Lon Warneke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lonnie Warneke (March 28, 1909 - June 23, 1976) was an American right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher nicknamed the "The Arkansas Hummingbird". Lon played for two teams, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1930-1943, 1945. While Lon was with the Cardinals he was a member of the "Mudcat" band.

Born in Mount Ida, Arkansas, Warneke led the National League in 1932 in wins (22) and ERA (2.37). He was elected to the All-Star team in 1933, 1934, 1936, 1939, 1941. Warneke also tossed back to back one-hitters (April 17, 22; 1934) and no-hit the Reds in 1940. Lon was an outstanding fielder appearing in 154 games with zero errors.

After his playing career, he became a National League umpire from 1949 to 1955, and worked in the outfield in both the 1954 World Series and the 1952 All-Star game.

Warneke died at age 67 in Hot Springs, Arkansas from a heart attack after the initial ambulance dispatched was totaled on the way to the scene.

[edit] External link