George Earnshaw
George Livingston Earnshaw
(Moose)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 210 lb.
- School Swarthmore College
- High School Swarthmore Preparatory School
- Debut June 3, 1928
- Final Game September 26, 1936
- Born February 15, 1900 in New York, NY USA
- Died December 1, 1976 in Little Rock, AR USA
Biographical Information[edit]
George Earnshaw is the winningest major league pitcher to come out of Swarthmore College.
Earnshaw came to the majors after pitching with the minor league Baltimore Orioles.
He was a key starter on the Philadelphia Athletics teams of Connie Mack that won the World Series in 1929 and 1930. He led the team in victories in 1929, and was second on the team in victories in 1930 behind Lefty Grove. In 1931, when the A's again won the pennant, Earnshaw was again second in victories on the team behind Grove.
He finished out his career on the 1936 St. Louis Cardinals, managed by Frankie Frisch, a team on which Dizzy Dean had 24 victories.
Earnshaw had 4 victories and a 1.58 ERA in World Series play.
After his big league career ended, Earnshaw served in the Pacific in the Navy during World War II. He was awarded a commendation by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Pacific Fleet Commander, for his "exceptional ability and judgment" as a gunnery officer on an Essex class aircraft carrier during an aircraft strike on Truk on April 29, 1944. He remained in the Navy after the war and attained the rank of Commander before his discharge in the summer of 1947.
He later was a Philadelphia Phillies scout in 1948 and coach in 1949 and 1950. Earnshaw was disgusted with the between-starts work habits of young pitchers and instituted the now-common practice of having the starter for the next day chart pitches.
After leaving baseball, Earnshaw settled on a farm near Hot Springs, AR. In 1956 he was elected to the International League Hall of Fame.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- AL Wins Leader (1929)
- AL Strikeouts Leader (1928)
- AL Shutouts Leader (1930)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 4 (1929-1932)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 3 (1929-1931)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (1929-1932 & 1934)
- Won two World Series with the Philadelphia Athletics (1929 & 1930)
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