| Mickey Haefner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: October 9, 1912 Lenzburg, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: January 3, 1995(1995-01-03) (aged 82) New Athens, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 22, 1943, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1950, for the Boston Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 78–91 |
| Earned run average | 3.50 |
| Strikeouts | 508 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Milton Arnold "Mickey" Haefner (October 9, 1912 – January 3, 1995) was an Americanknuckleball-throwingleft-handedpitcher who played eight seasons inMajor League Baseball between1943 and1950, six and a half of them with theWashington Senators (1943–1949), later joining theChicago White Sox (1949–1950) andBoston Braves (1950). He was known as one of four knuckleball hurlers who were regularstarting pitchers for the1945 Senators, the last Washington team to seriously contend for theAmerican Leaguepennant. He was born inLenzburg, Illinois, and was listed as 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall and 160 pounds (73 kg), leading to his baseball moniker,Itsy-Bitsy.[1]
Haefner'sprofessional career did not begin until 1937, when he was 24. After five straight seasons of double-digit victories inminor league baseball, he was acquired by Washington in February 1943. As arookie, he worked in 36games, with 13 starts, and put up an 11–5won–lost record and a 2.29earned run average in 1651⁄3innings pitched. He was third in the Junior Circuit in ERA and fourth inwinning percentage (.688), while the Senators ended up second in the league to theNew York Yankees—albeit by a distant, 131⁄2-game margin. His workload increased in1944, the first of three straight seasons in which he exceeded more than 225 innings pitched.
In1945, knuckleball aces Haefner,Dutch Leonard,Johnny Niggeling andRoger Wolff started 111 of the Senators' 154 games and accounted for 60 of the club's 87 victories, as Washington contended for the American League title up until the closing day of the season, before finishing 11⁄2 lengths behind theDetroit Tigers. Haefner went 16–14 (3.47) with 19complete games and threesaves. In1946, the firstpostwar season with many military veterans returning to major league service, Haefner continued his effective pitching, winning 14 games in 25decisions and posting a 2.85 earned run average with 17 complete games. He won ten more games in1947 before his performance declined to a poor 15–32 record over his final threeMLB seasons. However, on May 10, 1949, against the defendingworld championIndians atCleveland Stadium, Haefner threw a complete gameone-hitter for a 1–0 victory.[2] OnlyBaseball Hall of FamerLarry Doby'sfirst-inningsingle prevented Haefner from throwing ano-hitter. A little over two months later, on July 21, the Senators sold his contract to the White Sox.
In eight seasons and 261 career games pitched, Haefner compiled a 78–91 record with an earned run average of 3.50. He had 91 complete games, 13shutouts and 13 saves. Haefner allowed 1,414 hits and 577bases on balls, with 508strikeouts, in 1,4662⁄3 MLB innings pitched.
Although never formally selected to anAll-Star team, Haefner was part of a select American League squad that played a "scrimmage" against the league championBoston Red Sox prior to the1946 World Series. The Red Sox were idle while theBrooklyn Dodgers andSt. Louis Cardinals engaged in the best-of-three1946 National League tie-breaker series to determine the championship of the Senior Circuit. Haefner earned a measure of notoriety when, during the tune-up exhibition game atFenway Park on October 1, he accidentally plunked Red Sox superstarTed Williams on the elbow with an errant knuckleball.[3] The injured Williams was ineffective in the ensuing World Series,batting only .200 with five singles, as the underdog Cardinals defeated Boston in seven games.
Mickey Haefner's professional career ended in 1951, ironically in the Red Sox' minor-league system, after 15 seasons. He died inNew Athens, Illinois, the hometown of Hall of FamemanagerWhitey Herzog, at age 82 on January 3, 1995.
· Baseball Almanac