Ernest Edward "Tiny" Bonham (August 16, 1913 – September 15, 1949) was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1940 to 1949, he played for the New York Yankees (1940–1946) and

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 ...

(1947–1949). Bonham, who batted and threw right-handed, won 21 games for the Yankees in 1942. He was born in

Ione, California Ione ( ) is a city in Amador County, California. The population was 7,918 at the 2010 census, up from 7,129 in 2000. Once known as " Bed-Bug" and "Freeze Out," Ione was an important supply center on the main road to the Mother Lode and Southern ...

, and nicknamed "Tiny" because he was an imposing tall and weighed .

Career

In a 10-season career, Bonham posted a 103–72 ( .589) record with 478

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s and a 3.06 ERA in 1,551

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Bonham kept opposing batters off balance with an assortment of deliveries. He started his professional baseball career with the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: * Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey t ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

in 1935. He worked his way up through the New York Yankees

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

system until 1940, when he was summoned from Triple-A Kansas City to anchor a weak Yankees pitching staff. Remaining with the Yankees until , Bonham was a pitching mainstay of manager

Joe McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarth ...

's pennant-winning combinations between 1941 and 1943. Bonham supplied his team with the decisive complete game 4-hit 3–1 victory over the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

in Game Five of the

1941 World Series The 1941 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games to capture their fifth title in six years, and their ninth overall. The name "Subway Series" arose for a World Series played ...

played at Ebbets Field. But Bonham was ill-fated in his other Series starts, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

and

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

, both times by 4–3 scores. His most productive season came in 1942, when he led the American League with 21

wins WINS may refer to: *WINS (AM), an all-news radio station in New York City *WINS-FM, a radio station in New York City *World Institute for Nuclear Security *Windows Internet Name Service *WINS (solution stack), a set of software subsystems *Wireles ...

, six shutouts, 22

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s and a .808 winning percentage. He made the All-Star team that season and again in 1943. Hampered by a chronic back ailment during his last few years with the Yankees, which were interrupted by a brief time in the Army in 1944, Bonham was sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1947 season. Although his physical condition was such that he could not be counted on regularly, Bonham provided three solid seasons for the Pirates. After a 1–4 start in 1949, Bonham won six straight games for a floundering Pittsburgh club, including an 8–2 victory over the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

on August 27, his final game. Nineteen days later Bonham died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 36, following an appendectomy and stomach surgery.

References

External links

Tiny Bonham
- Baseballbiography.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonham, Tiny 1913 births 1949 deaths Akron Yankees players American League All-Stars Baseball players from California Binghamton Triplets players Major League Baseball pitchers Kansas City Blues (baseball) players People from Amador County, California New York Yankees players Newark Bears (IL) players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Pittsburgh Pirates players United States Army personnel of World War II

Career

See also

References

External links