| Debs Garms | |
|---|---|
 Garms with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1940 | |
| Outfielder /Third baseman | |
| Born:(1907-06-26)June 26, 1907 Bangs, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: December 16, 1984(1984-12-16) (aged 77) Glen Rose, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 10, 1932, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 25, 1945, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .293 |
| Home runs | 17 |
| Runs batted in | 328 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Debs C. Garms (June 26, 1907 – December 16, 1984) was an American professionalbaseball player for 12 seasons as anoutfielder andthird baseman for theSt. Louis Browns,Boston Braves,Pittsburgh Pirates, andSt. Louis Cardinals. Garms broke upJohnny Vander Meer's streak of hitless innings in 1938. He won theNational League batting title in 1940, hitting .355 for the Pirates despite having played in only 103 games and garnering 358 at bats. Garms' batting title proved very controversial because of his limited playing time.[1] In 1941, he set a then-major league record for consecutive pinch hits with seven, which stood untilDave Philley broke it in 1958.
Born inBangs, Texas, Garms was the eighth of 10 children, and was named afterEugene Debs. Garms' older sister marriedSlim Harriss, apitcher for thePhiladelphia Athletics andBoston Red Sox in the 1920s.[1] Garms attendedHoward Payne University, joining the track and baseball teams. One of Garms' games was attended byminor league manager Carl Williams, and soon after, Garms was signed to a minor league contract with the St. Louis Browns. After playing in the minor leagues for multiple years, Garms batted .344 in 1932 and was called up to the major league Browns.[1]
In 1936, Garms was drafted by theBoston Bees from the Browns in therule 5 draft.[citation needed] In 1938, Bees'managerCasey Stengelplatooned Garms withJoe Stripp.[2] After three seasons with the Bees, Garms was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1940, his first year with the Pirates, Garms won the National Leaguebatting title despite serving as a platoon player, recording only 358 at-bats in 103 games.[2] Despite the fact that many complained at the low batting averages in 1940 compared to past years, most assumed that 400 at-bats were needed to be eligible for a batting title. In September 1940, league presidentFord Frick stated, "The batting title is simply unofficial and never has been subject for league legislation." Frick's spokesman said, "he thought 100 games would be a sufficient prerequisite for the championship."
After the season, the league's decision to make Garms the champion remained controversial, particularly forChicago Cubs fans, who believed thatStan Hack was the rightful winner.[1] In December 1941, Garms was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom Garms played the last three seasons of his career after playing the 1942 season in the minor leagues.[3]
In 12 seasons and 1,010 games, Garms hit .293 (910 for 3111) with 438runs scored, 141 doubles, 39 triples, 17 home runs, 328 RBI, 288 walks, .355on-base percentage, and a .379slugging percentage. He appeared in the1943 World Series and1944 World Series, and was hitless in seven at-bats. Garms made the last out of the 1943 World Series when he grounded out toNew York Yankees second basemanJoe Gordon in Game 5.
After Garms retired, he purchased a ranch inGlen Rose, Texas. Garms lived at the ranch until the 1950s, when the severeTexas drought forced him to sell the ranch and move into town in 1959, where he worked as foreman for a lime quarry operation, and eventually served on the school board for Glen Rose Independent School District. Garms was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease in the 1980s, and died on December 16, 1984.[1] In 2004, Garms was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
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