Lu Blue

Luzerne Atwell Blue

• Bats Both, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.
• High School Briarly Hall Military School
• Debut April 14, 1921
• Final Game April 25, 1933
• Born March 5, 1897 in Washington, DC USA
• Died July 28, 1958 in Alexandria, VA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

First baseman Lu Blue played 13 years in the majors and was most noted for being especially good at drawing walks.

Blue broke into professional ball in 1916 and served in the Army in World War I. He joined the Detroit Tigers in 1921 and was immediately installed at first by manager Ty Cobb. Lu credited Cobb with improving his hitting, and he hit over .300 in four of his first five seasons with the Tigers. On August 22, 1922, he had five hits in a game. Cobb left as manager after the 1926 season, and Blue did not get along with new manager George Moriarty. After the 1927 season, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns, along with Heinie Manush, for three other players. In his first year with the Browns, in 1928, he put up his best power numbers, slugging 14 home runs. After three seasons in St. Louis, Blue played two years with the Chicago White Sox and a game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He finished his professional career with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1933. Blue was considered for several managerial jobs but ultimately did not get them. After his playing days, he ran a baseball school and a semipro stadium and later was a farmer.

According to the similarity scores method, the most similar player to Blue is turn of the century outfielder Kip Selbach, although at 886, they are not "truly similar". His main teammates include Harry Heilmann (3223) and Ty Cobb (2604). Blue is a member of the Baseball List of Rhyming Names, along with such notables as Don Hahn, Larry Sherry, Paul Schaal, Still Bill Hill, Mark Clark, and Greg Legg.

One source: SABR biography of Lu Blue.

Notable Achievements

• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 6 (1921-1923, 1928, 1929 & 1931)

Related Sites

Lu Blue at the SABR Bio Project