Saul Rogovin

Saul Walter Rogovin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 205 lb.
• High School Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn)
• Debut April 28, 1949
• Final Game June 19, 1957
• Born March 24, 1922 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died January 23, 1995 in New York, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Saul Rogovin , a Brooklyn-born right-hander whose 2.78 ERA for two teams in 1951 was the best in the American League, started out in pro ball as a third baseman, twice hitting in the .280s with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association in the mid 1940s before making the switch to the mound. Saul first arrived with the Detroit Tigers in 1949 and in his first plate appearance back in New York at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 1950, he hit a grand slam home run off Eddie Lopat.

He was traded to the Chicago White Sox early in the 1951 season and finished the year 12-8 in 26 starts and the ERA title. He won a career high 14 games in 1952 including a 16-inning 14-strikeout complete game performance against the Boston Red Sox. Rogovin was also with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies before finishing his eight-year major league run in 1957 with a 48-48 record with a 4.06 ERA while pitching 802 innings in 152 games.

Pitching for the Phillies, Rogovin retired the last 17 St. Louis Cardinals batters he faced on August 25, 1955. In his next appearance, he retired the first 15 Chicago Cubs batters on August 30th to run his streak to 32 straight batters retired.

Rogovin spent ten seasons in the minors, some on the mound, others in the field while building a respectable 53-36 record with a 3.95 ERA, pitching 802 innings while appearing in 152 games. Saul carried a decent bat as he wound up with a .270 hitting average with 28 home runs to go with his solid pitching performance.

Rogovin later returned to school and earned a degree in English Literature from City College of New York and became a high school teacher in Manhattan when he was 57 years of age, teaching the poems of Langston Hughes and the novels of John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway.

Rogovin died January 23, 1995, at age 72 in New York City.

Notable Achievements

• AL ERA Leader (1951)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1951 & 1952)

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• Saul Rogovin at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors Page