Spitballers

On September 10, 1934, grizzled reliever Burleigh Grimes helped the Pittsburgh Pirates to an inconsequential 9-7 win over the New York Giants in the Polo Grounds. For Grimes, the September contest marked his 270th and final win. For baseball, it marked the last time a legal spitballer would win a major league contest.
Though the pitch had been banned in 1920, the American and National leagues both agreed to grant two exemptions per team to spitballers who were already in the majors. In 1921, both leagues agreed to extend grandfather provisions to cover the veteran spitball pitchers for the remainder of their careers. Under the extended rule, 17 pitchers were granted exemptions for their careers. This work looks at the lives and careers of these 17: Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, Jack Quinn, Urban Shocker, Stan Coveleskie, Bill Doak, Ray Caldwell, Clarence Mitchell, Dutch Leonard, Ray Fisher, Dick Rudolph, Allen Sothoron, Phil Douglas, Allan Russell, Doc Ayers, Dana Fillingim and Marvin Goodwin.

The late Charles F. Faber wrote numerous books on educational administration, school law, baseball and other topics. He was a retired university professor and lived in Lexington, Kentucky.
Also retired, Richard B. Faber is a former teacher, government official, and Air Force officer. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa. They are also the authors of The American Presidents Ranked by Performance (2000).

Charles F. Faber and Richard B. Faber
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: 17 photos, tables, references, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2347-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8262-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1
Introduction      3

1. Red Faber      17
2. Burleigh Grimes      35
3. Jack Quinn      53
4. Urban Shocker      65
5. Stan Coveleskie      77
6. Bill Doak      90
7. Ray Caldwell      98
8. Clarence Mitchell      111
9. Dutch Leonard      120
10. Ray Fisher      129
11. Dick Rudolph      137
12. Allen Sothoron      145
13. Phil Douglas      151
14. Allan Russell      161
15. Doc Ayers      167
16. Dana Fillingim      174
17. Marvin Goodwin      180

Appendix: Rankings      187
Chapter Notes      193
Bibliography      199
Index      203

“fascinating…entertaining reading”—One More Inning.