Lon Warneke
Lonnie Warneke
(The Arkansas Hummingbird)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
- High School Mount Ida High School
- Debut April 18, 1930
- Final Game September 29, 1945
- Born March 28, 1909 in Mount Ida, AR USA
- Died June 23, 1976 in Hot Springs, AR USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Lon Warneke pitched 15 seasons in the big leagues, winning 20+ games three times and accumulating 192 major league wins. Much of his major league time was with the Chicago Cubs, and he was a member of their pennant-winning teams in 1932, 1935 and 1945. He won two games in the 1935 World Series. He also played 5 1/2 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, and although he never won 20 games with the Cards, he compiled a record of 83-49 while he was with them.
He wasn't a terrible batter, for a pitcher, with a major league batting average of .223. He hit .300 in 1933 (he out-hit Billy Herman, Gabby Hartnett and Babe Herman) and .324 in 1938.
He was second in the MVP voting in 1932. There are four Hall of Famers on his list of most similar pitchers, with Bob Lemon the one who is the nearest to being a contemporary. Lemon was also a decent hitter for a pitcher.
After his playing career, Warneke was an umpire in the Pacific Coast League (1946-1948) and the National League (1949-1955). He was an umpire at the 1952 All-Star Game and during the 1954 World Series. During his playing career, he had also worked one game as a fill-in umpire in 1940. He later was elected as a judge for Garland County in Hot Springs, AR. A county judge in Arkansas is roughly the equivalent of a city's mayor or city manager.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 5-time NL All-Star (1933, 1934, 1936, 1939 & 1941)
- NL ERA Leader (1932)
- NL Wins Leader (1932)
- NL Winning Percentage Leader (1932)
- NL Complete Games Leader (1933)
- 2-time NL Shutouts Leader (1932 & 1936)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 8 (1932-1937, 1940 & 1941)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 3 (1932, 1934 & 1935)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 8 (1932-1937, 1940 & 1941)
Further Reading[edit]
- Don Duren: Lon Warneke: The Arkansas Hummingbird, Xulon Press, Maitland, FL, 2014. ISBN 9781629525525
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