St. Louis Browns left-handed pitcher, Ewald "Lefty" Pyle was born on August 27, 1910 in St. Louis, Missouri. His family would move to DuQuoin, Illinois, approximately 90 miles southeast of St. Louis, where he attended Sacret Heart Catholic High School.
There is little documentation on Pyle prior to 1935, when he signed with the Browns as
St. Louis Browns left-handed pitcher, Ewald "Lefty" Pyle was born on August 27, 1910 in St. Louis, Missouri. His family would move to DuQuoin, Illinois, approximately 90 miles southeast of St. Louis, where he attended Sacret Heart Catholic High School.
There is little documentation on Pyle prior to 1935, when he signed with the Browns as a 24-year old amateur free agent. "Lefty" Pyle would spend eight seasons bouncing between four of the the Browns' minor league affiliates. He would spend parts of five seasons with the San Antonio Missions (1935, 37, 39, 40, 41), two seasons with the Toledo Mud Hens (1939, 42), two seasons with the Palestine Pals (35-36), and one with the Des Moines Demons (1937).
Pyle would start the 1939 season with the big league Browns team. He would make his MLB debut on April 23, 1939 as he gave up eight hits and five earned runs against the Chicago White Sox. He would appear in six games with the Browns to limited success in 1939. He would give up 12 earned runs on 17 hits in 8.1 innings. His 12.96 ERA earned him a trip back to Toledo for the rest of the season. He would have a second stint with the Browns in 1942, after making the team after spring training. He would appear in just 5.1 innings over two games. He would allow four earned runs on six hits which led to a 6.75 ERA, and another trip to Toledo. The Browns would trade Ewald Pyle to the Washington Nationals on October 1, 1942 for infielder Frank Croucher and cash.
Over the next seven seasons, Pyle would continue to bounce between the minor and major leagues. He appeared in 'The Show' with the Washington Nationals (1943), New York Giants (1944-45), and Boston Braves (1945). He also saw time with the Minneapolis Millers (1943), Milwaukee Brewers (1945-48), and Louisville Colonels (1948-49).
Ewald "Lefty" Pyle would close out his career with 957 strikeouts in 2239.2 innings over 466 total games. Pyle would retire to his hometown of DuQuoin after his baseball career concluded. He would raise his family, become a member of his community, and tell stories of his time with the St. Louis Browns.
HEADLINES
"BULLET JOE OUT PITCHES JOHNSON, IN A ONE-HIT COMPLETE GAMEVICTORY OVER WASHINGTON"
FEATURED GAME
1925 - The Browns would get support from up and down the lineup in support of Bush and his shutout over the Washington, 5-0. RHP Bullet Joe Bush would silence the Washington lineup, only to give up a single to fellow pitcher Walter Joh
HEADLINES
"BULLET JOE OUT PITCHES JOHNSON, IN A ONE-HIT COMPLETE GAMEVICTORY OVER WASHINGTON"
FEATURED GAME
1925 - The Browns would get support from up and down the lineup in support of Bush and his shutout over the Washington, 5-0. RHP Bullet Joe Bush would silence the Washington lineup, only to give up a single to fellow pitcher Walter Johnson. Bush would only allow three walks while striking out two. The Browns had five batters drive in a run, with four of them adding an extra base hit. Catcher Pinky Hargrave and St. Louis native Gene Robertson would both hit triples plus their RBIs. RF Harry Rice and 2B Marty McManus both used doubles to drive in their runs. LF Hershal Bennett would drive in the fifth St. Louis run. 1B George Sisler and CF Baby Doll Jacobson both added a hit in the game.
BROWNS RECORD ON THIS DAY
Overall Record on August 27
29 Wins, 26 Losses (.527)
1902-09: 6-2
1910-19: 2-7
1920-29: 7-2
1930-39: 6-8
1940-49: 5-5
1950-53: 3-2
DOUBLE HEADERS
Sweeps: 6
Splits: 3
Swept: 4
TRANSACTIONS
1943 - Browns purchase the contract of LHP Al Milnar from the Indians. Milnar would play in 1943 and 1946 with the Browns, bookending two seasons (1944-45) in which he spent in military service during World War II.
DEBUTS
There were no debuts on this day
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS ON AUGUST 27
1893 - RF/RHP Carl East (1915)
1910 - LHP Ewald "Lefty" Pyle (1939, 42)
The 1934 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was a staff that gave up its share of runs and opportunities to the opposing teams. The staff was made up of six pitchers who would appear in over 138 innings, and eight pitchers would see action in over 28 games. Ten pitchers had an ERA of over four runs per games. The only pitcher below 4.00 was
The 1934 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was a staff that gave up its share of runs and opportunities to the opposing teams. The staff was made up of six pitchers who would appear in over 138 innings, and eight pitchers would see action in over 28 games. Ten pitchers had an ERA of over four runs per games. The only pitcher below 4.00 was Jim Walkup who appeared in just three games. The Browns had a huge surprise when Bobo Newsom when he became the ace of the staff. In his first season with St. Louis, he would lead the staff in 17 pitching categories, including wild pitches, batters faced, and strikeouts per nine innings.
Team Pitching Statistics
(American League Rankings)
Player Statistics