| Spud Chandler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1907-09-12)September 12, 1907 Commerce, Georgia, U.S. | |
| Died: January 9, 1990(1990-01-09) (aged 82) South Pasadena, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 6, 1937, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 1947, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 109–43 |
| Earned run average | 2.84 |
| Strikeouts | 614 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Spurgeon Ferdinand "Spud"Chandler (September 12, 1907 – January 9, 1990) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as a right-handedstarting pitcher and played his entire career for theNew York Yankees from 1937 through 1947.
He was named theAmerican League'sMost Valuable Player in1943 after anchoring the team's pitching staff with 20wins and only 4 losses as New York won its third consecutive pennant; his 1.64earned run average in that season was the lowest by any major league pitcher between 1920 and 1967, and remains a Yankees team record. In eleven seasons, he never suffered a losing record; with a total of 109 wins and 43 losses, his career winning percentage of .717 is the highest of any pitcher with at least 100 victories since 1876.
Chandler was born inCommerce, Georgia to Leonard Ferdinand Chandler (1871–1942) and Olivia Catherine Hix (1872–1957).[1] He grew up inFranklin County and graduated fromCarnesville High School in 1928,[2] and attended theUniversity of Georgia. He playedfootball as ahalfback, throwing a touchdown pass to help defeatYale in a 1929 game dedicating a new stadium. He also pitched for the baseball team and competed on thetrack team. He was a brother of theAlpha Gamma Rho fraternity and graduated with a degree inagriculture.
Chandler spent five seasons in the Yankees organization after signing with the team, his favorite since boyhood. Chandler finally made his major league debut at age 29 on May 6, 1937, and went 7–4 that season with a 2.84 ERA and sixcomplete games (including twoshutouts). The following year, he was 14–5, and in 1939 he was 3–0 in 11 relief appearances. Although the Yankees won theWorld Series in each of those years, Chandler did not appear in the postseason. Bothered by injuries during his early career, after records of 8–7 and 10–4 in 1940 and 1941 he improved further to 16–5 in1942, finishing third in the AL with a 2.38 ERA and earning his first of fourAll-Star selections. He was the All-Star Game's winning pitcher in 1942. Chandler had one start in the World Series each year, but lost both times, as the Yankees won in 1941 and lost in 1942.
His greatest year came in 1943. In addition to his outstanding ERA, he led the league with 20 wins in 30 starts, as well as 20 complete games and five shutouts. In 253 innings pitched, he gave up 46 earned runs, allowing only fivehome runs. Chandler's 134strikeouts were third in the league, and equalled his combined total of the previous two seasons. He made the AL All-Star team for the second time. Chandler finally had a successfulWorld Series, pitching two complete game victories, including a shutout in the final Game 5, as the Yankees defeated theSt. Louis Cardinals. Winning the MVP award, he beat outLuke Appling of the Chicago White Sox. Chandler remains the only Yankee pitcher to win the Most Valuable Player award.
After one start in 1944, he entered World War II military service with theArmy for nearly all of the next two seasons.[2] He returned in1946 with another All-Star season, going 20–8 with a 2.10 ERA (2nd in the league toHal Newhouser) and a career-high 138 strikeouts. That year, he also had 20 complete games for the second time in his career. He earned his last All-Star selection in1947, but finished the year with only a 9–5 record as injuries ended his career at age 40. He pitched for the last time in the historic1947 World Series against theBrooklyn Dodgers, pitching two relief innings in a Game 3 loss. In four World Series, he had a 2–2 record with a 1.62 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and 1 shutout.
Over his career Chandler was 109–43 in 211 games (109 complete, 26 shutouts), with a 2.84 ERA. He had 614 career strikeouts and gave up 64 home runs and in 1,485 innings pitched, allowed 1,327 hits. As a hitter, he had a batting average of .201, with a .234 on-base percentage; he had 110 hits in 548at bats in his career, and on July 26, 1940, hit two home runs including agrand slam.[3] Chandler was also a fine fielding pitcher, committing only 10 errors in 501 total chances for a career .980fielding percentage.[4]
Chandler latermanaged in the minor leagues, became pitching coach with theKansas City Athletics in 1957–58, and scouted for several teams before retiring in 1984.
He was inducted into theGeorgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and into theFranklin County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He would later be inducted into the University of Georgia Ring of Honor in 2000.
Chandler died on January 9, 1990 at Pasadena Manor inSouth Pasadena, Florida after several strokes, aged 82.[5] He was survived by his wife and two sons.[6]
· Baseball Almanac