- Chuck Stobbs
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Chuck Stobbs Pitcher Born: July 2, 1929
Wheeling, West VirginiaDied: July 11, 2008 (aged 79)
Sarasota, FloridaBatted: Left Threw: Left MLB debut September 15, 1947 for the Boston Red Sox Last MLB appearance August 12, 1961 for the Minnesota Twins Career statistics Win-Loss 107-130 ERA 4.29 Strikeouts 897 Teams - Boston Red Sox (1947-1951)
- Chicago White Sox (1952)
- Washington Senators (1953-1958, 1959-1960)
- St. Louis Cardinals (1958)
- Minnesota Twins (1961)
Career highlights and awards - Youngest player in MLB in 1947
- Youngest player in the American League in 1948
Charles Klein Stobbs (July 2, 1929 in Wheeling, West Virginia – July 11, 2008 in Sarasota, Florida) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1947–51), Chicago White Sox (1952), Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (1953–58 and 1959–61) and St. Louis Cardinals (1958).
He led the American League in Walks per 9 Innings Pitched (2.03) in 1956 and led the American League in Losses (20) and Earned Runs Allowed (126) in 1957.
Stobbs is remembered in the history books as the pitcher who served up a titanic home run to Mickey Mantle in 1953. The ball traveled an estimated 565 feet and flew entirely out of Griffith Stadium (Washington).
Contents
Biography
Stobbs, a native of West Virginia, spent his early years in Springfield, Ohio and Vero Beach, Florida. As a teenager his family moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where his father took a coaching job at Granby High School.[1]
His father, Bill Stobbs, played professional football.[2]
In high school, Stobbs excelled in three sports: football, basketball and baseball. He led the Granby High School football team to three consecutive state championships and was a three-time all-state quarterback. Stobbs was an all-American in baseball and a two-time all-state basketball player.[3]
In 1957, Washington Post sports columnist Bob Addie wrote that Stobbs was "one of the greatest athletes ever to come out of Virginia."[4]
Stobbs turned down several college scholarships to play with the Boston Red Sox, who offered him a $35,000 signing bonus. Stobbs was only 18 years old when he pitched in his first big-league game.[5]
Stobbs always considered himself better at football or basketball than baseball. In 2002, following his induction into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Stobbs said: "My biggest ambition was playing college football and going to the Rose Bowl. I regret sometimes even now not going to school and finding out if I could have played football."[6]
After the Major Leagues
After leaving professional baseball, Stobbs spent a brief time as an insurance salesman and a coach at George Washington University.
In 1971, Stobbs moved to Florida and worked at a baseball academy operated by the Kansas City Royals. He was a minor-league pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians from 1980-1984.[7]
In 1991, Stobbs had a granddaughter Heather.
Stobbs died after a seven year battle with throat cancer.
References
- ^ Schudel, Matt. (2008, July 25). Chuck Stobbs; Senators Pitcher in 1950s. The Washington Post, p B6
- ^ Nowlin, Bill. "The Baseball Biography Project: Chuck Stobbs". Society for American Baseball Research. http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1493&pid=13665. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ^ Schudel, op. cit
- ^ Schudel, op. cit
- ^ Schudel, op. cit
- ^ Schudel, op. cit
- ^ Schudel, op. cit
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Chuck Stobbs at Find a Grave
- Baseball Library
Categories:- 1929 births
- 2008 deaths
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Baseball players from West Virginia
- Baseball players from Virginia
- Boston Red Sox players
- Chicago White Sox players
- Washington Senators players
- Minnesota Twins players
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- People from Wheeling, West Virginia
- People from Norfolk, Virginia
- Deaths from esophageal cancer
- Lynn Red Sox players
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