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Al Gettel

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American baseball player Baseball player
Al Gettel
Pitcher
Born: (1917-09-17)September 17, 1917
Norfolk, Virginia
Died: April 8, 2005(2005-04-08) (aged 87)
Norfolk, Virginia
Batted: RightThrew: Right
MLB debut
April 20, 1945, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
September 12, 1955, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Win–loss record38–45
Earned run average4.28
Strikeouts310
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Allen Jones Gettel (September 17, 1917 – April 8, 2005), nicknamed "Two Gun", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball.

Early life

Gettel was born on September 17, 1917, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Edward and Sarah Gettel. He lived on his family farm in Kempsville, Virginia. His father trained horses and he gained experience breaking them on the farm. Gettel graduated from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Professional career

After he graduated from high school in 1936, Gettel signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees, and he pitched in the minor leagues for Yankees' farm teams. He made his professional debut with the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League. In 1937, he pitched for the Butler Yankees and the Bassett Furnituremakers. Gettel pitched for the Snow Hill Billies in 1938, the Augusta Tigers in 1939, the Newark Bears in 1940 and 1941, and the Kansas City Blues in 1942. He returned to Norfolk in 1943 and 1944.

Gettel made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1945. Gettel pitched for the Yankees in 1945 and 1946, and had a 15-15 win-loss record and a 3.84 earned run average (ERA). The Yankees traded Gettel to the Cleveland Indians with Hal Peck and Gene Bearden in exchange for Sherm Lollar and Ray Mack on December 6, 1946.

In 1947, Gettel established himself in the Indians' starting rotation, pitching to a 11-10 win-loss record and a 3.20 ERA. He began the 1948 season with a 0-1 record and a 17.61 ERA in five appearances. On June 2, 1948, Cleveland traded Gettel and Pat Seerey to the Chicago White Sox for Bob Kennedy. He had a 8-10 win-loss record and a 4.01 ERA for Chicago after the trade. Gettel struggled with the White Sox in 1949, pitching to a 2-5 record and a 6.43 ERA. On July 12, 1949, the Washington Senators purchased Gettel from the White Sox for the waiver price of $10,000. He had a 0-2 record an a 5.45 ERA for Washington. The Senators sold Gettel to the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in August 1949 to compensate the Oaks for their earlier purchase of Lloyd Hittle. Gettel had a 4-0 win-loss record and a 3.60 ERA in 12 games for Oakland, and re-signed with the Oaks for the 1950 season. He had a 23-7 win-loss record with a 3.62 ERA in 1950, and was named a PCL All-Star.

After the 1950 season, the Oaks traded Gettel, Ray Noble, and Artie Wilson to the New York Giants for Bill Ayers, Bert Haas, Joe Lafata, Wes Bailey, and $125,000. He had a 1-2 record and a 4.87 ERA in 29 relief appearances and one game started, before Oakland purchased Gettel from the Giants on July 27, 1951. In 1953, he had a 24-14 record and a 3.20 ERA, setting a franchise record for wins.

On August 20, 1955, the St. Louis Cardinals purchased Gettel from Oakland. He had a 1-0 record and a 9.00 ERA in eight appearances for St. Louis. Gettel played for the San Diego Padres of the PCL in 1956. He tried out for the Hollywood Stars of the PCL in 1957, but did not make the team. He pitched in five games for the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League in 1959. Gettel retired from baseball with a 38–45 record and a 4.28 ERA in the major leagues.

Acting career

While Gettel played for Oakland, he became involved in acting in Westerns after having a screen test with Paramount Pictures in 1953. On "Al Gettel Day" in 1953, he rode to the pitcher's mound on a horse while wearing full Western gear, which resulted in him receiving the nickname "Two Gun". He embraced the nickname, wearing cowboy outfits with two revolvers. Gettel had a small role in the 1957 film The Tin Star.

Later life

Gettel continued to farm and worked in construction after his retirement from baseball. Gettel died in Norfolk on April 8, 2005.

References

  2. ^ Trutor, Clayton. "Al Gettel". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. ^ Al Gettel, 87, Pitcher For Yankees and Giants (nysun.com)
  13. Petersen, Leo H. (December 6, 1946). "Yanks Trade Three Men For Mack, Lollar". The Miami News. United Press International. p. 7-B. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "04 Jun 1948, Page 40 - The Akron Beacon Journal at". Newspapers.com. June 4, 1948. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  15. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/1949.shtml
  16. "13 Jul 1949, Page 6 - Belvidere Daily Republican at". Newspapers.com. July 13, 1949. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  17. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSH/1949.shtml
  18. "20 Aug 1949, 17 - Chicago Tribune at". Newspapers.com. August 20, 1949. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  19. "12 Oct 1950, Page 43 - The Minneapolis Star at". Newspapers.com. October 12, 1950. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  20. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYG/1951.shtml
  21. "28 Jul 1951, 3 - The Lima News at". Newspapers.com. July 28, 1951. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  22. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=a205e9f8
  23. "21 Aug 1955, 23 - The Huntsville Times at". Newspapers.com. August 21, 1955. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  24. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1955.shtml

External links

Chicago White Sox Opening Day starting pitchers
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