Warren Spahn
| Warren Spahn | |
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 Spahn (r.) With Johnny Sain (1951)
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| Pitcher | |
| Born: April 23, 1921 Buffalo , United States 
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| Died on: November 24th, 2003 Broken Arrow , United States
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| Suggested: Left | Threw: Left |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| April 19, 1942 with the Boston Braves | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| October 1, 1965 with the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Wins - Loss | 363-245 |
| Earned Run Average | 3.09 |
| Strikeouts | 2,583 |
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| Awards | |
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| member of | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Recorded | 1973 |
| Quota | 83% |
| Last update: April 12, 2019 | |
Warren Edward Spahn (born April 23, 1921 in Buffalo , New York , † November 24, 2003 in Broken Arrow , Oklahoma ) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for the Boston / Milwaukee Braves , the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants played. The 17-time All-Star achieved 363 wins , a record for left-handers and more than any pitcher born in the 20th century. He won the Cy Young Award and the World Series in 1957 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. In his honor there is the Warren Spahn Award , which honors the best left-handed pitcher in the MLB. With 35 home runs , Spahn was also unusually strong for a pitcher.
Career
Spahn was hired by the Boston Braves in 1940 , but branded a coward by coach Casey Stengel for refusing to deliberately throw star Pee Wee Reese in a friendly against the Brooklyn Dodgers . Spahn was deported to the minor league baseball teams until he enlisted in the US Army in 1942 during World War II . He was involved in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star - so that Stengel, who called Spahn a coward, later apologized. Spahn described the total of three years at the front as a “change from child to man” and the main reason for his composure: “Anyone who survived the Second World War can no longer be shaken by a baseball game.”
When Spahn started again with the Braves in 1946, Spahn, who had matured both mentally and playfully, established himself as one of the best pitchers in the MLB by immediately creating 21 wins and being voted into the MLB All-Star Game in 1947. Spahn would break the coveted 20-win limit thirteen times and be an All-Star 16 more times. In addition, the Braves had an excellent second pitcher in Johnny Sain , so that a journalist wrote the poem "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain" in 1948 ( Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain ). This poem, which went down in MLB folklore, described a curious winning streak in which Spahn and Sain took two wins in a row, the appearances of third and fourth pitcher Bill Voiselle and Vern Bickford were canceled due to rain, so that Spahn and Sain two again Wins before the rain canceled Voiselle and Bickford's missions again. Strangely enough, this was repeated again, so that the Braves achieved 8-0 wins in just 12 days with just two pitchers:
- First we'll use Spahn / then we'll use Sain (First pitch Spahn, then pitch Sain)
- Then an off day / followed by rain (Then a rest day, then a rainy day)
- Back will come Spahn / followed by Sain (Then Spahn comes again, followed by Sain)
- And followed we hope / by two days of rain. (Hopefully followed by two rainy days)
Together with Sain, the future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (outfielder and home run specialist), Eddie Mathews ( third baseman ) and Red Schoendienst ( second baseman ), the Braves formed a powerful team. The high point of Spahn's career was in 1957, when he won the Cy Young Award with 21-11 wins and an earned run average of 2.69 and won the World Series with the Braves . He also built a reputation for longevity when he scored an impressive 23 wins at the age of 42 and was elected to the All-Star Team for the 17th time. In that year (1963) he fought a legendary duel against 25-year-old, later Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants . After 15 innings it was 0-0, with Marichal being significantly more exhausted than Spahn, but not wanting to be replaced: "Spahn is 17 years older than me, and as long as he pitches, I'll stay in". When Giants star Willie Mays ended the game with a home run in the 16th inning , Spahn was devastated, but the audience celebrated Spahn with standing ovations . This game is considered to be one of the greatest pitching duels of all time. Only at the age of 44 did Spahn stop and devote himself to coaching in the major and minor leagues and abroad (Mexico and Japan ).
The Atlanta Braves honored Spahn by withdrawing his number 21 shirt. In 1973 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame , and eventually he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team .
Pitching
Spahn was considered to be one of the most precise fastball throwers, but his change-up , with which he confused opposing batsmen, was particularly feared . His left-handed throwing movement included an extremely high kick with the right swing leg, so that the opposing batsman's view of the ball was obscured during the entire arm movement. It was almost impossible to tell whether Spahn threw a fast fastball or an intentionally slow change-up. When his fastball lost speed with age, he learned the screwball . Spahn always emphasized the psychological aspect of pitching and prided himself on defeating opposing batsmen mentally rather than through throwing power. In addition, Spahn was known for his great longevity, as he was a world-class pitcher until the age of 42.
“After his career, Spahn will never get into the Baseball Hall of Fame . Because his career will never end. "
Private life
Spahn married his wife LoRene in 1947. LoRene Spahn was a far-sighted businesswoman who made her family rich through wise investments in cattle breeding, natural gas, and land in Florida , so that Spahn lived in luxury until his death. Both had a son together.
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Warren Spahn in the Baseball Hall of Fame (English)
- Warren Spahn in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Warren Spahn, 82, Dies; Left-Handed Craftsman of the Baseball Mound for 21 Seasons , New York Times.
- ^ A b c d e Warren Spahn , Society for Baseball Research.
- ↑ Nearly half century later, Spahn-Marichal duel still the best ever , Sports Illustrated
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Spahn, Warren |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Spahn, Warren Edward (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 23, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buffalo , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 24, 2003 |
| Place of death | Broken Arrow , Oklahoma |