Marshall Renfroe

Marshall Daniel Renfroe

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut September 27, 1959
• Final Game September 27, 1959
• Born May 25, 1936 in Century, FL USA
• Died December 10, 1970 in Pensacola, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Marshall Renfroe was a left-hander who pitched for seven different major league organizations during the 1950s and early 1960s. He made his only big league appearance in a late-season start for the San Francisco Giants against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 27, 1959, and gave up 6 runs in 2 innings but was not involved in the decision.

Marshall was a veteran of the Korean War and had a younger brother, Dalton Renfroe, who was a minor league catcher for eight years in the Washington Senators organization. Marshall was originally sent from the Crestview Braves of the Alabama-Florida League to the Philadelphia Phillies in June of 1954. He spent six years climbing up the minor league ladder before his one-night stand with the San Francisco Giants.

Renfroe did not have a winning year until the 1958 season, pitching for the Danville Leafs of the class B Carolina League, going 12-11 with a 3.62 ERA while pitching 204 innings. He also had his second-best season (in terms of record), going 8-8 with a 3.54 ERA in 168 innings for the Phoenix Giants of the Pacific Coast League before his late-season fiasco in September of 1959.

Marshall spent three more seasons in baseball, all in the minors, finishing out his nine-season run in 1962 with a split season between the Charlotte Hornets and Syracuse Chiefs. He finished with a 60-88 record and a 3.99 ERA while pitching 1,131 innings.

Renfroe died tragically on December 10, 1970, in Pensacola, FL. The 34-year-old former pitcher was driving home from his job as a welder for Westinghouse when he stopped on a bridge to come to the aid of a stalled vehicle, and was hit by a gas truck.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page