Frank Gabler

Frank Harold Gabler
(The Great Gabbo)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Polytechnic High School (Long Beach)
• Debut April 19, 1935
• Final Game September 29, 1938
• Born November 6, 1911 in East Highlands, CA USA
• Died November 1, 1967 in Long Beach, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Frank Gabler pitched four years in the majors. He came up in 1935 with the New York Giants under manager Bill Terry. The next year under Terry, in 1936 he did well, with a 9-8 record and an ERA of 3.12 that was third best in the National League. He also had 6 saves, finishing 21 games while starting 14.

In the 1936 World Series he pitched 5 innings in relief, mostly in Game 2 which the New York Yankees won, 18-4. Joe DiMaggio hit a double off Gabler. He also pitched the 8th inning of Game 4, relieving Carl Hubbell. He gave up a double to Lou Gehrig.

In the middle of 1937 he was traded to the Boston Bees for Wally Berger. The next season, 1938, he appeared in only one game for manager Casey Stengel before he was sold to the Chicago White Sox, where he finished out his last major league season in 1938.

Gabler played in the minors through 1952, missing the 1943-1945 seasons when he served in the Coast Guard during World War II. He went 59-68 in 313 games over a 12-year minor league career. He was a player/manager for the 1949 Idaho Falls Russets, the 1950 Yuma Panthers, and 1952 El Centro Imps. He was then an umpire in the California League in 1953-1954. Finally he scouted for the Houston Astros (1961-1965), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1966-1967).

Gabler's brother Glen Gabler was also a pitcher.

He was called "The Great Gabbo" because his name was Gabler, and due to the fact that The Great Gabbo had been the name of a 1929 movie.

Related Sites

• Frank Gabler at the SABR Bio Project