Warren Harvey "Curly" Ogden (January 24, 1901 – August 6, 1964) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
(MLB) from 1922 to 1926 for the
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakl ...
Ogden, Pennsylvania
Upper Chichester Township is a civil township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,738 at the 2010 census.
History
The Lenni Lenape Indians were the earliest occupants of Upper Chichester. They erected several s ...
on January 24, 1901. The town is named after Ogden's family who lived on the land now known as Upper Chichester, Southwest of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
for generations. Ogden's ancestor had come to America from England on the same ship as
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy an ...
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...
, pitched for the baseball team, was a member of the
Student Army Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1922.
Career
Before the 1922 baseball season, Ogden was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent. He was brought straight to the majors and made his debut against Cleveland in Philadelphia on July 18, 1922.
On May 23, 1924, Ogden was selected off waivers by the Washington Senators from the Philadelphia Athletics. Ogden was the starting pitcher for the Washington Senators in the final game of the 1924 World Series, which they won in 12 innings. The right-hander was something of a decoy in that Game 7, given his first start of the Series as a ploy by Senators manager Bucky Harris to get the opposition to load its lineup with left-handed hitters. Harris then removed Ogden after two batters and replaced him with the left-handed pitcher George Mogridge, making Ogden one of the earliest known examples of an " opener".
Ogden spent three seasons with the Senators from 1924 to 1926, making 29 starts. On March 27, 1927, Ogden was purchased by the
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
from the Washington Senators. Ogden continued playing minor league baseball for the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...
into the 1934 season before retiring.
After his professional baseball career, Ogden taught and coached for 18 years at Penns Grove High School in
Penns Grove, New Jersey
Penns Grove is a borough in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,147,Jack Ogden, also attended Swarthmore College, pitched in the major leagues for the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census.
Incorporated in 1682, Chester ...
. Together they had a daughter, Helen, born in 1934. Ogden died on August 6, 1964, and is interred at the Lawn Croft Cemetery in
Linwood, Pennsylvania
Linwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,281 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Linwood is located in southern Delaware County at (39.825945, -75.422808). It occupies the east ...