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| Roger Wolff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1911-04-10)April 10, 1911 Evansville, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: March 23, 1994(1994-03-23) (aged 82) Chester, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 20, 1941, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 25, 1947, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 52–69 |
| Earned run average | 3.41 |
| Strikeouts | 430 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Roger Francis Wolff (April 10, 1911 – March 23, 1994) was an American professionalbaseball player. Aright-handedknuckleballpitcher, he appeared in 182games over all or part of seven seasons inMajor League Baseball between1941 and1947: three with thePhiladelphia Athletics, three with theWashington Senators, and one season split between theCleveland Indians and thePittsburgh Pirates. Wolff was born inEvansville, Illinois; he was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 208 pounds (94 kg).
Wolff's professional career began in 1930 and he spent 12 full seasons in theminor leagues before getting his first major-league opportunity at the end of the 1941 season,starting two games forConnie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. He was charged with theloss in each contest, but threw twocomplete games and compiled a decent 3.18earned run average. The remainder of his pro career would be spent as a major leaguer, initially during the manpower shortage caused byWorld War II. He lost a combined 45 games during the three seasons of1942 through1944 (winning 26), but in1945—the last wartime season—he would experience a dramatic turnaround in performance.
As a member of Washington's four-knuckleball-pitcher starting rotation (along withMickey Haefner,Dutch Leonard andJohnny Niggeling), Wolff helped lead the Senators to a second-place finish, only 11⁄2 games behind the eventualworld championDetroit Tigers. He posted a 20–10 won–lost record and a 2.12 earned run average, and placed in theAmerican League's Top 10 in multiple statistical categories:[1]
Wolff threw aone-hit shutout on June 19 against Philadelphia atGriffith Stadium, allowing only a fourth-inningdouble toHal Peck.[2] NoAll-Star Game was played in 1945 due to travel restrictions caused by the war. Wolff returned to the Senators' rotation in1946 and led the staff with a 2.58 ERA in 122 innings pitched, but he fashioned only a 5–8 won–lost mark. He was traded to Cleveland in March 1947, and worked in 20 games for the Indians and Pirates before leaving pro baseball.
Wolff's career won–lost record was 52–69 with anearned run average of 3.41. In 182 games, including 128 starts, he compiled 63 complete games, eight shutouts and 12saves, allowing 1,018 hits and 316bases on balls, with 430 strikeouts, in 1,0251⁄3 innings pitched.
After baseball, he worked in private business and was the longtime athletic director at theSouthern Illinois Penitentiary. He died at age 82 inChester, Illinois.[3]
