Ewell Albert "Reb" Russell (March 12, 1889 – September 30, 1973) was an American

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 (A ...

player for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Career

MLB

Russell was drafted by the White Sox as a pitcher in 1912. In his rookie season, his won-loss record was 22–16 and he led the league in games pitched, with 52. The lefty had a sterling 1.90 ERA while leading the team in innings pitched (316) and wins. Only Washington's ace Walter Johnson topped Reb's eight shutouts, and Russell tied a record that still stands with five 1–0 victories in a season. In 1916, he was Chicago's opening day starter; that year he led the team in wins (18), innings (264), and shutouts (5), and led the league in fewest walks allowed per inning. Russell helped the White Sox win the 1917

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

pennant, with a won-loss record of 15–5 and an ERA of 1.95. He was the starting pitcher of Game 5 of the

1917 World Series The 1917 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1917 season. The 14th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion New York Giants ...

, but was unable to retire a batter and was replaced in the first inning by Eddie Cicotte. Russell developed arm trouble in 1918 and, after a poor start, was released by Chicago.

Minor leagues and brief return to MLB

However, in the minor leagues the decent-hitting Russell converted to playing the outfield and returned to the majors in 1922, playing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That year, he batted .368 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI in 60 games. On being released at the end of the 1923 season he returned to the minor league

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

(the highest level of minor league play in his era). Russell remained a highly paid star in the AA through age 40, and won the league batting title (.385) when he was 38 years old.

External links and references

Biography
at SABR's Baseball Biography Project * 1889 births 1973 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Chicago White Sox players Pittsburgh Pirates players Fort Worth Panthers players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Columbus Senators players Indianapolis Indians players Quincy Indians players Mobile Bears players Chattanooga Lookouts players Baseball players from Jackson, Mississippi {{US-baseball-pitcher-1880s-stub