- Benny Frey
Benjamin Rudolph Frey (April 6, 1906 - November 1, 1937) was a right-handed pitcher in
Major League Baseball from 1929-37, playing primarily with theCincinnati Reds . Born inDexter, Michigan , Frey played in 256 major league baseball games (127 as a starter) and had a lifetime record of 57-82 in 1160 innings pitched. He was a sidearm pitcher with a sweeping motion that was effective with right-handed hitters. His lifetimeearned run average of 4.50 was good for anAdjusted ERA+ of 90. In 1930, Frey lost 18 games, tops in the National League. His best season was 1934 when he was 11-16 for the Reds with a 3.52 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 116). Frey placed #16 in the 1934 National League Most Valuable Player voting.Frey suffered an arm injury and was sent down to a minor league team in Nashville for the 1937 after eight years in the majors. Frey refused to report to Nashville and asked to be put on the voluntarily retired list. Frey committed suicide that November at age 31 in
Spring Arbor Township, Michigan . Frey died of carbon monoxide after running a hose from the exhaust into his car. (Edward J. Rielly, "Baseball and American Culture: Across the Diamond" (2003), p. 274.) [cite book
title=Baseball and American Culture
author=Frank Hoffmann, Edward J. Rielly, Martin Manning
year=2003
publisher=Haworth Press
isbn=0789014858
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=j84eSC3b90YC&pg=PA274&lpg=PA274&dq=%22benny+frey%22+suicide&source=web&ots=j0TogFr-He&sig=YpOALp3be1C6wjQab-zlQ4_c74U] [cite book
title=The Copycat Effect
author=Loren L Coleman
year=2004
publisher=Simon and Schuster
isbn=1416505547
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3B4lTTZE58oC&pg=PA210&lpg=PA210&dq=%22benny+frey%22+suicide&source=web&ots=veMyl86m0o&sig=Q8_IEdgk3cYlkYsFuGcVYHH0-s0#PPA210,M1]Notes
External links
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/f/freybe01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com]
* [http://www.geocities.com/knights1928/pastpl/freyb.html Benny Frey minor league statistics]
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