Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean
St. Louis Cardinals Great Was the Ace Pitcher for the Gashouse Gang
Jan 16, 2009
Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean was one of the most colorful and entertaining pitchers in baseball history. Known for his incessant bragging, his many practical jokes and his ability to charm crowds and reporters alike, Dizzy Dean is perhaps the most famous member of the St. Louis Cardinals of the early 1930s, a two-time World Series winning team nicknamed the "Gashouse Gang." His brilliance on the mound, however, was cut short by a series of injuries that forced him out of the game when he was still a young man. This is his baseball story.
A Brilliant Pitching Career with the Cardinals
Dizzy Dean broke into the big leagues in 1930 with the Cardinals when he was a mere 20 years old. He pitched only one game that year, a complete game, three-hit victory. The next year, Dizzy was sent to the minors, but he returned in 1932 and won 18 games. In 1933, he won 20 games. The better he became on the mound, the more outspoken he became away from it. For example, prior to the 1934 season, Dean bragged to reporters that he and his 21-year old rookie brother, Paul, would win 45 games between them. In fact, the brothers exceeded Dean’s prediction. Paul won 19 games, and his big brother had a season for the ages, winning 30 games, and posting the second best ERA in the National League (2.66). He also led the majors in strikeouts (195) and shutouts (7), and won the 1934 National League MVP.
That year, during Game 4 of the World Series against the Tigers, Dean was hit in the head with a thrown ball while trying to break up a double play at second base. The collision of skull and spherical horsehide knocked Dizzy unconscious, and he was taken to the hospital. The next day, the local sports section ran the now famous headline, "X-ray of Dean's head shows nothing."
Although the Tigers went on to win that game, Dean recovered in time to pitch in Games 5 and 7 and put the World Series away for the Cardinals.
Dean continued his dominance over the next three years, winning 65 games and losing just 35, but in the 1937 National League All-Star Game, Earl Averill of the Cleveland Indians hit a lined shot right into Dean’s foot, fracturing his big toe. Dean returned to the mound sooner than his doctors had suggested, and altered his pitching motion in a way that favored his sore toe. However, by doing so, he severely injured his arm, and he quickly lost his great fastball.
Dizzy Dean Moves on to Chicago
The Cardinals sold Dean to the Chicago Cubs before the start of the 1938 season. Limited to just 10 starts by his arm troubles, Dean won seven games and lost only one, helping lead the Cubs to their fourth pennant in a decade. He struggled for parts of three seasons with the Cubs, but in 1941, at age 31, he retired from the game.
One Last Hurrah: Dizzy Dean Pitches a Game for the St. Louis Browns
Six years later, while working as an announcer for the St. Louis Browns, Dean began criticizing the team’s pitchers, saying that he could still throw better than 90% of them. Team owner Bill Veeck, never one to miss a marketing ploy, called Dean on his bragging and convinced him to pitch one last game. Accordingly, at age 37, as a temporary member of the Browns, Dean hurled four innings, allowed no runs, and rapped a single in his only at-bat. Rounding first base, he pulled his hamstring, which drove him from the game. After the contest, Dean hung up his spikes again, this time for good.
Despite his injury-shortened career Dean’s final statistics are still quite impressive: 150 wins, 83 losses, a career ERA of 3.02, four strikeout titles, an MVP, a member of the first four NL All-Star teams, and a World Series champion. Dean was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
He passed away in 1974. Although he is gone, he will never be forgotten, at least not in the wonderful world of baseball.
