St. Louis Browns LHP Jake Wade was born on April 1, 1912 in Morehead City, North Carolina. Born into a family with 11 children, Jake had three brothers that played professional baseball. His older brother Wink and Charles, played minor league baseball, while his younger brother Ben pitched in the Major Leagues for five season (1948, 52-55
St. Louis Browns LHP Jake Wade was born on April 1, 1912 in Morehead City, North Carolina. Born into a family with 11 children, Jake had three brothers that played professional baseball. His older brother Wink and Charles, played minor league baseball, while his younger brother Ben pitched in the Major Leagues for five season (1948, 52-55). Jake Wade had the longest career of any of the Wade brother, playing with 20 teams over a 19-season career. He had the colorful nickname of "Whistling Jake" not because of the speed of his pitches, but the fact that he loved to imitate wild bird calls.
Jake Wade attended North Carolina State University from 1930-31, before signing on with the Raleigh Capitals of the Piedmont League in 1931. Over the niext six years he would play for seven minor league clubs including the Evansville Hibs (1931), Beaumont Explorers (1933-34), and Portland Beavers (1935). Wade would make his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers on April 22, 1936, against the St. Louis Browns. He would pitch the eighth inning of a 12-4 blowout loss to the Browns. He would appear in 73 games with the Tigers from 1936-38, before starting the 1939 season with the Boston Red Sox.
The Browns would acquire Jake Wade from the Red Sox on September 6, 1939. In the final weeks of the season, he would appear in 16.1 innings over four games. Working two games from the bull pen , and starting two games, he recorded a complete game against the Yankees on September 18. His final numbers with the Browns included nine strikeouts, 19 walks, 26 hits allowed, and an ERA of 11.02. This did not guarentee a return to St. Louis for the 1940 season. Wade was assigned to the Browns minor league affiliate, Toledo Mud Hens, where he appeared in 22 games in 1940. On December 5, 1940, the Cincinnati Reds purchased the contract of Jake Wade, and he would spend the next season between the Indianapolis Indians, New Bern Bears, and Goldsboro Goldbugs of the minor leagues.
Wade returned to the majors with the Chicago White Sox from 1942-44, before enlisting in the US Navy in February of 1945. He was stationed at the Dahlgren Naval Proving Grounds, where he served until being discharged in January of 1946. While serving in the military he was traded to the New York Yankees.
He would appear in 14 games with the Yankees, and then later 12 games with the Washington Senators during the 1946 season. He returned to the minor leagues for good in 1947, and finish off his long career with the Buffalo Bison in 1950.
Throughout his extended career, Jake Wade appeared in a total of 539 games across 19 seasons. In 146 games started, he would accumulate 126 wins and 591 strikeouts. Wade would retire from baseball and become an electronics repair tech at the Cherry Point Marine Corp Air Station in Havelock, North Carolina. Jake Wade would not spend much time with the Browns, but his long career paints a picture of a man who loved the game. Like every player who wore the browns uniform, no matter how long, he needs to be remembered.
TRANSACTIONS MADE ON THIS DAY
1951 - The Browns traded infielders Merrill Combs and Snuffy Stirnweiss to the Cleveland Indians for Fred Marsh and $35,000. Merrill Combs was traded away before ever playing a game for the Browns. St. Louis picked him up in the Rule 5 draft on November 16, 1950. He would go on to play 71 games for Cleveland o
TRANSACTIONS MADE ON THIS DAY
1951 - The Browns traded infielders Merrill Combs and Snuffy Stirnweiss to the Cleveland Indians for Fred Marsh and $35,000. Merrill Combs was traded away before ever playing a game for the Browns. St. Louis picked him up in the Rule 5 draft on November 16, 1950. He would go on to play 71 games for Cleveland over the 1951 - 52 season, recording a .168 batting average. Snuffy Stirnweiss had already been an MLB veteran when he came to St. Louis for thelast half of the 1950 season. He had won a batting title, been to two All-Star Games, and three World Series titles with the New York Yankees. In the time he was with the Browns, he took on the role of utility infielder, appearing in 93 games and batting .218. The Browns received third baseman Fred Marsh and $35,000 from Cleveland. Marsh played with the Oklahoma City Indians of the Texas League where he hit .300 with 10 home runs. Marsh would play in 130 games at third base in 1951, hitting four home runs, driving in 43, with a .243 average. Marsh would spend most of the next two seasons with the Browns, while being involved in four trades in less than two years.
The 1929 St. Louis Browns would finish in fourth place in the American League, with a record of 79-73. This team would a winning percentage over .575 in four of the seven months of the season. They started the season with a 25-15 record through June 1, and by July 4th they were in 2nd place. Month-long slumps through July and September wo
The 1929 St. Louis Browns would finish in fourth place in the American League, with a record of 79-73. This team would a winning percentage over .575 in four of the seven months of the season. They started the season with a 25-15 record through June 1, and by July 4th they were in 2nd place. Month-long slumps through July and September would slide the team to their fourth place finish.
The 1929 Season Breakdown: