Lou Fette

Louis Henry William Fette

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1½", Weight 200 lb.
• School Missouri Valley College
• Debut April 26, 1937
• Final Game June 22, 1945
• Born March 15, 1907 in Alma, MO USA
• Died January 3, 1981 in Warrensburg, MO USA

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Biographical Information

"Fette was a country boy from Missouri, a quiet, hard-working mature pitcher who had paid his dues in coming up through the low minors year after year, and he was ready." - from the book Reynolds, Raschi and Lopat about Fette coming up to the majors in 1937

Lou Fette burst onto the major league scene with a 20-10 record as a rookie in 1937. It was all the more remarkable because he did it for the 1937 Boston Bees, a team which had been under .500 the previous year and was not far above .500 in 1937.

Fette was a 30-year-old rookie in 1937, and another elderly rookie, Jim Turner, also won 20 games at age 33. The other two starters on the team had 14 and 8 wins respectively.

Fette was born in Alma, MO and attended Missouri Valley College. Another pitcher, Vern Kennedy, was born five days later in the same state.

Lou spent about a decade in the minors before getting his chance at the bigs. Although he had won 21 games in 1928, he had several years where his record was under .500 and that perhaps held him back. In 1936, though, he went 25-8 for St. Paul and the next year he was in the majors. No other pitcher on the 1936 St. Paul team had more than 13 wins.

Fette continue to have decent ERA's in 1938-39 although his win-loss records were not spectacular. In 1939 he appeared in the All-Star game.

He didn't win a major league game after 1939, continuing in 1940 and 1945 to pitch a few games. He also pitched a little bit in the minors in 1940-41 and went 11-15 in the minors in 1942.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1939)
• 2-time NL Shutouts Leader (1937 & 1939)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1937)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1937)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1937 & 1938)