Harry Eisenstat

Harry Eisenstat

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.
• Debut May 19, 1935
• Final Game September 25, 1942
• Born October 10, 1915 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died March 21, 2003 in Beachwood, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Eisenstat, ca. 1942

In the final game of the 1938 season, pitcher Harry Eisenstat of the Detroit Tigers took a no-hitter into the 8th inning en route to defeating the Cleveland Indians 4-1. The game's losing pitcher was Bob Feller, who struck out 18.

Harry pitched eight years in the majors, from 1935-1942, and might have pitched longer but for World War II. With the Cleveland Indians in 1942, Harry had a 2.45 ERA in 29 games, at age 26, while the team as a whole posted a 3.59 ERA. It was his last major league season, but the Indians didn't release him until 1946, after the end of the War.

Harry was a Brooklyn, NY boy who broke in at age 19 with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935, and spent parts of three seasons with the Dodgers, parts of two seasons with the Detroit Tigers and parts of four years with the Cleveland Indians. In perhaps his best year, he was 9-6 with 4 saves in 32 games with the Tigers in 1938. In 1939 the Tigers traded him to Cleveland for the 37-year-old Earl Averill.

Harry was in the minors beginning in 1934, spending 1934-1935 with the Dayton Ducks when he wasn't in the majors. He was 18-8 with the Ducks in 1935. The rest of his minor league career included going 19-7 for the 1936 Allentown Brooks and 8-9 for the 1937 Louisville Colonels.

Harry was a pretty good hitter for a pitcher, hitting .211 in the majors, batting .283 for Allentown in 1936 and .275 for Louisville in 1937.

Related Sites

• Harry Eisenstat at the SABR Bio Project