St. Louis Browns right-handed pitcher, John Whitehead, was born on April 27, 1909, in Coleman, Texas. "Silent John" Whitehead was one of two major league players from Coleman, which is located approximately 150 miles southwest of Dallas. Ironically, the first player was a former St. Louis Browns left fielder named Bill Brown, who played n
St. Louis Browns right-handed pitcher, John Whitehead, was born on April 27, 1909, in Coleman, Texas. "Silent John" Whitehead was one of two major league players from Coleman, which is located approximately 150 miles southwest of Dallas. Ironically, the first player was a former St. Louis Browns left fielder named Bill Brown, who played nine games with St. Louis in 1912. He earned his "quiet" nickname due to his low-key nature.
John Whitehead was 22 years old when he began his baseball career with the Dallas Steers of the Texas League in 1931. There is little written about his baseball life before his debut with the Steers. He had a record of 46-29 in 127 games with Dallas (1931-34), before being signed by the Chicago White Sox in 1935. He continued to be a strong member of the White Sox starting rotation, winning 47 games between 1935-39. After seven games with Chicago to start to the 1939 season, he was traded to the Browns on June 2, for RHP Johnny Marcum.
Whitehead joined the Browns as a veteran member of the staff who would appear in 26 games, primarily out of the bull pen. After a 5.86 ERA in 1939, he would bounce between the Browns and Toledo Mud Hens in 1940. He appeared in 16 games with Toledo and 15 games with St. Louis. His best game coming on August 5, 1940, when may have been his best game of his career.
Whitehead pitched a no-hitter, in a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. In a cruel twist of fate, he is not recognized as throwing a no-hitter because the game was called after six innings (there is no official recording of why the game was called early). It was ruled an official game, but a game must play a full nine innings to qualify as a no-hitter. It was Whitehead's only career shutout, career complete game, and the last MLB victory of his career.
He would to Toledo in 1941, and spend the next six years within the Browns' minor league system. Whitehead would pitch for the Syracuse Chiefs (1941), San Antonio Missions (1942, 46), and Toledo Mud Hens (1943-45). He would return to the Browns for four games in 1942, but a few rough outings shifted him back to the minors. He would play the final years of his career with the Sherman Twins (1946-49), serving as the player-manager in 1947.
John Whtehead's final statistics with the Browns included 110 innings over 45 games. He only had eight starts, but finished with 20 games closed and one save. He was able to strikeout 20 batters while issuing 32 walks, and a 5.73 ERA.
There is little documentation on the life of John Whitehead after he retired from baseball in 1950. He would settle down in Bonham, Texas, and it would be safe to assune that he entertained his friends and family with tales of pitching for the the St. Louis Browns in the major leagues.
HEADLINE
"BROWN'S COMPLTE OFFENSIE ATTACK OUT HITS TIGERS"
FEATURED GAME
1948 - Browns win a thrilling 11-inning bout with the Detroit Tigers, 9-8. The teams would combine for 25 total hits, leaving 18 players on base, and would be 8-33 with runners in scoring position. The Browns would get production throughout their lineup. 1B Chuck Steven
HEADLINE
"BROWN'S COMPLTE OFFENSIE ATTACK OUT HITS TIGERS"
FEATURED GAME
1948 - Browns win a thrilling 11-inning bout with the Detroit Tigers, 9-8. The teams would combine for 25 total hits, leaving 18 players on base, and would be 8-33 with runners in scoring position. The Browns would get production throughout their lineup. 1B Chuck Stevens, 2B Whitey Platt, RF Al Zarilla, C Roy Partee, and P Frank Biscan would all hit doubles vs Tiger pitching. Platt would also add a triple to his stats. The winning run would come in the bottom of the 11th inning. Platt would end up on second base after the Tigers failed to complete a double play, and advance on a throwing error. Al Zarilla would drive him in off Hal Newhouser. The winning pitcher would be Al Widmar, who was the 7th pitcher used by the Browns in the game.
BROWNS' ALL-TIME RECORD ON THIS DAY
15 WINS, 22 LOSSES
1902-09: 1-5
1910-19: 1-6
1920-29: 3-4
1930-39: 3-4
1940-49: 7-1
1950-53: 0-2
DOUBLE-HEADERS:
One Sweep in 1947
One loss in 1952
TRANSACTIONS
1932 - Browns traded SS Red Kress to the Chicago White Sox for RF Bruce Campbell and RHP Bump Hadley. Red Kress was the Browns primary SS since replacing Wally Gerber in 1927. He would play in St. Louis from 1927-32, and then return later in his career from 1938-39. He would appear in 785 games, with 902 hits, including 54 Home runs, and a .299 batting average. In return the Browns received a solid hitter in Bruce Campbell. He would play in 425 games over the three years he was in St. Louis, He would hit.280 and drive in 265 runs . The Browns also bolstered their pitching staff with Irving "Bump" Hadley. Hadley was an amazingly durable pitcher, In three years, he pitched in 759 innings and faced 3414 batters (Compare that to Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles, who has faced 2979 batters in his seven year career). It is no surprise that in 1933, when Hadlet led the A.L. in innngs pitched (316.2) he also led the league in walks (141) and earned runs (138)
DEBUTS
1906 - Ed Smith would enter in relief of Fred Glade with a 5-0 deficit to the Chicago White Sox. He would go on and pitch the next 7.2 inning allowing only one hit, while striking out. The Browns would come back and win the game, 10-5.
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1909 - John Whitehead (1939-40, 42)
1896 - 2B/Mgr. Rogers Hornsby (1933-37, 52)
1893 - RHP Allen Sothoron (1917-21)
The Browns had a difficult winning baseball games in American League in 1911. They had lost their big bat in George Stone, and their most experienced pitcher with Rube Waddell. The team ended up with a a 45-107 record, which was the worst record the franchise had experienced while in St. Louis. In fact it would be the worst season the Bro
The Browns had a difficult winning baseball games in American League in 1911. They had lost their big bat in George Stone, and their most experienced pitcher with Rube Waddell. The team ended up with a a 45-107 record, which was the worst record the franchise had experienced while in St. Louis. In fact it would be the worst season the Browns. They would have a losing record against every team in the American League. They would finish the season strong by winning 4 of the final 6 games of the season. This would take momentum in the off season, where the 1912 season would show improvements.
The 1911 Season Breakdown: