Lon Warneke

Infobox MLB retired
name=Lon Warneke
position=Pitcher


bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=March 28 1909
city-state|Mount Ida|Arkansas
deathdate=death date and age|1976|6|23|1909|3|28
city-state|Hot Springs|Arkansas
debutdate=April 18
debutyear=by|1930
debutteam=Chicago Cubs
finaldate=September 29
finalyear=by|1945
finalteam=Chicago Cubs
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat1value=192-121
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.18
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1,140
teams=
* Chicago Cubs (by|1930-by|1936, by|1942-by|1943, by|1945)
* St. Louis Cardinals (by|1937-by|1942)
highlights=
* 5x All-Star selection (1933, 1934, 1936, 1939, 1941)

Lonnie Warneke (March 28 1909 - June 23 1976), nicknamed the "The Arkansas Hummingbird," was an American right-handed pitcher and umpire in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals from 1930 to 1943 and in 1945. He led the National League in wins (22) and earned run average (2.37) in by|1932, placing second in the MVP voting as the Cubs won the NL pennant.

Born in Mount Ida, Arkansas, he was selected to the first All-Star team in 1933, and was chosen again in 1934, 1936, 1939 and 1941. Warneke also tossed back to back one-hitters (April 17 and 22, by|1934) and pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the defending World Series champion Cincinnati Reds on August 30, by|1941. He was an outstanding fielder, setting a major league record of 163 consecutive errorless games (with 227 total chances) from September 30, by|1938 until the end of his career; the record was broken by Marv Grissom of the San Francisco Giants in by|1958. While with the Cardinals, Warneke played guitar and banjo and sang as a member of the team's "Mudcat" band. His contract was sold back to the Cubs in June 1942, but he saw limited play before entering the Army for World War II service in 1944-45, and ended his career with nine appearances for 1945 Cubs; he did not play in their World Series matchup with the Detroit Tigers.

After his playing career, Warneke became an umpire in the Pacific Coast League from 1946 to 1948 before moving up to the National League from 1949 to 1955; he worked in the outfield in both the 1954 World Series and the 1952 All-Star Game. He was elected a judge in Garland County, Arkansas in 1962, a primarily administrative position in which he occasionally mediated minor civil disputes, and served until 1972 before retiring. [cite news |title=Obituaries |work=The Sporting News |date=July 10, 1976 |page=44]

Warneke died at age 67 at his home in Hot Springs, Arkansas from a heart attack after the initial ambulance dispatched was totaled on the way to the scene. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~armontgo/lonwarneke.htm]

ee also

* List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
*List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
*List of Major League Baseball wins champions
*List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

References

External links

*baseball-reference|id=w/warnelo01
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/W/Pwarnl101.htm Retrosheet]
* [http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Warneke.Lon.Obit.html "New York Times" obituary]