Fred Gunkle

Frederick William Gunkle

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• High School Reading (PA) High School
• Debut May 17, 1879
• Final Game May 17, 1879
• Born October 26, 1857 in Reading, PA USA
• Died December 21, 1936 in Long Beach, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Fred Gunkle played one major league game, with the Cleveland Blues of the National League on May 17, 1879. Due to a string of injuries, the Blues hired Gunkle to serve as their catcher that day, but he proved to be inept at catching the tosses of Jim McCormick, being charged with 7 passed balls and 3 errors in a mere 3 innings before moving to the outfield. Not surprisingly, he was let go after the game and never played in the big leagues again.

He later managed Stillwater in the 1884 Northwestern League replacing Joseph Miller on July 5th, and being in turn replaced by John Peters on July 10th. Earlier that season, he had worked in the circuit as an umpire, although his work was judged to be substandard and he was soon let go.

After baseball, he became a traveling cigar salesman and settled in Sioux Falls, SD, then moved to Indianapolis, IN where he was a salesman for a paint company for 18 years, eventually serving on the advisory board of the Painters' and Decorators' Association of Indiana. He traveled to California to undergo a prostate operation in 1936 but caught pneumonia while in recovery and died in Long Beach, CA a few weeks later.

Related Sites

• Fred Gunkle at the SABR Bio Project