Bill Zuber

Infobox MLB retired
name = Bill Zuber
position = Pitcher
birthdate = birth date|1913|3|26
deathdate = death date and age|1982|11|2|1913|3|26
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = September 16
debutyear = 1936
debutteam = Cleveland Indians
finaldate = September 23
finalyear = 1947
finalteam = Boston Red Sox
stat1label = ERA
stat1value = 4.28
stat2label = Wins
stat2value = 43
stat3label = K
stat3value = 383
teams =
*Cleveland Indians (1936-1940)
*Washington Senators (1941-1942)
*New York Yankees (1943-1946)
*Boston Red Sox (1946-1947)
highlights=
* 1943 World Series title

William Henry Zuber (March 26 1913 in Middle Amana, Iowa - November 2 1982 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who had an 11 year career in the American League from 1936 to 1947. He pitched with the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Biography

Zuber spent most of the 1936 season playing for Zanesville of the Middle Atlantic League, finishing with a 17-8 record and over 200 strikeouts. [cite news|first=Russell|last=Hockenbury|title=Haley First in Effectiveness Among Mid-Atlantic Hurlers|publisher=The Sporting News|page=9|date=1936-12-17|accessdate=2008-01-19] He made his Major League debut on September 16, 1936 with the Cleveland Indians.cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/z/zuberbi01.shtml|title=Bill Zuber Statistics|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=2008-01-19] In his first game against the Boston Red Sox, he pitched five innings and earned a win in the six-inning affair which was shortened due to rain. [cite news|title=Highlights Of The Week|publisher=The Sporting News|page=2|date=1936-09-24|accessdate=2008-01-19] After starting a second game and finishing the season with one win and one loss, he spent the 1937 season playing for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. He rejoined the Indians during the 1938 and 1939 seasons, and was used as a relief pitcher. In the two seasons, he posted a 2-3 record and finished 16 games. He finished the 1940 season with a 1-1 record, and on April 21, 1941, the Washington Senators purchased his contract from the Indians.

Zuber spent two seasons with the Senators, starting seven games and finishing 19 both seasons. He was classified 4-F by the military, and as a result was able to remain with the team during World War II.cite web|url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Bill_Zuber_1913&page=chronology|title=The Ballplayers - Bill Zuber|publisher=BaseballLibrary.com|accessdate=2007-01-19] In 1942, he won a career high nine games. On January 29, 1943, Zuber was traded to the Yankees with cash for Jerry Priddy and Milo Candini. The 1943 New York Yankees went on to win the world series, with Zuber finishing the season with an 8-4 record over 20 games, which included 13 starts and 7 complete games. He did not pitch in the 1943 World Series. He remained an occasional starter the following two seasons, winning five games in both seasons and earning a 3.19 earned run average in 1945. Although he only posted a 5-11 record for the season, the Yankees were shutout 14 times during the season, seven when Zuber was pitching, a club record. [cite news|first=Art|last=Flynn|title=Zinker Zuber Zunk in Zeven of 14 Blanks Against Yanks|publisher=The Sporting News|page=2|date=1945-09-27|accessdate=2008-01-20]

At the start of the 1946 New York Yankees season, Zuber pitched three games and had an ERA of over 12 before he was purchased by the Boston Red Sox on June 18. He went on to post a 5-1 record and a career-low 2.54 ERA during the 1946 Boston Red Sox season. On September 21, Zuber won a game against the Senators, which gave the Red Sox their 100th victory of the season. Zuber pitched in game four of the 1946 World Series, pitching two innings and allowing one run in a 12-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. [cite web|url=http://baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=194610100BOS|title=1946 World Series Game 4 Box Score|publisher=Baseball Almanac|accessdate=2008-01-20] After pitching 20 games during the 1947 season, Zuber retired.

After retirement, Zuber started a restaurant in Homestead, Iowa of the Amana Colonies in 1949. [cite news|first=Dave|last=Dewitte|title=Zuber's Restaurant makes a return to its hotel past.|publisher=The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)|date=2007-05-27] Zuber died in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on November 2, 1982.

References

External links