Ned Garver
Encyclopedia
Ned Franklin Garver was an American League
pitcher
playing from 1948 to 1961 winning 129 games in his major league career. Most of his career was spent playing for perennial second-division
teams like the St. Louis Browns and Kansas City Athletics.
In 1951, Garver fashioned an outstanding season. Pitching for the St. Louis Browns that season, Garver compiled a 20-12 record, which was noteworthy considering the Browns lost 102 games that year. Garver also posted a 3.73 ERA that season. Out of the Browns' 52 total wins, Garver accounted for nearly 40 percent of them. Garver also led the American League in complete games with 24 in 1951, and when he pitched, he often batted sixth in the order rather than the customary ninth compiling a .305 batting average
with one home run
.
Garver remains the only pitcher in American League history and modern baseball history (post-1920) to win 20 or more games for a team which lost 100 or more games in the same season and the only pitcher in Major League history to do so with a winning record.
Garver was the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1951 All-Star Game, which was held in Detroit.
Following the 1951 season, Browns owner Bill Veeck made Garver the highest paid member of the team, with a salary of $25,000.
Ted Williams
, perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of baseball, said of Garver, "He could throw anything up there and get me out."
In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postmark in his honor in his hometown of Ney, Ohio
, to mark the 45th anniversary of his 20-win season. On September 30, 2011, he was sent a plaque by the Commissioner of Baseball
to commemorate the 20th victory, September 30, 1951.
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
playing from 1948 to 1961 winning 129 games in his major league career. Most of his career was spent playing for perennial second-division
First division (baseball)
First division is a term that has had various meanings, at various times, in the sport of baseball, but originally referred to the rankings within a league...
teams like the St. Louis Browns and Kansas City Athletics.
In 1951, Garver fashioned an outstanding season. Pitching for the St. Louis Browns that season, Garver compiled a 20-12 record, which was noteworthy considering the Browns lost 102 games that year. Garver also posted a 3.73 ERA that season. Out of the Browns' 52 total wins, Garver accounted for nearly 40 percent of them. Garver also led the American League in complete games with 24 in 1951, and when he pitched, he often batted sixth in the order rather than the customary ninth compiling a .305 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with one home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
.
Garver remains the only pitcher in American League history and modern baseball history (post-1920) to win 20 or more games for a team which lost 100 or more games in the same season and the only pitcher in Major League history to do so with a winning record.
Garver was the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1951 All-Star Game, which was held in Detroit.
Following the 1951 season, Browns owner Bill Veeck made Garver the highest paid member of the team, with a salary of $25,000.
Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of baseball, said of Garver, "He could throw anything up there and get me out."
In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postmark in his honor in his hometown of Ney, Ohio
Ney, Ohio
Ney is a village in Defiance County, Ohio, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ney is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, to mark the 45th anniversary of his 20-win season. On September 30, 2011, he was sent a plaque by the Commissioner of Baseball
Commissioner of Baseball
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive of Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. Under the direction of the Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts...
to commemorate the 20th victory, September 30, 1951.
Sources
- The Baseball Encyclopedia
- Urbana Daily Citizen newspaper