Eddie Rommel

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Edwin Americus Rommel (September 13, 1897 - August 26, 1970) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1920 to 1932 and is considered to be the "father" of the modern knuckleball. After retiring as a player he went on to have a successful second career as a major league umpire.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he won twenty games twice, in 1922 and 1925. Towards the end of his career, he relied mostly on the knuckleball.

In 1922, Rommel led the league in wins with 27 despite playing for a team that finished seventh in the league and won only 65 games.

Rommel made many relief appearances during his career leading the American League in relief wins in three different seasons. On July 10, 1932 he pitched 17 innings in relief against the Cleveland Indians and earned the win.

After retiring as a player, Rommel returned to the American League as an umpire in 1938, remaining on the league staff through the 1959 season. He worked in the World Series in 1943 and 1947, serving as crew chief the first time, and becoming the third person to appear in the Series both as a player and as an umpire. He also umpired in the All-Star Game six times: 1939, 1943, 1946, 1950, 1954 and 1958; he called balls and strikes in the 1943, '54 and '58 contests. Rommel was the second base umpire for the one-game playoff to decide the 1948 AL pennant.

Rommel died in Baltimore at age 72.

[edit] Pitching higlights

• League leader

-in wins (1922 & 1925)

-in winning percentage (1927 & 1929)

-in games pitched (1922 & 1923)

• Top ten

-in saves, 6 times

-in shutouts, 5 times

-in earned run average, 5 times

-in innings pitched 5, times

[edit] External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis