Van Mungo

Van Lingle Mungo

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Pageland High School
• Debut September 7, 1931
• Final Game September 2, 1945
• Born June 8, 1911 in Pageland, SC USA
• Died February 12, 1985 in Pageland, SC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Best remembered for the use of his name in the song Van Lingle Mungo, Van Mungo had a long career in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. He was the youngest player in the league when he broke in in 1931, and went 14-7 in his last season at age 34 in 1945. Prior to making his major league debut, he had gone 15-5 with the 1931 Hartford Senators.

Mungo was the top strikeout artist of his time, leading the National League in strikeouts per nine innings from 1935 to 1937. The Dodgers were not very good when he was with them, and it took them a decade to finally win the pennant in 1941, when Mungo pitched only two games with them. Mungo struggled with an arm injury during the second half of his career,

Mungo had a reputation for having a temper, as is shown in this quip from his manager Casey Stengel:

Mungo and I get along fine. I just tell him I won't stand for no nonsense, and then I duck." - Casey Stengel

Notable Achievements

• 4-time NL All-Star (1934, 1936, 1937 & 1945)
• NL Innings Pitched Leader (1934)
• NL Strikeouts Leader (1936)
• NL Shutouts Leader (1935)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 4 (1933-1936)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (1932-1936)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1934 & 1936)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1936)

Further Reading

• Alan Cohen: "Van Lingle Mungo", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: Van Lingle Mungo: The Man, The Song, The Players, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 45-54. ISBN 978-1-933599-76-2

Related Sites

• Van Lingle Mungo at the SABR Bio Project
• Remembering Mungo upon his death