Al Gettel

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Al Gettel
Al Gettel.jpg
Pitcher
Born: (1917-09-17)September 17, 1917
Norfolk, Virginia
Died: April 8, 2005(2005-04-08) (aged 87)
Norfolk, Virginia
Batted: Right
Threw: 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
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. He also had a brief career as an actor in Westerns.

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.[1] Gettel graduated from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[2]

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.[2] In 1937, he pitched for the Butler Yankees of the Class D Pennsylvania State Association, where he pitched to a 7–5 win-loss record and a 3.99 earned run average (ERA) in 24 games pitched,[3] and the Bassett Furnituremakers of the Class D Bi-State League, where he had 1–1 record and a 4.09 ERA in four appearances.[4] Gettel pitched for the Snow Hill Billies of the Class D Coastal Plain League in 1938, and had a 16–7 record.[5] In 1939, he pitched for the Augusta Tigers of the Class B South Atlantic League in 1939, and had a 14–8 record and a 3.46 ERA.[6] He pitched for the Newark Bears of the Class AA International League in 1940 and 1941; he had a 3–3 record and a 3.43 ERA in 1940 and a 12–9 record and a 2.98 ERA in 1941.[7][8] Pitching for the Kansas City Blues of the Class AA American Association in 1942, he had a 12–11 record and a 3.62 ERA.[9]

On January 22, 1943, the Yankees traded Gettel and Ed Levy with $10,000 to the Philadelphia Phillies for Nick Etten.[10] However, Gettel indicated that he would stay on his family farm during the 1943 season,[11] as farming was a reserved occupation,[12] while Levy was reclassified as 1-A by the Selective Service System, making him eligible for the draft.[13] The Phillies requested that the Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the Commissioner of Baseball, void the trade.[14][15] The dispute was settled on March 26, with Gettel and Levy returning to the Yankees, who sent Tom Padden and Al Gerheauser to the Phillies to complete the trade.[16] Gettel played for Norfolk in the 1943 and 1944 seasons; he had a 11–11 win-loss record and a 1.38 ERA in 1943 and a 17–7 record and a 1.81 ERA in 1944.[17][18]

Gettel made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1945.[2] Gettel pitched for the Yankees in 1945 and 1946, and had a 15–15 win-loss record and a 3.84 ERA across both seasons.[19] He allowed 11 home runs in 1945, which was the fifth-most in the American League.[20] 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.[21]

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.[2] On June 2, 1948, Cleveland traded Gettel and Pat Seerey to the Chicago White Sox for Bob Kennedy.[22] He had a 8–10 win-loss record and a 4.01 ERA for Chicago after the trade.[2] Gettel struggled with the White Sox in 1949, pitching to a 2–5 record and a 6.43 ERA.[23] On July 12, 1949, the Washington Senators purchased Gettel from the White Sox for the waiver price of $10,000.[24] He had a 0–2 record and a 5.45 ERA for Washington.[25] 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.[26] 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.[2]

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.[27] He had a 1–2 record and a 4.87 ERA in 29 relief appearances and one game started,[28] before the Giants sold Gettel to Oakland on July 27, 1951.[29] In 1953, he had a 24–14 record and a 3.20 ERA,[30] setting a franchise record for wins. He also led the PCL in innings pitched for three consecutive seasons.[31]

On August 20, 1955, the St. Louis Cardinals purchased Gettel from Oakland.[32] He had a 1–0 record and a 9.00 ERA in eight appearances for St. Louis.[33] Gettel played for the San Diego Padres of the PCL in 1956.[2] He tried out for the Hollywood Stars of the PCL in 1957, but did not make the team.[34] He pitched in five games for the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League in 1959.[2] Gettel retired from baseball with a 38–45 record and a 4.28 ERA in the major leagues.[19]

Acting career[]

While Gettel played for Oakland, he became involved in acting in Westerns after having a screen test with Paramount Pictures in 1953,[2] which resulted in him receiving the nickname "Two Gun". He embraced the nickname, wearing cowboy outfits with two revolvers to the stadium.[35] On "Al Gettel Day" in 1953, he rode from left field to home plate on a horse while wearing full Western wear.[36] Gettel signed a contract with Gene Autry to develop films,[37] and had a small role in the 1957 film The Tin Star.[19]

Later life[]

Gettel and his wife had three children.[38] After his retirement from baseball, he continued to farm and became a construction equipment operator in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[19][31] In 2001, Gettel and other players from the 1951 New York Giants admitted to stealing signs in their run to the postseason, with Gettel saying that "every hitter knew what was coming", and that it "made a big difference" for the Giants.[2][39]

Gettel died in Norfolk on April 8, 2005.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "22 Nov 1953, 109". Oakland Tribune. November 22, 1953. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trutor, Clayton. "Al Gettel". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  3. ^ "1937 Butler Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "1937 Bassett Furnituremakers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "1938 Snow Hill Billies Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "1939 Augusta Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "1940 Newark Bears Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "1941 Newark Bears Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "1942 Kansas City Blues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "23 Jan 1943, 18". The Morning Post. January 23, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "17 Mar 1943, 23". The Salt Lake Tribune. March 17, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "31 May 1943, 3". Beatrice Daily Sun. May 31, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1 Apr 1943, Page 10". Palladium-Item. April 1, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "15 Mar 1943, Page 16". The Morning News. March 15, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "23 Mar 1943, Page 27". The Times. March 23, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "27 Mar 1943, Page 8". Nevada State Journal. March 27, 1943. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "1943 Norfolk Tars Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "1944 Norfolk Tars Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e Miller, Stephen (April 27, 2005). "Al Gettel, 87, Pitcher For Yankees and Giants". The New York Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "1945 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "04 Jun 1948, Page 40". The Akron Beacon Journal. June 4, 1948. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "1949 Chicago White Sox Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "13 Jul 1949, Page 6". Belvidere Daily Republican. July 13, 1949. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "1949 Washington Senators Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "20 Aug 1949, 17". Chicago Tribune. August 20, 1949. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "12 Oct 1950, Page 43". The Minneapolis Star. October 12, 1950. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "1951 New York Giants Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  29. ^ "28 Jul 1951, 3". The Lima News. July 28, 1951. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "1953 Oakland Oaks Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  31. ^ a b Marazzi, Rich (2003). Baseball Players of the 1950s: A Biographical Dictionary of All 1,560 Major Leaguers. McFarland & Company. p. 128-129. ISBN 9781476604299.
  32. ^ "21 Aug 1955, 23". The Huntsville Times. August 21, 1955. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "1955 St. Louis Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  34. ^ "6 Apr 1957, Page 21". The Los Angeles Times. April 6, 1957. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "31 Jan 1963, 24". Oakland Tribune. January 31, 1963. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "1 Aug 1953, 12". Oakland Tribune. August 1, 1953. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "15 Jun 1954, Page 17". Long Beach Independent. June 15, 1954. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Hall, Christine (December 7, 1953). "Urbanna Baseball Player Will Begin Career as Cowboy in Gene Autry Film". The Times Dispatch. Retrieved March 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Harris, Joshua (January 31, 2001). "Was the '51 Giants Comeback a Miracle, Or Did They Simply Steal the Pennant?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

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