| Warren Spahn | |
|---|---|
 Spahn with the Boston Braves in 1952 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1921-04-23)April 23, 1921 Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: November 24, 2003(2003-11-24) (aged 82) Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1942, for the Boston Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1965, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 363–245 |
| Earned run average | 3.09 |
| Strikeouts | 2,583 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1973 |
| Vote | 83.2% (first ballot) |
Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American professionalbaseballpitcher who played 21 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed pitcher, Spahn played in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notably for theBoston Braves, who became theMilwaukee Braves after the team moved west before the1953 season. His baseball career was interrupted by his military service in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II.[1]
With 363 career wins, Spahn holds the major league record for a left-handed pitcher, and has the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920live-ball era.[2] He was a 17-timeAll-Star who won 20 games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 win–loss record when he was age 42.[3] Spahn won the 1957Cy Young Award and was a three-time runner-up during the period when only one award was given for both leagues. He won 202 games in the 1950s, the most for all pitchers in the decade.[4] At the time of his retirement in 1965, Spahn held the Major League record for careerstrikeouts by a left-handed pitcher.[3]
Spahn was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in1973, with 82.89% of the vote.[1] TheWarren Spahn Award, given annually to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named in his honor.[5] Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."[6]
Spahn was born and raised inBuffalo, New York, to Edward and Mabel Spahn, the fifth of six children and the first of two sons. He was named after PresidentWarren G. Harding and his father.[7]
He attendedBuffalo Bisons baseball games with his father and initially wanted to be a first baseman. However, when Spahn began to attendSouth Park High School, the first baseman position was already taken. Reluctantly, he took up pitching and led his high school team to two city championships, going undefeated his last two seasons, and throwing a no-hitter his senior year.[7]
Spahn's major league career began in 1942 with theBraves organization, and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first inBoston and then inMilwaukee. He finished his career in 1965 with theNew York Mets and theSan Francisco Giants. With 363 wins, Spahn is the sixth-most winning pitcher in history, trailing onlyCy Young (511),Walter Johnson (417),Grover Cleveland Alexander (373),Christy Mathewson (373), andPud Galvin (364) on MLB's all-time list. He led the league in wins eight times (1949–50, 1953, 1957–1961, each season with 20+ wins) and won at least 20 games an additional five times (1947, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1963).[3]
Spahn also threw twono-hitters, in 1960 and 1961, at ages 39 and 40. He won threeERA titles (1947, 1953, and 1961), and four strikeout crowns (1949–1952).[3] Spahn also appeared in 14All-Star Games, the most of any pitcher in the 20th century. He won theNL Player of the Month Award in August 1960 (6–0, 2.30 ERA, 32 strike-outs) and August 1961 (6–0, 1.00 ERA, 26 SOs).[8]
Spahn acquired the nickname "Hooks", not so much because of his pitching, but due to the prominent shape of his nose. He had once been hit in the face by a thrown ball that he was not expecting, and his broken nose settled into a hook-like shape. In Spahn's final season, during his stint with the Mets,Yogi Berra came out of retirement briefly and caught four games, one of them with Spahn pitching. Yogi later told reporters, "I don't think we're the oldestbattery, but we're certainly the ugliest."[7]
Spahn was known for a very high leg kick in his delivery. Photo sequences show that this high kick served a specific purpose. As a left-hander, Spahn was able not only to watch any runner on first base, but also to avoid telegraphing whether he was delivering to the plate or to first base, thereby forcing the runner to stay close to the bag. As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and throwing a good screwball. He led or shared the lead in the National League (NL) in wins in 1957–1961 (ages 36–40).[7]
Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs.Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194batting average (363-for-1872) with 141runs, 57doubles, sixtriples, 94walks, and 189runs batted in (RBIs). He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958, he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBIs and a walk.[3]
First signed by the Boston Braves, he reported to the Class-DBradford Bees of the PONY League — later known as theNY-Penn League — after graduating high school. Spahn made his professional debut on July 6 at MacArthur Park (Dwyer Stadium) inBatavia, New York. He took the loss against theBatavia Clippers, pitching out of the bullpen, where he walked two batters and struck out none. He finished the season with a 5–4 record and 2.73 ERA. In 1941, Spahn broke out and won 19 games against six losses with a 1.83 ERA while pitching for the Class-BEvansville Bees of theIllinois-Indiana-Iowa League.[9]
Spahn reached the major leagues in1942 at the age of 20. He clashed with Braves managerCasey Stengel, who sent him back to the minors after Spahn refused to throw atBrooklyn Dodgers batterPee Wee Reese in an exhibition game.[10] Spahn had pitched in only four games, allowing 15 runs (10 earned) in 15.2 innings.[3]
Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had ever made: "I said "no guts" to a kid who went on to become a war hero and one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers you ever saw. You can't say I don't miss 'em when I miss 'em". The 1942 Braves finished next to last, and Stengel was fired the following year. Spahn was reunited with his first manager 23 years later, for the even more woeful last-place New York Mets, and—referring to Stengel's success with the 1949–60New York Yankees—later quipped, "I'm probably the only guy who played for Casey before and after he was a genius."[11]
Spahn finished the 1942 season with a 17–12 record for theHartford Bees of the Class-AEastern League.[9]
Along with many other major leaguers, Spahn chose to enlist in theUnited States Army, after finishing the 1942 season in the minors.[1] He served with distinction and was awarded aPurple Heart. He saw action in theBattle of the Bulge and at theLudendorff Bridge as acombat engineer, and was awarded abattlefield commission.[12]
Spahn returned to the major leagues in1946 at the age of 25, having missed three full seasons. Had he played, Spahn might have finished his career behind onlyWalter Johnson andCy Young in all-time wins.[13] Spahn was unsure of the war's impact on his career:
People say that my absence from the big leagues may have cost me a chance to win 400 games, but I don't know about that. I matured a lot in three years, and I think I was better equipped to handle major league hitters at 25 than I was at 22. Also, I pitched until I was 44. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise.[14]
Spahn's first full season as a starting pitcher came in 1947, when he led the National League in ERA (2.33), shutouts (7), and innings pitched (289+2⁄3) while posting a 21–10 record.[3] It was the first of his thirteen 20-win seasons. Spahn also won two more ERA titles, in 1953 and 1961.[3]
On June 11, 1950, Spahn and pitcherBob Rush of the Cubs each stole a base against each other; no opposing pitchers again stole a base in the same game until May 3, 2004, whenJason Marquis andGreg Maddux repeated the feat.[15]
In 1951, Spahn allowed the first career hit toWillie Mays, a home run. Mays had begun his career 0-for-12, and Spahn responded to reporters after the game, citing the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound of 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m), "Gentlemen, for the first 60 feet, that was a hell of a pitch." Spahn joked a long time later, "I'll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out." (In 1962, another Hall of Famer hit his first career home run off Spahn:Sandy Koufax, who only hit one other.)
Spahn's teammateJohnny Sain was the ace of the pennant-winning 1948 Braves staff, with a win–loss record of 24–15. Spahn went 15–12, while contrary to legend, teammatesBill Voiselle (13–13), andVern Bickford (11–5) also pitched well.[16]
In honor of the pitching duo,Boston Post sports editor Gerald V. Hern wrote this poem which the popular media eventually condensed to "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain":
First we'll use Spahn
then we'll use Sain
Then an off day
followed by rain
Back will come Spahn
followed by Sain
And followed
we hope
by two days of rain.
The poem was inspired by the performance of Spahn and Sain during the Braves' 1948 pennant drive. The team swept aLabor Daydoubleheader, with Spahn throwing a complete 14-inning win in the opener, and Sain pitching a shutout in the second game.[17] Following two off days, it did rain. Spahn won the next day, and Sain won the day after that. Three days later, Spahn won again. Sain won the next day. After one more off day, the two pitchers were brought back, and won another doubleheader. The two pitchers had gone 8–0 in 12 days' time.[18]
Other sayings have been derived from "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." For example, some referred to the1993 San Francisco Giants' imbalanced rotation as "Burkett andSwift and pray for snow drift."[19]
In 1957, Spahn was the ace of the championMilwaukee Braves. He pitched on two other Braves pennant winners, in 1948 and 1958. Spahn led the NL in strikeouts for four consecutive seasons, from 1949 to 1952 (tied with Don Newcombe in 1951), which includes a single-game high of 18 strikeouts in a 15-inning appearance on June 14, 1952.[20]
During the1957 World Series,Sal Maglie of the Yankees, ineligible to pitch in the series because he was acquired too late in the season, watched the games with Robert Creamer ofSports Illustrated and made assessments of the players. When Spahn was pitching, Maglie observed that batters had to try to hit balls to the opposite field against Spahn, as he was more likely to get them out if they tried to pull the ball.[21]
On July 2, 1963, facing theSan Francisco Giants, the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a storied pitchers' duel with 25-year-oldJuan Marichal.[22] The score was still 0–0 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning.[23]
Marichal's manager,Alvin Dark, visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time. During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? Do you know that man is 42 years old? I'm only 25. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here." Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 1–0 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk.[24]
Spahn threw his first no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 1960, when he was 39. He pitched his second no-hitter the following year on April 28, 1961, against the Giants. During the last two seasons of his career, Spahn was the oldest active player in baseball. He lost this distinction for a single day: September 25, 1965, when 58-year-oldSatchel Paige pitched three innings.[25]
Spahn's seemingly ageless ability causedStan Musial to quip, "I don't think Spahn will ever get into the Hall of Fame. He'll never stop pitching."[1]
Following the 1964 season, after 25 years with the franchise, Spahn was sold by the Braves to the New York Mets.[3] Braves managerBobby Bragan predicted, "Spahnie won't win six games with the Mets." Spahn took on the dual role of pitcher and pitching coach. Spahn won four and lost 12, at which point the Mets put Spahn on waivers on July 15, 1965, and released on July 22, 1965.[26] He signed with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he appeared in his final major league game on October 1, 1965, at the age of 44. With the Mets and Giants combined, he won seven games for the season—his last in the major leagues.[3]
In a 22-season major league career, Spahn posted a 363–245win–loss record with 2,583strikeouts and a 3.09ERA in 5,243 2/3innings pitched, including 63shutouts and 382complete games.[3] His 2,583 career strikeouts were the most by a left-handed pitcher in MLB history until he was later on surpassed byMickey Lolich in1975.[27]
His 363 career win total ranks sixth overall in major league history; it is also the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920live-ball era.[2] Spahn still holds the major league record for most career wins by a left-handed pitcher.[2] His 63 career shutouts is the highest total in the live-ball era and sixth highest overall.[28]
| Category | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | HBP | WHIP | FIP | ERA+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 363 | 245 | 3.09 | 750 | 665 | 382 | 63 | 28 | 5,243.2 | 2,016 | 1,798 | 434 | 1,434 | 2,583, | 42 | 1.195 | 3.49 | 119 |
Spahn managed theTulsa Oilers for five seasons, winning 372 games from 1967 to 1971. His 1968 club won thePacific Coast League championship. He also coached for theMexico City Tigers, and pitched a handful of games there. He was a pitching coach with theCleveland Indians, in the minor leagues for theCalifornia Angels, and for six years, with Japan'sHiroshima Toyo Carp.
For many years, he owned and ran the large Diamond Star Ranch south ofHartshorne, Oklahoma, before retiring to live near a golf course inBroken Arrow with his half-Cherokee wife LoRene (née Southard) with whom he had one child, a son named Gregory (1948–2022).[7]
Spahn died of natural causes at his home in Broken Arrow. He is interred in the Elmwood Cemetery in Hartshorne. After his death, a street was named after him in Buffalo, New York, Warren Spahn Way, that connects Abbott Road with Seneca Street, through Cazenovia Park, in the heart of South Buffalo. The street is near South Park High School, Spahn's alma mater.
Spahn's number 21 was retired by the Braves in 1965, soon after his retirement.[29] He was selected for the all-timeAll-Star baseball team bySports Illustrated magazine in 1991, as the left-handed pitcher. The other selections were: outfieldersTy Cobb,Babe Ruth, andWillie Mays; shortstopCal Ripken, third basemanMike Schmidt, second basemanJackie Robinson, first basemanLou Gehrig, catcherMickey Cochrane, right-handed pitcherChristy Mathewson, relief pitcherDennis Eckersley, and managerCasey Stengel.
Spahn was elected to theWisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973 and became a charter member of both theBuffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985,[30] and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[31]
In 1999, he was ranked number 21 byThe Sporting News on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players",[32] and was also named one of the 30 players on theMajor League Baseball All-Century Team.[33] In 2020,The Athletic ranked Spahn at number 49 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriterJoe Posnanski.[34]
Spahn was inducted into theBraves Hall of Fame in 1999.[35] A few months before his death, he attended the unveiling of a statue outsideAtlanta'sTurner Field. When the Braves vacated Turner Field to move into their current home ofTruist Park, the statue was moved, and now stands outside that ballpark. The statue depicts Spahn in the middle of one of his leg kicks.[36] The statue was created by Shan Gray, who has sculpted numerous other statues of athletes that stand in Oklahoma, including two others of Spahn.One statue resides at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame located at theChickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and the other is located in Hartshorne, Oklahoma, at the Hartshorne Event Center.
On April 4, 2009, the facilities of Broken Arrow Youth Baseball, in Spahn's longtime home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, were dedicated in his honor.
In theirNaked Gun films, producersZucker, Abrahams and Zucker sometimes included joke credits. The trio, who were Milwaukee-area natives, included Spahn in the closing credits once, with the disclaimer, "He's not in the film, but he's still our all-time favorite left-hand pitcher."
Spahn also made his acting debut with a cameo appearance as a German soldier in a 1963 episode (season two, episode eight "Glow Against the Sky")[37] of the television seriesCombat!
In 2013, theBob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Spahn as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.[38]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month August 1960 August 1961 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Lew Burdette Warren Spahn | No-hitter pitcher September 16, 1960 April 28, 1961 | Succeeded by Warren Spahn Bo Belinsky |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | New York MetsPitching Coach 1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cleveland IndiansPitching Coach 1972–1973 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
