WHY I THINK URBAN SHOCKER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK URBAN SHOCKER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Urban Shocker’s body never really agreed with his mind. In 1913, before his MLB career, he broke a finger on his right (pitching) hand which didn’t really heal correctly, but it allowed him to throw a nasty breaking ball. Later in his career, Shocker began to have trouble with heart failure, which ended both his career and his life in 1928. He was still a young man, full of life and vitality, not to mention one of the best pitchers in baseball at the time. Urban Shocker started his MLB career with the St. Louis Browns in 1916, going 4-3 as a 25 year old rookie. He pitched a lot in relief, but after he posted a 1.81 ERA in 1918, the Browns knew that they needed him in their starting rotation. Shocker soon became one of the premier pitchers in the game, going 20-10 with a 2.71 ERA in 1920. In 1921, Shocker led the Majors with 27 victories, setting the Browns’ franchise record in the process. He followed up with 24 wins and a 2.97 ERA in 1922 and won 20 games again in 1923. Shocker was one of baseball’s most popular players in the 1920’s, as much for his pitching as for his name, and he caught on with the Yankees in 1925, a mark of great success in those days (or any days). Shocker pitched for three full seasons with the Yankees, but by 1927 he really began struggling with his health. Some sources say that he couldn’t sleep lying down, but that he had to stand or sit up. He pitched only one game in 1928 (a scoreless relief appearance) before the Yankees released him in midseason. In August, he contracted pneumonia, which exacerbated his heart condition, and killed him on September 9. He was only 37 years old, and still at the top of his game. While his death was untimely and tragic, I am not writing this article out of sentiment. Unlike my post about Ray Chapman, I am also not writing about what he could have done had he survived. Urban Shocker was a Hall of Fame quality pitcher, and his overall record suggests just that. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games Pitched career: 412 season high: 48 in 1922 

Starts career: 317 season high: 38 in 1921 and 1922 

Complete Games career: 200 season high: 30 in 1921 

Shutouts career: 28 season high: 5 in 1919 and 1920 

Games Finished career: 72 season high: 10 in 1920 

Wins career: 187 season high: 27 in 1921 led AL: 27 in 1921 

Losses career: 117 season high: 17 in 1922 

Winning Percentage career: .615 season high: .750 in 1927 

ERA career: 3.17 season low: 2.69 in 1919 

WHIP career: 1.255 season low: 1.175 in 1919 

Innings Pitched career: 2,681 ⅔ season high: 348 in 1922 

Strikeouts career: 983 season high: 149 in 1922 led AL: 149 in 1922 

Strikeouts Per Nine Innings career: 3.3 season high: 3.9 in 1920 and 1922 

Walks career: 657 (0 intentional) season high: 86 in 1921 

Strikeouts Per Walk career: 1.50 season high: 2.61 in 1922 led AL: 2.61 in 1922, 2.22 in 1923 

Saves career: 25 season high: 5 in 1920 led AL: 5 in 1920 

Fielding Percentage career: .980 season high: 1.000 in 1924 and 1925 led AL P: 1.000 in 1924 and 1925 

Double Plays career: 21 season high: 5 in 1925 

Putouts career: 155 season high: 33 in 1922 led AL P: 33 in 1922 

Assists career: 599 season high: 91 in 1921 

Caught Stealing Percentage career: .500 season high: .652 in 1925 

Pickoffs career: 25 season high: 6 in 1922 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-was one of the 17 pitchers exempt from the spitball ban 

-finished 14th in the AL MVP Award voting in 1923 and 17th in 1922 

-allowed the fewest walks per nine innings in the AL in 1922 (1.5) and 1923 (1.6) 

-led the Majors in batters faced (1,401) in 1921 

-left the Browns as their career leader in wins and shutouts 

-was a good hitter for a pitcher, as he batted .324 in 1918 and had a career OBP of .334 

-had 98 career sacrifice hits, including as many as 20 in two separate seasons 

-appeared as a pinch hitter in 1918