Red Torkelson

Chester Leroy Torkelson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut August 29, 1917
• Final Game September 29, 1917
• Born March 19, 1894 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died September 22, 1964 in Chicago, IL USA

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Biographical Information

Red Torkelson was described as a "young light-haired, right-handed spitballer" in a 1917 newspaper article.

Torkelson made his major league debut in September, 1917 for the Cleveland Indians, and then went into the military. [1] He served in World War I and missed pro ball in 1918. Red had posted a nice 11-3 record with the 1916 Marshalltown Ansons and followed that up with a 20-6 season with the Ansons in 1917 before coming up to the big leagues. Missing 1918, he was back in the states the following year, and played for the New Orleans Pelicans in 1919-1920, going 18-10 and 16-14.

Although the minor league database shows him as finishing up as a player in 1922 and the managing in 1923, the book Standing the Gaff: The Life and Hard Times of a Minor League Umpire contains a story with Torkelson supposedly playing for New Orleans in 1925. The author may just have the date wrong. Torkelson was described as a normally easy-going type. [2]

Related Sites

• Red Torkelson at the SABR Bio Project