Chuck Stobbs

American baseball player (1929-2008)
Baseball player
Chuck Stobbs
Pitcher
Born: (1929-07-02)July 2, 1929
Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Died: July 11, 2008(2008-07-11) (aged 79)
Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 15, 1947, for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
August 12, 1961, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record107–130
Earned run average4.29
Strikeouts897
Teams
  • Boston Red Sox (1947–1951)
  • Chicago White Sox (1952)
  • Washington Senators (1953–1958)
  • St. Louis Cardinals (1958)
  • Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1959–1961)

Charles Klein Stobbs (July 2, 1929 – July 11, 2008) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1947–51), Chicago White Sox (1952), Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1953–58, 1959–61) and St. Louis Cardinals (1958). Stobbs is notable for being the pitcher who gave up an estimated 565-foot home run to Mickey Mantle that flew entirely out of Griffith Stadium in 1953.[1] Mantle's 565-foot shot was regarded as the first tape-measure home run of the live-ball era.[1]

Early life

Stobbs, a native of West Virginia, spent his early years in Springfield, Ohio and Vero Beach, Florida. His father, Bill Stobbs, played professional football in 1921.[2] As a teenager his family moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where his father took a coaching job at Granby High School.[1]

In high school, Stobbs excelled in three sports: football, basketball and baseball.[3] He led the Granby High School football team to three consecutive state championships and was named all-state quarterback three times.[2] Stobbs was also an all-American in baseball and a two-time all-state basketball player.[2] In 1947, Stobbs was named by The Washington Post as one of the "greatest athletes to be developed in the Virginia high schools during recent years".[2] In 1957, The Washington Post sports columnist Bob Addie wrote that Stobbs was "one of the greatest athletes ever to come out of Virginia."[1] For his storied high-school career, Stobbs was later named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[1][3]

Major League Baseball career

Stobbs declined several college scholarships to play with the Boston Red Sox under the supervision of scout Specs Toporcer, who offered him a $50,000 signing bonus, one of the first players to qualify for baseball's bonus rule.[2][3] Stobbs was only 18 years old when he pitched in his first big-league game, against the Chicago White Sox on September 15, 1947.[3] He was the youngest player in Major League Baseball that year, appearing in four games.[3][4] Stobbs played in six games in 1948 before being a full-time starter for the Red Sox in 1949. That season, Stobbs participated in 26 games, starting 19. He had an 11–6 win–loss record with a 4.03 earned run average while striking out 70 batters in 152 innings pitched.[4]

He was turned down for service by the United States Army for the Korean War because of an asthmatic condition.[3] Stobbs' production diminished in 1957, as he won eight games and led the league in losses with 20.[4] He had a 16-game consecutive losing streak dating back to the previous September. In his last game of the 1957 season, Stobbs pitched 10 innings against the Baltimore Orioles before losing the game 7-3.[3] That season he lost 20 games and joined the St. Louis Cardinals the next year after being purchased by the team.[5] He rejoined the Senators prior to the 1959 season, and stayed in the organization through 1961, when the Senators moved to Minnesota.[3] bHe led the American League in walks per nine innings pitched (2.03) in 1956 and led the American League in losses (20) and earned runs allowed (126) in 1957.

Post-career

After leaving professional baseball, Stobbs spent a brief time as an insurance salesman and a coach at George Washington University.

In 1971, Stobbs moved to Florida and worked at a baseball academy operated by the Kansas City Royals. He worked for the Cleveland Indians as a pitching coach in the minor leagues in the early 1980s.[1]

Stobbs died after a seven-year battle with throat cancer on July 11, 2008.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Schudel, Matt (July 25, 2008). "Chuck Stobbs; Senators pitcher threw famous Mantle home run". The Boston Globe. The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nowlin, Bill. "The Baseball Biography Project: Chuck Stobbs". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Brockoff, Chad (July 13, 2008). "Ex-major leaguer Stobbs enjoyed making others feel welcome". The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b c "Chuck Stobbs Statistics and History". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  5. ^ Cards shuffle players; buy Chuck Stobbs

External links

  • Biography portal
  • Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
  • Chuck Stobbs at Find a Grave
  • Chuck Stobbs - Baseballbiography.com
  • v
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Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins Opening Day starting pitchers