- Hal Newhouser
Infobox MLB retired
name=Hal Newhouser
position=Pitcher
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date|1921|5|20
city-state|Detroit|Michigan
deathdate=death date and age|1998|11|10|1921|5|20
city-state|Detroit|Michigan
debutdate=September 29
debutyear=by|1939
debutteam=Detroit Tigers
finaldate=May 3
finalyear=by|1955
finalteam=Cleveland Indians
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat1value=207-150
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.06
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1,796
teams=
*Detroit Tigers (by|1939-by|1953)
*Cleveland Indians (by|1954-by|1955)
highlights=
* 7x All-Star selection (1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948)
*World Series champion (1945)
* 2xAL MVP (1944, 1945)
* 2xAL TSN Pitcher of the Year (1944, 1945)
* Detroit Tigers #16 retired
hofdate=by|1992
hofmethod=Veteran's CommitteeHarold "Prince Hal" Newhouser (
May 20 ,1921 –November 10 ,1998 ) was a professionalMajor League Baseball pitcher of the 1940s and 1950s.Newhouser was a schoolboy star in his hometown of
Detroit, Michigan , signed by the hometownDetroit Tigers in by|1939 at the age of 18. He went up to the major league club before the end of the season and made his debut onSeptember 29 of that year. In by|1940, he earned a spot on the Tigers out of spring training and remained with the team until by|1953.In his first two full big-league seasons, the young left-hander was plagued with control problems, walking more batters than he struck out while posting records of 9-9 and 9-11. He improved in by|1942 and by|1943, posting excellent ERAs, but still losing more than he won on a team with a weak offense.
As
World War II got under way, the Tigers moved up in the standings because several of their top players, including Newhouser, were classified as 4-F (ineligible to the drafted). Newhouser was 4-F due to a leaky heart valve; he attempted to join the service anyway but was turned down several times.He blossomed all at once in by|1944, becoming a dominant pitcher in wartime baseball. That season, Newhouser rang up a 29-9 record while leading the league in wins and strikeouts (187). His 2.22 ERA was second in the league, as were his 25 complete games and six shutouts. Not coincidentally, the Tigers jumped into contention, finishing second in the American League. Newhouser ended the season by being named MVP.
In by|1945, he repeated as MVP with what was arguably an even better season. This time, he won the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the
American League in wins (25, against nine losses), ERA (1.81) and strikeouts (212). He also led the league in innings pitched, games started, complete games and shutouts. Newhouser pitched four innings of relief on the season's final day as Detroit rallied for the pennant. He then won two games in theWorld Series to help his team to the World Championship, including the deciding seventh game.A year later, many stars came back from the war, and critics predicted that Newhouser wouldn't be as dominant against the "real" major leaguers. But he proved his 1944-45 performance was legitimate by duplicating it in by|1946. He went 26-9 with a 1.94 ERA, again leading the league in wins and ERA. He didn't win a third MVP, but he was close, finishing a close second to
Ted Williams .Newhouser continued to rate among the game's best pitchers for the next five years. He won 17 games in by|1947, led the AL with 21 wins in by|1948 and rung up an 18-11 mark in by|1949. After a 15-13 season in by|1950, he hurt his arm and his workload was cut significantly.
After being released by the Tigers following the by|1953 season, Newhouser signed on with the powerful
Cleveland Indians and was their top long reliever in by|1954, when Cleveland won the pennant. In his final big-league hurrah, he posted a 7-2 mark with an excellent 2.54 ERA, and got to pitch in his second World Series.He ended his career with a record of 207-150 and a 3.06 ERA, marks well in line with many baseball Hall of Fame pitchers. In fact, he is the only pitcher ever to win two consecutive MVP awards. But he was passed over for decades because voters discounted his wartime records. But in the late 1980s, the tide turned and more attention was focused on his outstanding record in the five years after the war ended. Finally, in by|1992, he was chosen for the
National Baseball Hall of Fame .MLBBioRet
Name = Hal Newhouser
Number = 16
Team = Detroit Tigers
Year = 1997|After retirement, Newhouser worked as a scout for theHouston Astros ,Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians, and the Tigers: while with the Astros, Newhouser was credited with discoveringDerek Jeter ; however, the Astros passed on Jeter, takingPhil Nevin instead. He had also discovered, as a scout with the Orioles, a Detroit high schooler namedMilt Pappas , who would win 209 games in his career—two more than Newhouser, andDean Chance , of Wooster, Ohio. who would also have a long career. The Tigers retired his number 16 in by|1997, and he died a year later following a long illness.ee also
*
1945 Detroit Tigers season
*List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
* Triple Crown
*List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
*List of Major League Baseball wins champions
*Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
*Major League Baseball titles leaders External links
*Hal Newhouser at:
** [http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=119739 Baseball Hall of Fame]
** [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/N/Newhouser_Hal.stm Baseball Library]
** [http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/newhouserhal/ The Baseball Page]
** [http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/newhoha01.shtml Baseball Reference]
** [http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Newhouser.Hal.Obit.html The Deadball Era]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
