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]
| Chuck Stobbs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: July 2, 1929 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. | |
| Died: July 11, 2008 (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 record | 107–130 |
| Earned run average | 4.29 |
| Strikeouts | 897 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Early life
editStobbs, 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
editStobbs 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
editAfter 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
edit- ^ 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 June 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Nowlin, Bill. "The Baseball Biography Project: Chuck Stobbs". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
- ^ 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 September 26, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Chuck Stobbs Statistics and History". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ Cards shuffle players; buy Chuck Stobbs
External links
edit
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Chuck Stobbs at Find a Grave
- Chuck Stobbs - Baseballbiography.com