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Earl Averill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Howard Earl Averill (May 21, 1902 - August 16, 1983) was an American player in Major League Baseball who was a center fielder from 1929 to 1941. He was a six-time All-Star (1933-38) and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
Born in Snohomish, Washington, Averill broke into the major leagues in 1929 (at the age of 27) with the Cleveland Indians. He played for Cleveland for over ten years, and remains the all-time Indian leader in total bases, runs batted in, runs, and triples. He also remains 3rd in all-time Indian hits and doubles, and 4th in all-time Indian home runs and walks. During his time in Cleveland, the team never finished higher than 3rd. He's famous for hitting the line drive that broke Dizzy Dean's toe in the 1937 All-Star Game.
Averill was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the 1939 season (June 14). The following season his playing time was limited, but the Tigers reached the World Series. In the seven-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, the 38 year old Averill went 0-for-3 in three pinch-hit attempts. The Reds won the series 4 games to three.
Averill retired in 1941 after struggling in April with the Boston Braves.
His son, Earl Jr., also played in the majors from 1956 through 1963. He was mainly a catcher but also played left field and a few games at infield.
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- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- The Deadball Era