Les Webber

Lester Elmer Webber

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• Debut May 17, 1942
• Final Game April 26, 1948
• Born May 6, 1915 in Kelseyville, CA USA
• Died November 13, 1986 in Santa Maria, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Right-hander Les Webber spent six seasons in the minor leagues, all but one with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League, from 1936 to 1941. He was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Seattle Rainiers on September 30, 1941 in the 1941 Rule V Draft. Les spent 1942 through July 2, 1946 with the Ebbets Field team and was selected off waivers by the Cleveland Indians from the Dodgers on this date. Les appeared in only four games with the Cleveland team the rest of 1946 due to arm problems, and was out of baseball entirely in 1947.

Webber made a brief try at a comeback with the 1948 Indians, appeared in one game on April 28, 1948, did not last an inning, and was traded by the Indians along with George Metkovich and cash to Oakland of the PCL for Will Hafey. Les struggled to an 8-5 record and a 5.50 ERA during the 1948 season, made one more attempt with the Oakland club in 1949, but didn't make it out of his only inning attempted, and left professional baseball at 34 years of age.

Les pitched ten seasons in the minor leagues, building an 82-39 record for a .678 winning percentage while appearing in 193 games. He had four double-digit winning years, with his best season appearing to be in 1945 when he went 11-3 with a league leading 1.88 ERA for the Montreal Royals of the International League. In his six up-and-down seasons in the majors, he chalked up a 23-19 record and a 4.19 ERA while appearing in 154 games. It should be noted that Webber never had a losing year in the majors and only one in the minors (when he went 2-3 for Seattle in 1938).

After baseball, Webber returned to his native California and was a real estate broker for 35 years. Lester Elmer Webber died at 71 years of age on November 13, 1986, from pneumonia and heart disease, at the Valley Community Hospital in Santa Maria, CA.