| Dizzy Trout | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1915-06-29)June 29, 1915 Sandcut, Indiana, U.S. | |
| Died: February 28, 1972(1972-02-28) (aged 56) Harvey, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 25, 1939, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 11, 1957, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 170–161 |
| Earned run average | 3.23 |
| Strikeouts | 1,256 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Paul Howard "Dizzy"Trout (June 29, 1915 – February 28, 1972) was an American professionalbaseball player.[1] He played inMajor League Baseball as a right-handedpitcher from1939 to1952, most notably as a member of theDetroit Tigers team that finished either in first or second place in the American League pennant races between 1944 and 1947 and won the1945 World Series. The two-timeAll-Star player was the American Leaguewins leader in 1943 and, was the leagueERA leader in 1944. In1957, Trout made a brief comeback attempt at the age of 42 with theBaltimore Orioles. He also played for theBoston Red Sox.
Trout was born inSandcut, Indiana.[1] He first played professionally in 1935 with theTerre Haute Tots in theThree-I League before signing with the Tigers in 1939. In his first four seasons (1939–1942), Dizzy Trout never had a winning record and totaled 33 wins and 44 losses.[1] Even in 1940, as the Tigers won theAmerican League pennant, Trout finished 3-7.
Dizzy Trout was classified4-F due to hearing impairment[1] and was not accepted for military service during World War II. It was during the war years that Trout had his best seasons.
Trout had a losing record in his first four seasons, but in the next four years (1943–1946) he turned into one of the best pitchers in theAmerican League, winning 82 and losing 54.[1]
Dizzy Trout led theAmerican League in wins (20) in 1943, but his best season was 1944, when he won 27 games and lost 14. He led the American League that year inERA (2.12),complete games (33),shutouts (7), andinnings pitched (352-1/3). He also finished second in the league to his Detroit teammate,Hal Newhouser, in wins (27) andstrikeouts (144). The Tigers' pitching duo of Trout and Newhouser won 56 games in 1944 and finished 1-2 in ERA, wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts. Newhouser and Trout also finished 1-2 in the American League MVP voting, with Trout trailing Newhouser in the voting by only 4 votes.
Trout's pitching totals were not as impressive in 1945, but he was a workhorse in the pennant drive. He pitched six games and won four over a nine-game late-season stretch. In Game 4 of the1945 World Series, Trout beat the Cubs 4-1 on a five-hitter. The Tigers won the 1945 World Series, and Trout went 1–1 with an ERA of 0.66 in the Series.
From 1947–1949, Trout's performance dropped off, as he failed to achieve a winning record, and had a total record of 23–31. Aside from his pitching, Trout could hit for power. He hit 20home runs, tying him for 11th all-time in home runs by pitchers. He hit a 9th inninggrand slam against theWashington Senators on July 28, 1949, helping the Tigers to a victory.
In 1950, Trout and the Tigers both turned things around. Trout won 13 and lost only 5, and the Tigers won 95 games and narrowly lost theAmerican League pennant to theYankees.[2]
On June 3, 1952, Trout was sent to theBoston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade that sentWalt Dropo,Don Lenhardt,Johnny Pesky,Fred Hatfield, andBill Wight to the Tigers for Trout,George Kell,Hoot Evers, andJohnny Lipon. Trout started only 17 games for the Red Sox, and retired at the end of the 1952 season.
Trout was a very good hitting pitcher in his 15-year major league career. He posted a .213batting average (205-for-961) scoring 99runs with 28doubles, 7triples, 20home runs, 110RBI and drew 59bases on balls. He was in double figures in RBI in five seasons, with a high of 24 RBI in1944.[1]
After retiring from baseball, Trout called play-by-play for the Tigers on radioWKMH and TVWJBK-TV from 1953 to 1955. He also hostedThe Knot-Hole Gang, a sports show aimed at children. Trout broadcast the Tigers games withVan Patrick and became popular with Detroit fans for his self-effacing humor, scrambled syntax, and folksy demeanor.
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In 1956, Trout ran unsuccessfully for sheriff inWayne County as a Republican, losing to long-time incumbentAndrew C. Baird.
He attempted a return to baseball with theBaltimore Orioles in 1957 at age 42. Trout made two appearances, allowed three earned runs, and retired one batter, for an 81.00 ERA. After being released by Baltimore, he joined theChicago White Sox as a pitching instructor and then worked with that organization's front office until his death from stomach cancer at the age of 56 on February 28, 1972, atIngalls Hospital in Harvey, Illinois.[3] He was buried atHomewood Memorial Gardens inHomewood, Illinois.
He was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.[4]
Trout's son,Steve, pitched for 12 years in the major leagues.