George Earnshaw
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| George Earnshaw | ||
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| George Earnshaw | ||
| Pitcher | ||
| Born: February 15, 1900 | ||
| Died: December 1, 1976 | ||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| June 3, 1928 for the Philadelphia Athletics |
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| Final game | ||
| September 26, 1936 for the Brooklyn Dodgers |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Pitching record | 127-93 | |
| ERA | 4.38 | |
| Strikeouts | 1002 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
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George "Moose" Earnshaw (February 15, 1900 - December 1, 1976) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of nine seasons (1928-1936) with the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. He was the American League wins leader in 1929 with the Philadelphia. For his career, he compiled a 127-93 record in 319 appearances, with a 4.38 ERA and 1002 strikeouts. Earnshaw played on three American League pennant winners with the Athletics, winning the World Series in 1929 and 1930. He finished 4-3 in 8 postseason appearances with a 1.58 ERA.
George Livingston Earnshaw was born February 15, 1900 in New York City. He grew to be 6’4” and 210 pounds. George’s nickname was “Moose”. He pitched Connie Mack’s Athletics into the World Series of 1929, 1930 and 1931. He was aggressive, threw hard, and threw strikes. His career covered nine years with a total of 127 victories. But while his pitching career was short, there was perhaps no pitcher in the history of baseball whose brief time in the majors was as sweet. Over 50% of George Earnshaw’s victories occurred during the A’s pennant winning years of 1929-31. He averaged 22 victories a year in that time period. He won a total of four World Series games, started eight games with five being complete games. He struck out 56 batters in 62 innings pitched and had an ERA for the three Series of 1.58.
Connie Mack gave more credit to George Earnshaw for the Athletic’s 1930 World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals than any other player. If baseball had started a separate World Series Hall of Fame, George Earnshaw would have been a charter member. George did not reach the majors until he was 28 years old. A graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, he was a pitching star for the minor league Baltimore Orioles when Connie Mack purchased his contract in June of 1928. That season the A’s finished second, 2 ½ games behind the Yankees. Moose had a record of 7-7 with a 3.85 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 158 innings pitched. It was in 1929 that George Earnshaw and Lefty Grove began to dominate big league pitching. For the next three years they were the only two pitchers on any one team to win twenty or more games. The 1929 season was George’s turn to star. His 24 victories against 8 losses was the most in baseball and his 149 strikeouts was 2nd only to teammate Mose in the American League and 3rd in the majors. His fastball being wild at times, George’s 125 walks was an American League high but his 3.28 ERA was among the best in baseball.
By 1936, George Earnshaw’s career came to a finish, ironically, playing with the St. Louis Cardinals and old nemesis Pepper Martin. Within a few years, George would find himself a Commander in the Navy in the World War. On December 1, 1976, George Earnshaw died in Little Rock, Arkansas. His right arn and Lefty Grove's left arm have been two of the best pitching arms in baseball history. George’s performance in the 1930 World Series was one of the best ever. That was quite an accomplishment in a short, but sweet, career. Earnshaw currently ranks 7th in Athletics franchise history in winning percentage (.627).
[edit] Quotes
Babe Ruth once said of Earnshaw "I used to send a taxicab to the Almanac Hotel the day he was gonna pitch. I didn't want him to get lost on the way to the stadium." - p. 255 from the book "Play Ball"
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
| Preceded by Lefty Grove & George Pipgras |
American League Wins Champion 1929 |
Succeeded by Lefty Grove |
| Preceded by Van Mungo |
Brooklyn Dodgers Opening Day Starting pitcher 1936 |
Succeeded by Van Mungo |
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