Preacher Roe

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Elwin Charles Roe (born February 26, 1915 in Ash Flat, Arkansas) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1938-1954. He posted an exceptional 22-3 won-loss record for the Dodgers in 1951. Roe's overall career statistics were hurt by the fact that he was away from baseball during World War II and that he pitched for the Pirates at a time when they were the worst team in the National League. Contrasting the fielding of the Dodgers and the Pirates, he once said that a pitcher should pay to pitch for the Dodgers, whereas the Pirate's second baseman and shortstop were like goalposts with the ball bouncing between them.

Ralph Kiner, he said, stood in a hole in the outfield. He caught balls hit to his hole but otherwise did not field. One can get a great flavor of 'Ole Preach', as he was called, by reading Roger Kahn's famous book "The Boys of Summer."

Roe was an exceptional pitcher, but notorious as a poor hitter. In 1953, he hit a home run at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, causing fans to roar in surprise and delight. Dodger broadcaster Red Barber told his radio audience, "Well, old Number 28 has hit a home run, and we'll never hear the end of it, folks!"

After being taken out of a game in the second inning, Roe commented that, "Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you."

Preacher was still pitching in the majors at age 39, unusual at the time. When asked to explain his longevity, he replied "Clean livin' and the spitball." In 1955 after his retirement he appeared on Sports Illustrated and showed the kids of America how to throw a spitball.

Preacher Roe lives today in West Plains, Missouri, where for many years he operated a small grocery store.

The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Roe is prominent in many of these stories.