Hal Newhouser

Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox baseball biography Harold "Hal" Newhouser (May 20, 1921 – November 10, 1998), nicknamed "Prince Hal" and "Hurricane Hal," was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher from 1939 to 1955, most notably for the Detroit Tigers, where he was selected for seven straight All-Star Games from 1942 to 1948. He became the first pitcher to win the Most Valuable Player Award twice in consecutive years, winning in 1944 and 1945. Newhouser was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1992 and his number 16 was retired by the Detroit Tigers in 1997.

Newhouser was highly regarded by Tigers scout Wish Egan, who ended up signing him for his hometown club for the 1939 season. Starting in the minor leagues that year, he was called up to the major league squad late in the season and made his first start on September 26, 1939. His initial years were rocky, failing to eclipse nine wins in a season from 1939 to 1943. His breakout year came in 1944, in which he totaled 29 wins, the highest mark for a pitcher since 1931, en route to an MVP award. He continued his stellar play in the 1945 season, in which he won another MVP Award, the Pitching Triple Crown, and was the winning pitcher of Game 7 of that year's World Series against the Chicago Cubs.

Newhouser continued to be a consistently solid pitcher in the post-war years, before problems with his throwing shoulder significantly decreased his effectiveness starting in 1950. He was released from the Tigers during the 1953 season and would've retired from baseball had it not been for former teammate Hank Greenberg, who was general manager for the Cleveland Indians. He signed for the Indians for the 1954 season and was a relief pitcher during their pennant-clinching campaign, retiring the following year.

Following his retirement as a player, Newhouser served as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles, with some of his notable player findings including Milt Pappas and Dean Chance. He then worked at a bank for twenty years before returning to scouting for the Houston Astros. He insisted that the Astros should draft shortstop Derek Jeter out of high school. When the Astros opted for Phil Nevin instead, he retired from baseball.

Early life

Harold "Hal" Newhouser was born on May 20, 1921, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the second son of Theodore and Emilie Newhouser. Theodore, originally from Czechoslovakia, worked as a drafter in the automobile industry and was a former gymnast, while Emilie was originally from Austria. Prior to Hal's birth, the Newhousers moved from Pittsburgh to Detroit. The Newhouser parents were largely indifferent about baseball, even after Hal's older brother of four years, Dick, was discovered by Detroit Tigers scout Wish Egan and spent a couple years for the team's minor league affiliates.<ref name="stewart211">Template:Harvnb</ref> During the Great Depression, Newhouser sold newspapers, set up pins at a bowling alley, and collected plastic bottles to recycle to save up money to attend trade school.<ref name="obit">Template:Cite news</ref>

As a teenager, Newhouser played in a fast-pitch softball league, but upon the Tigers' win in the 1935 World Series, Newhouser decided he wanted to pitch for his hometown major league team. At the age of fifteen, he started pitching in a sandlot ball league for the first time. Over the course of three seasons, he recorded 42 wins and 3 losses. While attending Wilbur Wright Vocational High School, he started off playing for the school's baseball team. Egan, who took notice of Hal's athletic ability while scouting Dick, convinced him to drop that team and play American Legion Baseball instead. Newhouser did well against the improved competition in Legion play. He recorded nineteen consecutive wins in one stretch, including striking out 20 or more hitters in a game five times.<ref name="stewart211-212">Template:Harvnb</ref> Template:Quote box

While at Wilbur Wright Vocational High School in Detroit, Newhouser picked up machining. While he was a talented machinist, Newhouser found it too risky, especially after having to drive numerous classmates to the hospital due to injuries they had sustained. Instead, Newhouser studied to become a drafter at Chrysler, where his father worked. While pitching in the minor leagues, Newhouser would study for his exams, which he would take in September when the major league Tigers called him up. When he was invited to spring training for the team in 1940, he fell behind in his studies and was held back from graduating with the rest of his classmates in June of 1940. Starting in September of that year, he would spend three hours each morning at school before reporting to Briggs Stadium, including prior to 1940 World Series games. He graduated in January 1941.<ref name="macht183-184">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Professional career

Detroit Tigers (1939–1953)

1939–1943

Newhouser's talent had been noticed by teams across the MLB, most notably the Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. Soon after returning from a Legion ball tournament on the evening of August 6, 1938, Newhouser signed with the Tigers at the age of 17, thanks to Egan's early scouting efforts and the relationship they had formed. Egan was able to convince Newhouser to sign for the team with a $500 signing bonus. Upon signing, Newhouser, whom Egan deemed the "greatest left-handed pitcher [he] ever saw," gave $400 to his parents while saving the other $100 for himself.<ref name="stewart212">Template:Harvnb</ref> Ten minutes later,<ref name="obit"/> Indians scout Cy Slapnicka arrived at the Newhouser house with a $15,000 check and a new car, offering both for Newhouser to sign with the franchise. Crushed, Newhouser told Slapnicka that he had already signed with Detroit.<ref name="stewart212"/>

Newhouser started his career in 1939 with the Tigers' Class D affiliate, the Alexandria Aces of the Evangeline Baseball League. He won his first professional baseball game there, striking out eighteen batters in the effort, before winning seven more and earning a promotion to the Class A Beaumont Exporters of the Texas League. Newhouser started hot in Beaumont, winning his first four games before falling into a slump, losing thirteen straight during one particularly bad stretch. This string of performances, along with his notably poor temper, alarmed the Tigers front office. Egan, however, convinced them to call up Newhouser near the end of the season, in order to keep a better eye on him. He joined a pitching staff with the likes of veteran players Schoolboy Rowe, Tommy Bridges, and Bobo Newsom, along with younger players Dizzy Trout and Fred Hutchinson. Manager Del Baker wanted to include the young prospects in the rotation in the final games of the season and on September 26, 1939, Newhouser made his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Indians. In the game, Newhouser gave up three hits and four walks in five innings, when the game was called due to darkness.<ref name="stewart212-213">Template:Harvnb</ref> Newhouser was credited with the 0–3 loss.<ref name="debut box score">Template:Cite web</ref>

The 1940 campaign saw Newhouser become a much more active part of the rotation. He started in 20 games and posted a 9–9 record with a 4.86 earned run average (ERA).<ref name="stewart213">Template:Harvnb</ref> On May 2, Newhouser recorded his first ever win when he allowed only six hits in a 5–3 victory against the Washington Senators away.<ref name="first mlb win">Template:Cite news</ref> Detroit went on to win the American League pennant, finishing one game over Cleveland and two over the New York Yankees, earning a 1940 World Series appearance against the Cincinnati Reds. Newhouser, the youngest player on the Tigers roster,<ref name="1940 tigers roster">Template:Cite web</ref> did not make an appearance in the Series. He instead watched from the dugout as the Reds won in seven games. Newhouser continued to be an active part of the Tigers rotation in 1941, this time posting a 9–11 record with a 4.79 ERA.<ref name="stewart214">Template:Harvnb</ref>

During the 1942 season, Newhouser succeeded against the reduced offensive talent in the league as a result of many players serving in the armed forces during World War II. He finished the season with a 2.45 ERA with eleven complete games and five saves and was an All-Star Game selection for the first time in his career. Despite the positive pitching performance, Newhouser had inaccurate run support from his offensive counterparts and finished the season 8–14.<ref name="stewart214"/> In June,<ref name="army bound">Template:Cite news</ref> Newhouser planned on being sworn into the Army Air Corps during a game in order to serve in World War II. However, due to a congenital heart defect,<ref name="goldstein220">Template:Harvnb</ref> he was deemed unfit for service following his physical examination in July.<ref name="fails physical">Template:Cite news</ref>

The 1943 season saw a couple of changes in the Tigers lineup. Firstly, former catcher Steve O'Neill became the new manager of Detroit. Replacing him at the catcher spot would be Paul Richards,<ref name="stewart214"/> who last played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1935.<ref name="richards br">Template:Cite web</ref> Richards was largely tasked with bringing Newhouser and his young compatriots to their full potential.<ref name="stewart214"/> At the start of the season, he had proven successful in doing this, as Newhouser credited Richards for his hot start. His 14 strikeouts on May 27 against the New York Yankees were the most a pitcher had put up in a single game since Bob Feller threw 18 in 1938. Through the beginning of June with 50 innings pitched, his earned run average was 0.90, 0.19 lower than Dutch Leonard's full season record.<ref name="0.90 era">Template:Cite news</ref> Once again, Newhouser was selected for an All-Star Game, recording a strikeout in three innings of work in the Midsummer Classic.<ref name="1943 all star game">Template:Cite web</ref> Despite the initial success, Newhouser lost nine straight games from late July to September<ref name="1943 losing streak snapped">Template:Cite news</ref> and finished the season with a dismal 8–17 record<ref name="stewart214"/> and a league-leading 111 walks.<ref name="at 100">Template:Cite news</ref> Following a September in which he posted a 5.19 ERA, he likely would have been let go had the wartime league talent not been so thin.<ref name="stewart214"/>

1944–1947

During the offseason prior to the 1944 season, Newhouser was offered a full-time job at Chrysler. His family implored him to take the position, as they viewed it as much more secure than a career in baseball, especially with his dismal 34–52 record in his first four years. Newhouser, however, decided to take one more chance at baseball. At that year's wartime spring training in Evansville, Indiana, Richards told Newhouser: "You've been a thrower. I'm going to make you a pitcher."<ref name="letter to editor">Template:Cite news</ref> Originally possessing just a fastball, curveball, and changeup, Richards taught Newhouser how to throw a slider. He also taught Newhouser to control his emotions, although it remains unknown exactly what teaching method he used.<ref name="stewart215">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The training worked, as 1944 proved to be Newhouser's breakout year. He posted a 29–9 record with a 2.22 ERA<ref name="james346">Template:Harvnb</ref> en route to his first Most Valuable Player Award.<ref name="light644">Template:Harvnb</ref> His season started shaky, as he gave up five runs in just two innings of work during his first start, causing manager Steve O'Neill to send him to the bullpen for a week. On April 27 against the Chicago White Sox, Newhouser was given the start, in what O'Neill told him was his "last chance" to remain in the starting rotation. Newhouser made good of his chance, pitching a twelve-inning complete game shutout.<ref name="at 100"/> This success continued and he was selected to his third-straight All-Star Game on July 11, where he gave up two runs in one and two-thirds innings of work.<ref name="1944 all star game">Template:Cite web</ref>

The late season pennant race of 1944 was incredibly competitive, with the Tigers, Yankees (whom Newhouser recorded six wins against across the season), and the St. Louis Browns all in contention within the final week. After the Yankees lost a late-season series to the Browns, they were eliminated from contention. With just two days to go, Detroit and St. Louis were tied at the top of the standings. Newhouser pitched win number 29 against the Washington Senators the following day, but the Browns also won their game, meaning the result of the next game would decide who wins the pennant. Detroit lost their final regular season game to the Senators, while St. Louis defeated the Yankees in a comeback fashion to secure the pennant.<ref name="stewart215"/> The MVP award voting between Newhouser and teammate Dizzy Trout was extremely tight. In fact, Trout won ten first-place votes compared to Newhouser's seven.<ref name="james869-870">Template:Harvnb</ref> However, Newhouser's 236 votes were four more than Trout's 232 and he took the title, largely due to his league-leading 187 strikeouts.<ref name="1944 mvp vote">Template:Cite news</ref> Years later, Newhouser expressed disappointment that he was unable to reach the 30-win mark, which at the time was last achieved in the American League by Lefty Grove in 1931. He attributed the fact that he didn't reach the mark to two factors: the fact that in his final start prior to the playoffs, the game ended in a 1–1 tie against the Red Sox after getting called off due to weather, and the fact that in the final game of the season, when a win was needed, the Tigers decided to send Trout to the mound rather than Newhouser on short rest.<ref name="among mclains rooters">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Hal Newhouser, Steve O'Neill and Hank Greenberg 1945.jpg

Newhouser (left) with manager Steve O'Neill and teammate Hank Greenberg during the 1945 season

He followed that up with a league-leading 25 wins and a 1.81 ERA, with only 9 losses in his 1945 campaign,<ref name="james346"/> also leading the league with 313 innings pitched, 29 complete games, 212 strikeouts, and 8 shutouts,<ref name="stewart215"/> en route to his second consecutive MVP award<ref name="light644"/> and the Pitching Triple Crown.<ref name="stewart216">Template:Harvnb</ref> This made him the first ever pitcher to win the MVP award twice in consecutive seasons.<ref name="light597">Template:Harvnb</ref> Although no All-Star Game was held this season due to wartime travel restrictions, Newhouser made the hypothetical list of All-Stars compiled by the Associated Press.<ref name="1945 all star game">Template:Cite web</ref>

Late in the season, Newhouser was suffering from back spasms and was allowed to stay in Detroit while the team traveled east. During a series against the Yankees, however, Newhouser was asked to travel to New York and pitch by manager Jack Zeller, as the Tigers pitching staff was exhausted. Despite being unable to throw his curveball due to severe pain, Newhouser leaned on his fastball and changeup to shutout the Yankees. His back continued to cause problems for him, however, as he was only able to pitch the first inning of a doubleheader against the Senators, who were just a half-game behind Detroit, before being relieved. The Senators finished the season with 87 wins, a game behind the Tigers, who with four consecutive games rained out, were unable to clinch the pennant right away.<ref name="stewart215-216">Template:Harvnb</ref> When the rain finally let up, the Tigers played their final regular season game against the St. Louis Browns. Virgil Trucks, who was medically discharged from the Navy at Norman, Oklahoma for a knee problem just five days prior, started the game.<ref name="goldstein260">Template:Harvnb</ref> After 5 1/3 innings, Trucks was relieved by Newhouser, who inherited a bases loaded situation with only one out and a 2–1 lead. Newhouser was able to escape the inning without allowing a run, but gave up one run in the seventh and eighth innings to allow the Browns a 2–3 lead. In the top of the ninth, however, slugger Hank Greenberg hit a grand slam to give the Tigers a 6–3 lead, which would hold, giving Newhouser the pitching win and clinching the pennant for Detroit.<ref name="stewart216"/>

Detroit faced off against the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series. Newhouser pitched the opening game, giving up seven runs before being pulled in the third inning as the Cubs routed Detroit, 9–0. Tied up at two games apiece, Newhouser was given the nod to pitch game five, improving upon his initial start by tossing a complete game in which the Tigers won 8–4. Three days later, Newhouser was chosen to pitch game seven. The Tigers offense gave him a five-run cushion in the first inning, but Newhouser only allowed three runs in nine innings, striking out ten in a 9–3 Tigers win, claiming the world title.<ref name="stewart216"/>

In the offseason prior to the 1946 season, Mexican League president Jorge Pasquel offered Newhouser, the biggest name in baseball at the time, $200,000 to pitch three seasons in Mexico, with a $300,000 signing bonus. While tempting, Newhouser feared being banned from baseball if the Mexican League didn't survive. Newhouser instead accepted a $10,000 signing bonus to stay with the Tigers and a promise that he would be given a raise when his new contract was due.<ref name="stewart216-217">Template:Harvnb</ref> However, before signing, trade rumors between the Yankees and the Tigers involved a deal between Newhouser and Joe DiMaggio.<ref name="stewart217"/> It was further rumored that Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams could also have been dealt for Newhouser and Dick Wakefield. Ultimately, no such trade ever occurred and Newhouser remained a Tiger.<ref name="rumor">Template:Cite news</ref> While the league was dominated by the Boston Red Sox, led by returning star Ted Williams, Newhouser remained one the AL's best pitchers.<ref name="stewart217">Template:Harvnb</ref> He was selected to that year's All-Star Game and pitched four strikeouts in three innings of work.<ref name="1946 all star game">Template:Cite web</ref> In total, he tossed a league-best 26 wins with a league-leading 1.94 ERA. While Williams won the MVP award, Newhouser finished close behind him to claim second place in the voting.<ref name="stewart217">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The 1947 season for the Tigers was largely characterized by good pitching play, but a lack of solid batsmen following the departure of Hank Greenberg. Without solid run support, Newhouser posted a 17–17 record with a 2.87 ERA and 176 strikeouts,<ref name="stewart217"/> although he was selected the starter for this year's All-Star Game, where didn't allow a run in three innings of work.<ref name="1947 all star game">Template:Cite web</ref> On August 28, during a game with the Red Sox, Newhouser was fined $250 by manager Steve O'Neill for a lack of effort after giving up five runs in the third inning, as well as for refusing to leave the mound after being summoned to the dugout. Newhouser claimed that he never talked back to O'Neill and felt confident that he could deliver a quality performance, insisting that he was trying. In response, O'Neill said that "it didn't look like it to me. He certainly was playing inferior ball." It was both O'Neill's first fine given as a manager and Newhouser's first received as a player.<ref name="fine">Template:Cite news</ref> Towards the end of the campaign, Newhouser engaged in film review, comparing his 1947 pitching to that of his big mid-1940s years. In doing so, he corrected a flaw in his follow-through. He won three of his last four decisions.<ref name="stewart217"/>

1948–1953

Newhouser improved from the 1947 campaign in his 1948 season, posting a league-leading 21 wins with 143 strikeouts<ref name="stewart217"/> and earning an All-Star Game selection.<ref name="1948 all star game">Template:Cite web</ref> The start of the season proved challenging for Newhouser. He won the Tigers' Opening Day matchup against the Chicago White Sox,<ref name="opening day 1948">Template:Cite news</ref> before losing four straight starts.<ref name="four straight starts lost">Template:Cite news</ref> Starting with a 4–1 victory against the Boston Red Sox on May 19,<ref name="beat bosox 1948">Template:Cite news</ref> Newhouser won seven straight games until his streak was busted in another start against the Red Sox on June 20.<ref name="streak snapped 1948">Template:Cite news</ref> On August 8, he became the American League's first 15-game winner when he was credited for the win against the Washington Senators<ref name="15 game streak 1948">Template:Cite news</ref> and on September 29, following a 4–0 win against the Browns, Newhouser recorded his fourth twenty-win season of his career.<ref name="twenty win 1948">Template:Cite news</ref> Newhouser pitched in the final game of the season against the Indians in front of a crowd of over 74,000 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. On short rest and battling an arm injury, he tossed a 7–1 victory over longtime foe Bob Feller, in what Newhouser considered to be one of the best games of his life.<ref name="obit"/> Despite the success, Newhouser's age was showing and his fastball began to slow.<ref name="stewart217"/>

File:Vic Wertz, Hal Newhouser and Pat Mullin 1949.jpg

Newhouser (center) with teammates Vic Wertz and Pat Mullin in 1949

He was given the start on Opening Day on April 13, 1949 against the White Sox. Pitching in front of an Opening Day-record 53,435 fans at Briggs Stadium, Newhouser tossed a complete game, allowing three hits and only one run in the 5–1 win, his fourth straight on Opening Day.<ref name="opening day 1949">Template:Cite news</ref> On September 8, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Indians, Newhouser started the game by retiring the first 17 Cleveland batters in order before allowing a walk to Frank Papish. An inning later, he gave up his only hit, a single to Lou Boudreau, ending the no-hit bid. Newhouser completed the 10–0 shutout, only his second one-hit performance of his career.<ref name="one-hitter 1949">Template:Cite news</ref> On September 24, also against the Indians, Newhouser tossed his eighteenth and final win of the season.<ref name="last win 1949">Template:Cite news</ref>

Newhouser's 1950 season was delayed due to a sore shoulder. Due to the ailment, he was only able to record four innings during spring training and missed the entire month of April and about half of May. Newhouser made his season debut on May 14, in a game against the St. Louis Browns.<ref name="1950 debut announced">Template:Cite news</ref> He recorded 15 wins in 1950.<ref name="light644"/> He only lasted three innings in that game, giving up five runs.<ref name="5/14/50 browns game">Template:Cite web</ref> His second start on May 22 against the Washington Senators was much better, taking a shutout into the ninth inning before allowing a run in the 5–1 Tigers victory.<ref name="2nd start 1950">Template:Cite news</ref>

During spring training for 1951, Newhouser told an interviewer that "this will be my best season, or my last."<ref name="best season or last">Template:Cite news</ref> His best season it was not, as he recorded six wins and six losses with a 3.92 ERA.<ref name="1951 ba stats">Template:Cite web</ref> His final appearance came on July 14 against the Senators, when he failed to last two innings in the loss. Pain in his arm became overbearing and he was placed on the disabled list in August, with minor leaguer Wayne McLeland called up to fill his spot.<ref name="disabled 1951">Template:Cite news</ref>

Despite his promise in spring training, Newhouser returned to the Tigers the next season. Prior to 1952, Newhouser suggested a five-year deal worth $100,000, for insurance in case he could not pitch all five years and became a coach instead. While the Tigers had a policy against multiyear contracts, they considered the offer before ultimately turning him down.<ref name="stewart219">Template:Harvnb</ref> Newhouser ultimately missed workouts in spring training due to his contract holdout. At one point, he requested a clause that he would not be traded, a condition general manager Charlie Gehringer couldn't guarantee.<ref name="against trade">Template:Cite news</ref> In 19 starts that season, Newhouser posted a 9–9 record and a 3.74 ERA. Towards the end of the year, he lost his starting spot to Billy Hoeft. His ninth victory of the season was his 200th career win.<ref name="stewart219"/>

On February 21, 1953, the day before spring training, Newhouser re-signed with the Tigers prior to to that year's season, being the last Tiger to re-sign.<ref name="resign1953">Template:Cite news</ref> He only appeared in seven games, finishing 0–1 with a 7.06 ERA.<ref name="stewart219"/> The Tigers released Newhouser unconditionally on July 22, 1953. When interviewed, he said that "this is the end. I'm finished as an active player. My arm just can't stand the strain anymore."<ref name="released by tigers">Template:Cite news</ref>

Cleveland Indians (1954–1955)

After his release, Newhouser assumed he would retire, though he spent the winter months training his arm in Bradenton, Florida, On February 15, 1954, former teammate Hank Greenberg, now general manager of the Cleveland Indians, extended an opportunity to work out with the team in Tucson, Arizona, which Newhouser accepted.<ref name="attempts comeback">Template:Cite news</ref> He made four appearances in the spring, giving up six runs in his first appearance. In his three subsequent appearances, he only allowed one run in 13 innings. On April 11, he signed with the Indians.<ref name="cleveland signing">Template:Cite news</ref> During the 1954 season, he primarily served as a long reliever and finished with seven wins and seven saves with a 2.51 ERA. His Indians team posted a record 111 wins that season, leading to a World Series appearance against the New York Giants. Newhouser saw action in game four, relieving Bob Lemon in the fifth inning. He faced two batters, failing to retire either of them before being pulled. The following season, Newhouser made just two appearances<ref name="stewart219"/> before being released by the franchise on May 11, 1955.<ref name="released by indians">Template:Cite news</ref>

Career overall

Statistics and achievements

Template:Quote box Newhouser finished his career with a 207–150 record and a career ERA of 3.06. He led the American League in wins four times in his career, in strikeouts, complete games, and ERA twice, with one season atop the complete game category.<ref name="stewart219"/> His 1,579 strikeouts and 170 wins between 1940 and 1949 were the most for any pitcher in that decade.<ref name="james201-204">Template:Harvnb</ref> To date, his 207 wins place him 107th all-time in career wins, tied with Bob Lemon and Carl Mays.<ref name="career win leaders">Template:Cite web</ref>

Under Bill James' Win Shares system, Newhouser was deemed top pitcher in the American League from 1945 to 1948. James argued that he would have won the Cy Young Award had it existed during these years.<ref name="james870">Template:Harvnb</ref>

He ranks among the top five pitchers in numerous Tigers records. He ranks first in wins above replacement, with 58.8, two more than second-place Justin Verlander. His 33 shutout wins as a Tiger rank third all-time, his 200 wins, 212 complete games, and 1,770 strikeouts place him fourth and his 2,944 innings pitched ranks fifth.<ref name="tigers top ten pitchers">Template:Cite web</ref> His eleven consecutive pitching wins from June and July 1946 set a Tigers record that would not be matched until Verlander pitched 12 straight in 2011.<ref name="at 100"/>

Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr
207	150	3.06	488	374	212	33	26	2,993.0	2,674	1,197	1,016	136	1,249	47	1,796	19	130	3.27	1.311	8.0	5.4	<ref name="newhouser br">Template:Cite web</ref>

Playing style and reputation

File:Hal Newhouser 1945.jpg

Newhouser winding up in 1945

Newhouser's early seasons were marred by issues with his pitch control, specifically with his curveball. Even between innings, Newhouser's curves would go from well-located to hanging over the plate.<ref name="stewart213"/> After working on his curveball, Newhouser routinely threw three different types of curves: an overhand, or 12–6 curveball, a three-quarter curve which broke down and inside on a right-handed batter, and a slower curve. He usually employed the overhand curve when he had two strikes on a hitter.<ref name="macht187">Template:Harvnb</ref>

One constant throughout his career was his high walk rate, even in his prime years. In his 223 starts during his All-Star years from 1942 to 1948, Newhouser allowed at least one walk in all but seventeen of them.<ref name="at 100"/> He is the Tigers' career leader in the statistic.<ref name="tigers top ten pitchers"/> The Detroit Free Press called his style of play as "making good the hard way" due to his success despite allowing so many walks.<ref name="at 100"/> In contrast, he was also known for his ability to generate strikeouts, especially in the peak of his career. In a 1981 piece for The Baseball Research Journal, James P. Maywar deemed Newhouser the tenth-best strikeout hurler of all time.<ref name="who are the best k pitchers">Template:Cite journal</ref> In addition, he was known for his tenacity and for finishing games. Of his 374 starts, he completed 212 of them. Former catcher Joe Ginsberg recalled that "you couldn't get the ball away from him – he hated to be pulled from a game."<ref name="obit"/>

Baseball historian Bill James compared Newhouser's career to that of Lefty Grove, due to his strikeout ability, his slow development time, and for his low offensive production.<ref name="james894">Template:Harvnb</ref> His temperament also drew comparisons to Grove, as he developed the nickname "Hurricane Hal" due to his violent outbursts. He once smashed an entire case-worth of Coca-Cola bottles against the clubhouse walls after being pulled out of a game.<ref name="stewart213"/> In contrast, he earned the moniker "Prince Hal" as a result of his dignified and courtly appearance.<ref name="olney child">Template:Cite news</ref>

Post-playing activities

After his retirement, Newhouser became a scout for the Baltimore Orioles, ultimately becoming head scout.<ref name="olney child"/> His first discovery was Milt Pappas, who he saw pitch at Cooley High School in Detroit and convinced the O's to sign him in 1957. He also convinced them to sign Dean Chance a couple years later.<ref name="stewart219"/> He left baseball for twenty years following this, becoming the vice president of a bank in Pontiac, Michigan.<ref name="olney child"/>

Newhouser served as the Michigan area scout for the Houston Astros. After following 17-year old Derek Jeter at Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he implored Astros executives to select him in the upcoming 1992 Major League Baseball draft. Prior to the draft, Dan O'Brien notified Newhouser that the Astros would select pitcher Phil Nevin of Cal State Fullerton, due to Nevin's lower signing bonus demands. Jeter was selected with the sixth pick by the New York Yankees. Upset with the decision, Newhouser retired as a scout and from baseball altogether.<ref name="olney child"/><ref name="olney preview">Template:Cite news</ref>

Near the end of his life, Newhouser suffered from emphysema and heart problems. On November 10, 1998, aged 77, he died at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan.<ref name="obit"/>

Personal life

Newhouser married his wife, Beryl, in 1941, after meeting at a party two years prior.<ref name="stewart214"/> Together, they had two daughters: Charlene and Sherrill. The couple remained married until Hal's death in 1998.<ref name="beryl obit">Template:Cite web</ref> The family resided in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.<ref name="obit"/>

Honors and recognition

Honors

Template:MLBBioRet In 1962, Newhouser was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name="mshof">Template:Cite web</ref>

Newhouser's reputation as a "wartime pitcher," in which his most dominant seasons were during a period of decreased offensive talent, largely prevented him from making it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum early on. In his final year of ballot eligibility in 1975, Newhouser received 155 votes, or 42.8% of voters, far short of what is needed to be inducted. After three decades of eligibility,<ref name="stewart219-220">Template:Harvnb</ref> Newhouser was inducted to the Hall in 1992 by way of the Veterans Committee. He was inducted alongside pitchers Rollie Fingers and Tom Seaver, and umpire Bill McGowan<ref name="light404">Template:Harvnb</ref> in front of a then-record crowd of 20,000 people on August 2, 1992.<ref name="change">Template:Cite news</ref>

On July 27, 1997, Newhouser's number 16 was retired by the Tigers during a ceremony at Tiger Stadium. He was the fourth Tiger to have a number retired, joining Al Kaline, Hank Greenberg, and Charlie Gehringer.<ref name="tigers retire">Template:Cite news</ref> He was the first Tigers pitcher to have his number retired.<ref name="kingston retire">Template:Cite news</ref>

Bill James ranked Newhouser as the 36th-best pitcher of all-time in his 2001 book The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.<ref name="james918-919">Template:Harvnb</ref>

In 2015, Newhouser was one of the ten inaugural inductees of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame.<ref name="mbhof">Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards

File:Hal Newhouser statue (cropped).jpg

Statue of Newhouser at Comerica Park

Award	Time(s)	Date(s)	Ref.
AL All-Star	7	1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948	<ref name="mlb biography">Template:Cite web</ref>
AL Most Valuable Player Award	2	1944, 1945	<ref name="mvp award winners">Template:Cite web</ref>
AL The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award	2	1944, 1945	<ref name="sporting news pitcher of the year">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year Award	1	1945	<ref name="sporting news player of the year">Template:Cite web</ref>

Statistical highlights

Per Newhouser's biography on MLB.com.<ref name="mlb biography"/>
Led AL

Strikeouts (1944, 1945)
Wins (1944–1946, 1948)
Innings pitched (1945)

AL top–ten

Strikeouts (1941–1949)
Games played (1942–1947)
Innings pitched (1944–1949)
Wins (1944–1949)

References

Citations

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Sources

External links

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