic campus in the St. Louis County suburb of Town and Country. The MAC awards the annual Hermann Trophy, the highest award in American...
on June 8, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Stiles died in his sleep at age 100 on July 22, 2007 at the Bethesda Southgate Nursing Home in St. Louis http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/B64D0FA08A4EBE3686257321000C2385?OpenDocument. He was the last living person to have pitched to baseball legend 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...
. While Stiles was the oldest living major league ballplayer at the time of his death, he was not the oldest living professional baseball player, as that honor belonged to Emilio Navarro
Emilio Navarro
Emilio "Millito" Navarro was the first Puerto Rican to play baseball in the Negro Leagues. At age 105, Navarro was also the oldest living professional baseball player to have played in the Negro Leagues.-Biography:...
of the Negro Leagues, who turned 103 years old in 2008.
External links
- Who's Alive and Who's Dead
- Photograph of Rollie Stiles age 99 in 2006
- 2006 St. Louis Browns reunion attended by Rollie Stiles age 99
- Article about Rollie Stiles and Babe Ruth
- Video Interview with Rollie Stiles - discussing Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
- Rollie's 100th birthday in the St. Louis newspaper
- Arkansas Baseball website mentions Rollie's 100th
