| Moses Yellowhorse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1898-01-28)January 28, 1898 Pawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| Died: April 10, 1964(1964-04-10) (aged 66) Pawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1921, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1922, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 8–4 |
| Earned run average | 3.93 |
| Strikeouts | 43 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Moses J. Yellowhorse[a] (January 28, 1898 – April 10, 1964) was aNative American professionalbaseballpitcher fromOklahoma. He played two seasons inMajor League Baseball for thePittsburgh Pirates, 1921 and 1922. Yellowhorse wasSkidiPawnee.[1]
Moses "Mose" J. Yellowhorse was born inIndian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) to Clara and Thomas Yellowhorse in January 28, 1898.[2] His parents wereSkidi Pawnee and had been forced to walk to Indian Territory from their Pawnee homelands in Nebraska.[1] Moses hunted to help feed his family and rode inPawnee Bill'sWild West Show with his father.[1]
Yellowhorse was a full-blooded Native American.[3] TheIndian Agency mandated that he was ordered to attend anIndian boarding school. He went to the Pawnee Indian Boarding School, thenChilocco Indian Agricultural School, where Yellowhorse began his baseball career.[1] In 1917, he performed at a high level for the school and compiled awin–loss record of 17–0.[2]
After Yellowhorse left Chilocco, he went to pitch for theLittle Rock Travelers of the minor leagueSouthern Association. In 1920, under the tutelage ofKid Elberfeld, he helped the team to its firstchampionship.[2]
In 1921, Yellowhorse joined the Pittsburgh Pirates. His major league debut was on April 15 inrelief ofEarl Hamilton. The Pirates won the game 3–1 overEppa Rixey and theCincinnati Reds.[2] Later that year, he ruptured his arm and had to have surgery. His injury forced him to sit out two months.[2] The next year, Yellowhorse injured his arm a second time. The injury was purportedly a result of a fall he took while drunk.[2] Over his two-year stay with the Pirates, Yellowhorse was used primarily as a reliever and compiled a record of 8 wins and 4 losses.
While with the Pirates, Yellowhorse befriendedRabbit Maranville. The relationship had a profound impact on his life as Maranville introduced Yellowhorse toalcohol; he began to drink substantial amounts of liquor frequently. Later in life, Yellowhorse identified himself as analcoholic.[2]
Unable to pitch in the major leagues, either because of his behavior and/or his injuries,[2] Yellowhorse went to playminor league baseball. In 1923, he was sent to play with theSacramento Senators of thePacific Coast League. The next year, he suffered another serious arm injury and Sacramento traded him toFort Worth, Texas. Shortly thereafter, Fort Worth returned him to Sacramento. He spent two more years with Sacramento when, in January 1926, Sacramento sold Moses toOmaha. He pitched the final game of his professional career on May 1, 1926.[2]
While Yellowhorse is believed by many historians to be the first full-blooded Native American to play major league baseball,[3] there had been previous major league baseball players of Native American ancestry. These includedLouis Sockalexis (Cleveland Spiders, 1897–1899),Charles Albert (Chief) Bender (primarily thePhiladelphia Athletics, 1903–1917), andJohn (Chief) Meyers (primarily theNew York Giants, 1909–1917).[2]
By 1923, news of Yellowhorse's drinking problems reached the Pawnee tribal members in Oklahoma. In addition to the physical problems he had as a result of the drinking, this created tension between Yellowhorse and the tribe. After he retired from baseball, he spent the next 18 years working jobs that did not provide him with much disposable income. His continued drinking remained a divider between him and the tribe.[2]
1945 was an important year for Yellowhorse. For unknown reasons, he stopped drinkingcold turkey, and was able to find steady work. His first job was with thePonca City farm team, and his second job was with the Oklahoma State Highway Department. Yellowhorse also served asgroundskeeper for the Ponca City ballclub in 1947 and coached an all-Indian baseball team. Eventually, his relationship with the tribe improved and he became an honored member; a sports field was named after him in Pawnee, Oklahoma. He was also able to remain sober for the remainder of his life.[2] Yellowhorse died on April 10, 1964, at the age of 66 in Oklahoma.
Like Yellowhorse, cartoonistChester Gould was also born on the PawneeIndian reservation. Gould used Yellowhorse in hisDick Tracycomic strip as the model for a character namedYellow Pony. Other than the name, the only real similarity between live model and comic strip character was a big, strong physique.[2]
| Season | W | L | G | IP | HR | BB | SO | HBP | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 48.1 | 1 | 13 | 19 | 0 | 2.98 | 1.200 |
| 1922 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 77.2 | 0 | 20 | 24 | 2 | 4.52 | 1.442 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |