1930 Key Retirees - Pitchers
Stan Baumgartner, Phillies
Was the Phillies closer for the better part of eight seasons. After leaving that role, he finished in the Top 5 in holds twice. One of just eight pitchers to appear in over 800 games.
Duster Mails, Dodgers
Like Leon Cadore who retired last season, Mails languished in the starting rotation for a lousy Dodgers franchise for far too long. While he had a few good seasons, had he spent his career in the bullpen, he would have been much more successful. He finished in the Top 10 in losses four times, walks allowed eight times, strikeouts eight times, fewest HR/9 three times, most K/9 eight times and WAR twice.
Lee Meadows, Cardinals
Won one Gold Glove. Led NL in innings pitched in 1917 and complete games in 1919. He also led the NL in shutouts in 1919 and 1920. Finished in the Top 10 in wins three times, walks allowed three times, fewest HR/9 four times and complete games seven times. Pitched in three World Series with St. Louis, winning one.
Bob Steele, Cardinals
Was a steady, but often unsuccessful, member of the Cardinals rotation for many years. Finished in the Top 10 in losses four times, most home runs allowed six times and most walks allowed four times. Pitched in three World Series with St. Louis, winning one.
Dazzy Vance, Pirates
Vance was considered the best pitcher in the NL, and probably either league, for most of his career. His six Pitcher of the Year Awards are the most ever awarded to a single pitcher in the National League, and only the AL's Walter Johnson has more with seven. Vance led the NL in wins six times. I could only find three pitchers in MLHR history who won 20 games three times: Al Spalding in consecutive years with the Cubs from 1878-80, Ben Sanders with the great Phillies dynasty in the late 1890's and Smoky Joe Wood with the Red Sox in the 1910's. Well, Dazzy Vance did it an incredible five times!
Vance led the NL in strikeouts during every single season from 1915 to 1926... that's twelve consecutive years! He also won five ERA titles and led the NL in win percentage five times, innings three times, WHIP eight times, K/BB ratio six times, fewest HR/9 once, fewest H/9 seven times, most K/9 eleven times, FIP five times, quality starts five times, complete games once, shutouts three times and WAR nine times. Wow!
Looking back, he will go down as one of the best pitchers of all time. He retired with the best WHIP, FIP and K/9 among all starting pitchers over MLHR's 54-year history. He also has the 2nd best winning percentage and ERA of all time. In fact, he is also 3rd all time in K/BB ratio, 4th in WAR, 6th in strikeouts, 7th in shutouts and 10th in wins. If he has any regrets, it would be that he and the Pirates won just three pennants over his long career but never won the World Series. The Pirates won those three pennants over consecutive years from 1920-22 and lost to a different AL team each time - the White Sox in 1920, Twins in 1921 and Tigers in 1922.
Mellie Wolfgang, White Sox
Won the 1916 AL Fireman Award with a 0.99 ERA in 118.1 innings as a setup man - the first setup man ever to win a Fireman Award in either league. He would later become Chicago's closer and in 1920 became the first closer to ever record 50 saves. He led the AL in games pitched in 1917 and in 1915 he even finished 5th in the AL with 16 wins all from the bullpen! He finished in the Top 10 in games pitched six times and games finished eleven times. He pitched in four World Series with Chicago, winning three times.
Tom Zachary, Athletics
Named AL Rookie of the Year in 1918. Led the AL in holds in both 1928 and 1929, his final two seasons, and as a starter he led the AL in shutouts in 1922. Finished in the Top 10 in wins four times, fewest HR/9 eight times (leading the league once!), BB/9 five times, quality starts four times and complete games three times. He pitched in three World Series with Oakland, winning twice.
