St. Louis Browns RHP Bill Lasley was born on July 13, 1902 in Gallipolis, Ohio. His family moved to Washington state when he was young, and excelled at Lincoln High School in Seattle. He only appeared in two games for the Browns, and those two games would be his only games in the Major Leagues. In fact, his path to and from the Browns was
St. Louis Browns RHP Bill Lasley was born on July 13, 1902 in Gallipolis, Ohio. His family moved to Washington state when he was young, and excelled at Lincoln High School in Seattle. He only appeared in two games for the Browns, and those two games would be his only games in the Major Leagues. In fact, his path to and from the Browns was quick and somewhat mysterious.
At the age of 20, Lasley would spend the 1923 season pitching for the Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League. He would only appear in six games and for Seattle and there doesn't seem to be any statistics from that season. But the Browns saw enough to invite him to close out the 1924 season in St. Louis. Although he did not play in the minors to start the seasons, it can be assumed that he played semipro baseball some where prior to the invitation from the Browns.
Lasley would make his MLB debut for the Browns on September 19, 1924, where he would pitch a perfect ninth inning in a 15-9 loss to the Washington Nationals. He would be the sixth pitcher used by St. Louis, replacing George Grant. His second outing with the Browns would be a little more challenging on September 23. He would pitch the fourth through sixth innings in relief of Elam Vangilder, in a 11-9 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics. He would allow three runs, on seven hits and two walks, resulting in a 6.75 ERA. These were his only MLB appearances. When asked about his major league career, a lighthearted Lasley once commented "(Its last) about an hour and a half".
There are no records of Bill Lasley playing organized baseball in 1925 0r 1926. He did appear in 11 games for the Mission Bells of the Pacific Coast League in 1927. He would give up 26 runs in 15 innings on his way to a 1-5 record and a 15.60 ERA. Lasley would retire from organized baseball after the 1927 season.
He may have continued to play semipro baseball, but there are no statistics to report.
Bill Lasley would return to the Pacific northwest after his retirement from baseball, where he would go on to own a furniture business and knitting company. However while playing for the Browns he would meet his future wife, St. Louis native Jeanette Gloria Stapp. They were married for 40 years.
HEADLINES
"HANK THOMPSON MAKES HIS MLB DEBUT WITH THE ST. LOUIS BROWNS - BECOMING THE THIRD NEGRO BASBEALL STAR IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES"
July 17, 1947 - Thompson would start at second base for the Browns against the Philadelphia Athletics. He would go hitless in the game, but his defense was perfect (two assists, one putout)
FEATURED GAME
1942 -
HEADLINES
"HANK THOMPSON MAKES HIS MLB DEBUT WITH THE ST. LOUIS BROWNS - BECOMING THE THIRD NEGRO BASBEALL STAR IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES"
July 17, 1947 - Thompson would start at second base for the Browns against the Philadelphia Athletics. He would go hitless in the game, but his defense was perfect (two assists, one putout)
FEATURED GAME
1942 - The Browns take both ends of a double header from the Philadelphia Athletics, as Chet Laabs continues his record breaking home run streak. GAME 1 - LF Chet Laabs caps off a four-run, Browns sixth inning with a two-run homer to lead St. Louis to a 4-2 victory. The Browns sixth inning started with C Harlond Clift drawing a walk, and later scoring on a CF Wally Judnich single. SS Vern Stephens would then drive triple to center field, scoring Judnich. Finally Laabs would hit his home run to left field scoring Stephens. Laabs would finish the game going 4-for-2, with a double, home run, and two runs batted in. Browns RHP Steve Sundra would earn the complete game win, scattering 11 hits and striking out two Athletics. GAME 2 - The Browns bats came alive in an 11-1 thumping of Philadelphia. The Browns took advantage of 11 hits and six walks from Athletics' pitching, while going 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position. In the last game of his amazing hitting streak, LF Chet Laabs would go 3-for-5, including a triple, home run, scoring two runs, and driving in a total of four runs. Vern Stephens would continue his hot hitting, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Wally Judnich and RF Mike Chartak would both hit doubles that would drive in two runs, and score two themselves. 2B Don Gutteridge would join the hit parade by hittinghis 17th double of the year. LHP Stan Ferens allowed just one run on eight hits, while recording two strikeouts. In these last eight games, Chet Laabs would hit a total of seven home runs, leading to 22 runs scored.
BROWNS RECORD ON THIS DAY
Overall Record on July 17
26 Wins, 28 Losses (.481)
1902-09: 4-2
1910-19: 4-6
1920-29: 8-4
1930-39: 3-7
1940-49: 6-4
1950-53: 1-5
DOUBLE HEADERS
Sweeps: 4
Splits: 4
Swept: 4
TRANSACTIONS
1931 - Browns traded C/PH Jack Crouch to Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association, for catcher Bennie Bengough. Crouch batted .143 in 14 games for the Browns between 1930-31. He would return to the St. Louis in 1933, batting .133 while appearing in 19 games. Bengough would hit .251 in 94 games with the Browns from 1931-32.
DEBUTS
1947 - 2B Hank Thompson makes his MLB debut, the first Negro Baseball Player for the Browns, starts at 2B and goes hitless in the Browns 16-2 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics
(Thompson would also become the first Negro Baseball player for the New York Giants, after the Browns released him in 1948)
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS
There are no Birthdays on this day
The impact of the 1923 St. Louis Browns team, shows how important one player can make in the outcome of a season. Not saying that the entire fate of the team was based on the production of one player, but when any team loses the reigning MVP the ripple effect of that loss can be felt by everyone.
George Sisler was not able to play in the
The impact of the 1923 St. Louis Browns team, shows how important one player can make in the outcome of a season. Not saying that the entire fate of the team was based on the production of one player, but when any team loses the reigning MVP the ripple effect of that loss can be felt by everyone.
George Sisler was not able to play in the 1923 season due to a sinus infection that impacted his vision. Without his bat in the lineup the team, many players stepped up to fill the space vacated by Sisler. Ken Williams, Jack Tobin, and Marty McManus would all have stellar seasons. Dutch Schliebner would be brought in to secure the first base position and add some power to the lineup.
The Browns pitching staff would start the season slow, but gradually improved as the season progressed. Their overall numbers were not as good as they were in 1922, but the staff did finish in the top half of the American League.
But without George Sisler in the lineup, the team was missing its leader and best player. This was felt the most when manager Lee Fohl was let go on August 7, 1923. The Browns were 52-49 at the time of the dismissal, but management had lost faith in his leadership.
The Browns finished the season with a record of 74-78-2. That was 19 wins fewer than their record the previous year.
Would George Sisler had made a huge difference in the outcome of the season? That can only be debated. This same team would win 78 and 82 games the following two seasons with Sisler as a player-manager. It is fun to imagine what would have happened if a healthy Sisler had returned for the 1923 season. Lee Fohl would probably not have had to look for another job.
(A modern example of the value one player has on a team can be seen with the New York Yankees. Aaron Judge is the soul of that team, and with every extended trip he makes to the injury list, the team fails to perform as when he is in the line up)