Fred Archer (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Frederick Marvin "Fred" Archer (March 7, 1910 – October 31, 1981), also known as "Lefty" Archer, was an American
professional baseball
player whose career spanned 10 seasons, including parts of two in Major League Baseball
with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936 and 1937. Over his major league career, Archer would compile a record of 2–3 with a 6.35 earned run average
(ERA) and 11 strikeout
s in seven games, five starts
. He also pitched in the minor leagues
with the Class-D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
, the Class-A Williamsport Grays
, the Double-A Buffalo Bisons
, the Class-D Lexington Indians, the Class-A1 New Orleans Pelicans
, the Class-B Hazleton Mountaineers
, the Class-B Lancaster Red Roses
, the Class-B Winston-Salem Twins, the Class-D Landis Senators, the Class-D Statesville Owls and the Class-D Kingsport Cherokees. In 245 minor league games, Archer compiled a record of 57–84.
career in 1934 with the Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
of the Class-D Bi-State League
. With the Triplets, he compiled a record of 4–8 in 19 games. After not playing professionally in 1965, Archer signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936. Connie Mack
, manager
of the Athletics, signed Archer from the minor league
Landis Cardinals, an independent league team. With the Cardinals, Archer threw a no-hitter
on August 9, 1936. He made his debut in Major League Baseball
on September 5, 1936, against the Washington Senators
, pitching a 10 inning
complete game
, getting his first career major league win
. In his first season in the majors, Archer went 2–3 with a 6.38 earned run average
(ERA), two complete game
s and nine strikeout
s in six games, five starts
. He started the 1937 with the Class-A Williamsport Grays
, who were members of the New York – Penn League and minor league affiliates of the Athletics. With the Grays, Archer went 10–16 with a 4.16 ERA in 42 games. He also played one game in the majors with the Athletics that season. In that game, which was against the Washington Senators
, Archer gave-up two runs
, both earned
, in three innings pitched.
In 1938, Archer joined the Buffalo Bisons
of the Double-A International League
. The Buffalo Courier-Express
said that Archer was "a ball of fire" during spring training
in 1938. On the season, Archer went 8–14 with a 4.78 ERA in 32 games, 25 starts. During the 1939 season, Archer played with three different teams. With the Bisons, who were now affiliated with the Cleveland Indians
organization, Archer went 2–3 with a 6.75 ERA in 16 games, two starts. He then joined the Class-A1 New Orleans Pelicans
, who were also affiliated with Indians. With the Pelicans, Archer went 0–3 in 10 games. Finally that season, Archer joined the Class-D Lexington Indians of the Philadelphia Athletics organization and went 6–2 with a 4.17 ERA in nine games.
Archer joined the Hazleton Mountaineers
, who were later relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
and renamed the Lancaster Red Roses
in 1940. During that season, Archer went 17–11 with a 3.06 ERA in 29 games. Amongst pitchers in the Interstate League
, Archer was tied for second in wins. Archer also played for the Class-B Winston-Salem Twins of the Piedmont League
, but statistics were not kept. In 1941, he continued playing with the Class-B Lancaster Red Roses
. That season, Archer went 1–9 with a 5.46 ERA in 20 games. In 1943, Archer played with three different teams; the Red Roses, whom he had played with the past two seasons, the Class-D Landis Senators and the Class-D Statesville Owls. He went a combined 8–10 in 59 games between the three teams. Archer joined the Class-D Kingsport Cherokees in 1943, who were members of the Appalachian League
and affiliated with the Washington Senators. With Kingsport, he went 1–4 in five games. His final season in professional baseball was in 1946. After a two season absence from the professional circuit, he re-joined the Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets, whom he had played with at the start of his career in 1934. That season, Archer went 0–4 in four games.
. He died on October 31, 1981 in Charlotte, North Carolina
a the age of 71, and was buried at West Lawn Memorial Park Landis, North Carolina
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player whose career spanned 10 seasons, including parts of two in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936 and 1937. Over his major league career, Archer would compile a record of 2–3 with a 6.35 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA) and 11 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in seven games, five starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
. He also pitched in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
with the Class-D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
The Class D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets was a Minor league baseball team who played in three different leagues between the and seasons. The team was a combination of three separate towns from North Carolina ....
, the Class-A Williamsport Grays
Williamsport Grays
*Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania*League: New York-Penn League 1924-1937; Eastern League 1938-1942, 1944–1946, 1950, 1954–1956, 1958–1962...
, the Double-A Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
, the Class-D Lexington Indians, the Class-A1 New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
, the Class-B Hazleton Mountaineers
Hazleton Mountaineers
The Hazleton Mountaineers were one of the original six franchises in the Eastern Professional Basketball League. The Mountaineers were the league's first team to have an integrated roster, as two former members of the New York Rens, Bill Brown and Zack Clayton, joined John Isaacs on the...
, the Class-B Lancaster Red Roses
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
, the Class-B Winston-Salem Twins, the Class-D Landis Senators, the Class-D Statesville Owls and the Class-D Kingsport Cherokees. In 245 minor league games, Archer compiled a record of 57–84.
Professional career
Archer began his professional baseballProfessional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
career in 1934 with the Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
The Class D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets was a Minor league baseball team who played in three different leagues between the and seasons. The team was a combination of three separate towns from North Carolina ....
of the Class-D Bi-State League
Bi-State League
There were two different entries called the Bi-State League in minor league history. The first, a class D league which operated in 1915, was the successor of the Wisconsin-Illinois League. The 1915 league was represented by five teams fom Illinois and one from Wisconsin...
. With the Triplets, he compiled a record of 4–8 in 19 games. After not playing professionally in 1965, Archer signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936. Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of the Athletics, signed Archer from the minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Landis Cardinals, an independent league team. With the Cardinals, Archer threw a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
on August 9, 1936. He made his debut in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
on September 5, 1936, against the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, pitching a 10 inning
Inning
Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
, getting his first career major league win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
. In his first season in the majors, Archer went 2–3 with a 6.38 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA), two complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s and nine strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in six games, five starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
. He started the 1937 with the Class-A Williamsport Grays
Williamsport Grays
*Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania*League: New York-Penn League 1924-1937; Eastern League 1938-1942, 1944–1946, 1950, 1954–1956, 1958–1962...
, who were members of the New York – Penn League and minor league affiliates of the Athletics. With the Grays, Archer went 10–16 with a 4.16 ERA in 42 games. He also played one game in the majors with the Athletics that season. In that game, which was against the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Archer gave-up two runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, both earned
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
, in three innings pitched.
In 1938, Archer joined the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
of the Double-A International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
. The Buffalo Courier-Express
Buffalo Courier-Express
The Buffalo Courier-Express was a morning newspaper in Buffalo, New York. It ceased publication on September 1982.The Courier-Express was created in 1926 by a merger of the Buffalo Daily Courier and the Buffalo Morning Express. William James Conners, owner of the Buffalo Courier, brought the two...
said that Archer was "a ball of fire" during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in 1938. On the season, Archer went 8–14 with a 4.78 ERA in 32 games, 25 starts. During the 1939 season, Archer played with three different teams. With the Bisons, who were now affiliated with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
organization, Archer went 2–3 with a 6.75 ERA in 16 games, two starts. He then joined the Class-A1 New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
, who were also affiliated with Indians. With the Pelicans, Archer went 0–3 in 10 games. Finally that season, Archer joined the Class-D Lexington Indians of the Philadelphia Athletics organization and went 6–2 with a 4.17 ERA in nine games.
Archer joined the Hazleton Mountaineers
Hazleton Mountaineers
The Hazleton Mountaineers were one of the original six franchises in the Eastern Professional Basketball League. The Mountaineers were the league's first team to have an integrated roster, as two former members of the New York Rens, Bill Brown and Zack Clayton, joined John Isaacs on the...
, who were later relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
and renamed the Lancaster Red Roses
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
in 1940. During that season, Archer went 17–11 with a 3.06 ERA in 29 games. Amongst pitchers in the Interstate League
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. The longest tenured of these was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor...
, Archer was tied for second in wins. Archer also played for the Class-B Winston-Salem Twins of the Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
, but statistics were not kept. In 1941, he continued playing with the Class-B Lancaster Red Roses
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
. That season, Archer went 1–9 with a 5.46 ERA in 20 games. In 1943, Archer played with three different teams; the Red Roses, whom he had played with the past two seasons, the Class-D Landis Senators and the Class-D Statesville Owls. He went a combined 8–10 in 59 games between the three teams. Archer joined the Class-D Kingsport Cherokees in 1943, who were members of the Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
and affiliated with the Washington Senators. With Kingsport, he went 1–4 in five games. His final season in professional baseball was in 1946. After a two season absence from the professional circuit, he re-joined the Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets, whom he had played with at the start of his career in 1934. That season, Archer went 0–4 in four games.
Personal
Archer was born on March 7, 1910 in Johnson City, TennesseeJohnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
. He died on October 31, 1981 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
a the age of 71, and was buried at West Lawn Memorial Park Landis, North Carolina
Landis, North Carolina
Landis is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,996. The town is located just north of Kannapolis, NC and south of China Grove, NC.-Demographics:...
.