Red Lucas
| Red Lucas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Pitcher/Pinch hitter | |||
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Born: May 23, 1902 Columbia, Tennessee | |||
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Died: July 9, 1986 (aged 84) Nashville, Tennessee | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 19, 1923, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 1, 1938, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 157–135 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.72 | ||
| Strikeouts | 602 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Charles Fred Lucas (April 28, 1902 – July 9, 1986) was a pitcher for the New York Giants (1923), Boston Braves (1924), Cincinnati Reds (1926–33) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1934–38).
He was a solid pitcher who contributed to his teams over the years. Some of his career highlights were as follows:
- He helped the Giants win the 1923 National League Pennant.
- He finished 11th in voting for the 1927 National League MVP. That year, he had a won-loss record of 18–11, with 19 complete games, 4 shutouts, 2 saves, 239 ⅔ Innings Pitched, and a 3.38 ERA.
- He also finished 6th in voting for the 1929 NL MVP for leading the league in WHIP (1.204), hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (8.90), and complete games (28).
- In addition, he also had a 19–12 won–loss record, with 2 shutouts and a 3.60 ERA. Lucas finished 14th in voting for the 1931 NL MVP.
- Lucas also led the National League in shutouts (4) in 1928, complete games (28) in 1932, walks/9IP (1.33) in 1936.
Lucas batted seventh in the lineup for the Reds on September 7, 1933, and was the last Reds pitcher to bat higher than ninth until Jason Marquis batted eighth in May 2015.[1]
He currently ranks 30th on the Major League Baseball career walks per 9 Innings Pitched (walks/9IP) List (1.61). In 15 seasons, Lucas had a 157–135 won–loss record, 396 games, 301 games started, 204 complete games, 22 shutouts, 70 games finished, 7 saves, 2,542 innings pitched, 2,736 hits allowed, 1,198 runs allowed, 1,051 earned runs allowed, 136 Home Runs allowed, 455 walks, 602 strikeouts, 23 hit batsmen, 7 wild pitches, 10,648 batters faced, 6 balks and a 3.72 ERA.
After his major league career, Lucas spent several seasons managing and occasional pitching in the minor leagues. He served as a minor league manager in 1941 with Grand Rapids (Michigan State League) and in 1942 Newport (Tenn.) of the Appalachian League. Lucas was a player/coach for the Nashville Vols in 1944 and 1945. He managed the Class D Lumberton Cubs of the Tobacco State League in 1947.[2]In 1948, Lucas was the manager of the Decatur Ill. club in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.
His nickname, "The Nashville Narcissus," was coined by Colonel Bob Newhall, a reporter for the old Cincinnati Tribune, who may have thought the young pitcher was a blooming star. He died in Nashville, Tennessee on July 9th, 1986, at the age of 84.
References
- ↑ "Jason Marquis bats 8th for Reds". Cincinnati.com. May 25, 2015.
- ↑ Holaday, Chris (2016). "The Tobacco State League; A North Carolina Baseball History, 1946–1950".. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-6670-9.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)