George Winter

George Lovington Winter
(Sassafrass)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 155 lb.
• School Gettysburg College
• Debut June 15, 1901
• Final Game September 18, 1908
• Born April 27, 1878 in New Providence, PA USA
• Died May 26, 1951 in Franklin Lakes, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

George "Sassafras" Winter started his major league career in the first year that the American League was a major league, and ended his major league career in the 1908 World Series.

He and Eddie Plank were college teammates, and both made their major league debuts in the spring of 1901. The first player from Gettysburg College to make the majors, Archie Stimmel (also a pitcher), broke into the majors one year earlier.

When the Detroit Tigers signed Winter to join Ed Summers on the pitching staff, Sporting Life enjoyed saying "Spring and Fall have yet to come to terms". He worked a total of three American League games as a fill-in umpire in 1903 and 1905.

After his major league days George played for the Montreal Royals. In 1909 he was tied for the team lead in victories. In years after baseball, he ran a sporting goods store.

A site called the "Top 100 Red Sox" chose Winter as #94. [1]

Through 2019, he is the only major leaguer with the last name Winter, although there have been several players named Winters.

Notable Achievements

• 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1901 & 1905)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (1901 & 1905-1908)
• Won a World Series with the Boston Americans in 1903 (he did not play in the World Series)

Further Reading

• Tom Simon: "George Winter", in Bill Nowlin, Maurice Bouchard and Len Levin, eds.: New Century, New Team: The 1901 Boston Americans, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2013, pp. 168-172. ISBN 978-1-933599-58-8

Related Sites

• George Winter at the SABR Bio Project