| Art Nehf | |
|---|---|
_LCCN2014715133_(cropped).jpg) Nehf in 1922 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1892-07-31)July 31, 1892 Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. | |
| Died: December 18, 1960(1960-12-18) (aged 68) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 13, 1915, for the Boston Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1929, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 184–120 |
| Earned run average | 3.20 |
| Strikeouts | 844 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Arthur Neukom Nehf (July 31, 1892 – December 18, 1960) was an Americanbaseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons inMajor League Baseball for theBoston Braves (1915–1919),New York Giants (1919–1926),Cincinnati Reds (1926–1927), and theChicago Cubs (1927–1929). He was left-handed, 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 176pounds when he made his debut in 1915.
Nehf was born inTerre Haute, Indiana. His parents were Charles T. Nehf and Wilhelmina Neukom. His paternal grandparents were Wesley Andrew Nehf & Katherina C. Boss who were both born in Germany. He attended theRose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute and earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1914. Art married Elizabeth B. May on November 1, 1916.
Besides finishing with a 184–120 record and a 3.20 ERA in 451 games, Nehf had 182 complete games and 28 shutouts (30 including postseason) in 319 starts. He had 13 careersaves and also picked up a total of 844 strike outs in2707+2⁄3innings pitched.
Some years, he pitched as a starter only, and other years as arelief pitcher and a starter. He was always solid in both roles, earning a reputation around the majors as a consistent pitcher.
Nehf had a .210 careerbatting average with 8home runs and 76RBIs. Of his 8 home runs, 2 came in one game in 1924. It was his only multiple home run season. Art Nehf was the last pitcher to have 3 hits in a World Series game (Game 1~October 4, 1924) until Orel Hershiser tied that record in 1988 (Game 2~October 16).
Nehf came up with the Braves in 1915, and frequented the leaderboards throughout his time with them; he led the league incomplete games with 28 in 1918, and showed up in the top 10 in wins, three times, including the year that he was traded to the Giants mid-season. In 1917, Nehf had what is generally thought of as his best season with the Braves, when he went 17–8 with a 2.16 ERA, pitching very consistently, and completing 17 of his 23 starts, with fiveshutouts, while also finishing seven games on the year. He also had his career-high instrike outs that year with 101, the only time he had more than 100 strike outs.
Nehf was traded to the Giants for four players and cash on August 15, 1919. He won a career-high 21 games in 1920, his first full year with the Giants. Nehf pitched in four consecutiveWorld Series with the Giants:1921,1922,1923 and1924. He was the last man to win back to back clinching games in the World Series in 1921 and 1922. In 1924, he defeatedWalter Johnson in 12 innings in the WS opener, but the Giants lost to theWashington Senators that year. The Giants won in 1921 and 1922 with the help of Nehf, who had an all-time World Series record of 4–4 with an ERA of 2.16 in twelve games, and nine starts, with six complete games. He had 28 strikeouts all-time in the World Series. Nehf also participated in the1929 World Series with the Cubs in his last year, as the Cubs lost to thePhiladelphia Athletics.
Nehf won 107 games with the Giants, while he lost only 60. After many solid, and sometimes great, seasons with the Giants and then being traded to Cincinnati, and then to Chicago, most thought Nehf's career was virtually over. But he managed to put up one more very good year in 1928 with the Cubs. He went 13–7 with a still very low, 2.65 ERA. That year, he was also involved in a very strange and controversial play against his former team, the Giants. With the Giants in a tight pennant race against theSt. Louis Cardinals, their loss in the 1st game of adoubleheader on September 27, 1928, was made all the more controversial. New York'sShanty Hogan hit a ball back to Nehf who threw tothird base to get the runner, but the runnerAndy Reese was off with the crack of the bat and was already athome plate, knocking overcatcherGabby Hartnett. Hartnett grabbed the runner to keep from falling, and as Hartnett held him, Reese was tagged out by the Cubs third baseman. The Giants bench erupted, butumpireBill Klem ruled Reese out. The subsequent protest was turned down despite clear pictures showing Reese being held back. The Giants went on to lose the pennant to the Cards by two games. Coincidentally, the Cubs were two games behind that.
Nehf also was involved in one of the strangest innings in World Series history.Charlie Root was the Cubs' starting pitcher for Game 4 of the1929 World Series atShibe Park and was cruising along with an 8–0 lead against the Philadelphia Athletics. In the seventh inning, Nehf was brought in from the bullpen after the Athletics cut the lead to 8–4. The first batter he faced,Mule Haas, hit a fly ball thatHack Wilson lost in the sun. It ended up a three-run inside-the-park homer for Haas, and the A's went on to a 10-run inning. The Cubs lost the game 10–8 and lost the World Series two days later.
Nehf died of cancer in his home inPhoenix, Arizona in 1960.[1]
The varsity baseball field at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (formerly Rose Polytechnic Institute) is named in Nehf's honor. Art Nehf Field has served as the site for the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional.[2]
Nehf was inducted into Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, (the 11th group)[3]
· Baseball Almanac