Hal Newhouser was the greatest pitcher I ever played behind.
George Kell, Hall of Famer
Early Years
Harold Newhouser was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 20, 1921. He was an absolute monster pitcher in high school, and on his 17th birthday, he was presented a $400 check from his hometown heroes the Detroit Tigers to play baseball for them, turning down scholarships from Yale, Rice, and Duke. Hours later when the Cleveland Indians arrived with a new car and a check for $15,000 to play for them, Hal politely refused, saying his mind was made up.
The Fountain of Youth
When Hal finally made the big leagues on September 29, 1939, he was just 18 years old, the youngest player in all of Major League Baseball. He threw five innings, three wild pitches, four strikeouts, and four walks and lost the game 3-2. It was his first start, but far from his last.
In 1940 and 1941, "Prince Hal" (nicknamed for his youth and talent) struggled to overcome the ferocious hitting that dominated the American League. His hapless Tigers provided little run support, and Hal was no stranger to high scoring games himself, with dismal a ERA hovering around the 5.00 mark. Hal was a fierce competitor, but sometimes his demeanor would alienate reporters, teammates, and fans alike - he once got into a fight with his manager for taking him out of the game!
When the tragedy of Pearl Harbor struck Hal, like many of his fellow baseball players, volunteered to join the armed forces. Hal was passed by, due to a rare heart condition - though he applied three more times just in case. This deferral became both his blessing, and later his curse.
War Years
In 1942, the 21 year old Newhouser was finally coming into his own. He gained control of his curveball, and his ERA dropped to 2.45, and although he went 8-14, his staying power and strong work ethic earned him his first trip to the All-Star game, the first of seven consecutive trips to the big halftime show.
After an average 1943 season (3.04 ERA, 8-17, 144 K), Hal finally bloomed into the ace that he had always been. His 1944 and 1945 seasons are two of the best back-to-back seasons by a pitcher in Major League history. In the two years, his ERA was an astounding 1.98! He also compiled a 54-18 record (leading the league in wins both years) and and amazing 54 complete games! Perhaps even more importantly, when the Tigers finally reached the World Series in 1945, Hal was on hand to lead his hometown team to victory over the hapless Chicago Cubs, willing himself to victory in the decisive Game 7. For all of his amazing efforts, the Prince was rewarded with both the 1944 and 1945 AL MVP awards, the only pitcher to win the award two years in a row.
After The War
Many people felt that Hal's stats were inflated because all of the stars of the game had gone off to serve in the war. They were sure that with the return of the game's best players, Hal would drop back into his old losing self. They could'nt've been more wrong. His 1.94 ERA and 26 wins once again led the league, and were it not for Bob Feller's impossible bar of 348 strikeouts (Feller never again topped 200) Hal's 275 Ks would have earned him his second consecutive "pitching Triple Crown." Only Ted Williams' monstrous season at the plate kept Hal from winning his third MVP in a row.
Over the next 4 years, Hal continued to be a workhorse for the Tigers, posting 71 wins. However, his wild pitching and hard throwing was beginning to catch up with his shoulder, and he was sidelined with injuries off and on the rest of his career. Another career highlight came in 1948, when he outdueled his nemesis Feller (the two pitched against each other in more games than any other duo in major league history) in the final game of the season, which forced the Cleveland Indians into a one-game playoff with the Boston Red Sox. The game had sold out, and Newhouser pitched a gem of a game to bring home the victory.
In 1953, after his shoulder had kept him out for most of the season, he was traded away to his old rivals the Cleveland Indians. There he served mostly as an instructor to the younger pitchers, although he did pitch in a 1954 World Series game. He didn't get a single batter out. That was his cue to exit the game, and he retired in 1955 with a 207-150 record and an amazing 212 complete games (a top five record for post-war pitchers.)
After Baseball
Upon retiring, the analysts continued to discredit Hal, citing his meager win-loss statistics, his failure to record 2000 strikeouts in a 13 year major league career, and his inflated stats due to the war effort. However, his career is not unlike that of Sandy Koufax and other pitchers who had good seasons overall and shone for a brief few of them - and his numbers are even more important considering he played for one of least offensively inspired teams of his time. He was finally rewarded in 1992 by the Veterans Committee and named to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1997, his #16 uniform was retired by the Detroit Tigers.
Meanwhile, Hal himself became a financial advisor and spent twenty years helping young couples form good credit in the Detroit area. He was finally called by a good friend to come out of retirement, and became head of scouting development for the Houston Astros, a post he held until 1995. That was the year he spotted a promising shortstop in Michigan. He suggested the Astros draft him; instead they took Phil Nevin. Nevin proved to be a bust, but to make matters worse, that shortstop won the American League Rookie of the Year in 1996. Newhouser was furious the Astros had refused to sign Derek Jeter, and quit his job, citing "health reasons."
"Prince Hal" Newhouser, Detroit phenom and Hall of Famer, passed away November 10, 1998, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was 77. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
Career Statistics
YEAR TEAM W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP ERA
1939 DET AL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 5.0 3 3 3 0 4 4 0 3 5.40
1940 DET AL 9 9 28 20 7 0 0 133.3 149 81 72 12 76 89 2 1 4.86
1941 DET AL 9 11 33 27 5 1 0 173.0 166 109 92 6 137 106 1 5 4.79
1942 DET AL 8 14 38 23 11 1 5 183.7 137 73 50 4 114 103 2 2 2.45
1943 DET AL 8 17 37 25 10 1 1 195.7 163 88 66 3 111 144 0 3 3.04
1944 DET AL 29 9 47 34 25 6 2 312.3 264 94 77 6 102 187 1 4 2.22
1945 DET AL 25 9 40 36 29 8 2 313.3 239 73 63 5 110 212 0 10 1.81
1946 DET AL 26 9 37 34 29 6 1 292.7 215 77 63 10 98 275 1 8 1.94
1947 DET AL 17 17 40 36 24 3 2 285.0 268 105 91 9 110 176 2 11 2.87
1948 DET AL 21 12 39 35 19 2 1 272.3 249 109 91 10 99 143 1 5 3.01
1949 DET AL 18 11 38 35 22 3 1 292.0 277 118 109 19 111 144 0 3 3.36
1950 DET AL 15 13 35 30 15 1 3 213.7 232 110 103 23 81 87 4 4 4.34
1951 DET AL 6 6 15 14 7 1 0 96.3 98 47 42 10 19 37 3 1 3.92
1952 DET AL 9 9 25 19 8 0 0 154.0 148 72 64 13 47 57 0 3 3.74
1953 DET AL 0 1 7 4 0 0 1 21.7 31 22 17 4 8 6 2 1 7.06
1954 CLE AL 7 2 26 1 0 0 7 46.7 34 16 13 3 18 25 0 0 2.51
1955 CLE AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.3 1 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 0.00
CAREER 207 150 488 374 212 33 26 2993.0 2674 1197 1016 137 1249 1796 19 65 3.06
* Bold denotes led league.
Sources
- www.baseball-reference.com/n/newhoha01.shtml
- www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/newhouserhal/
- www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/N/Newhouser_Hal.stm
- www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Newhouser.Hal.Obit.html
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