Walter Franklin Ripley (November 26, 1916 – October 7, 1990) was a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. Listed at , 168 lb., Ripley batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

Life

He was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

. His son, Allen Ripley, was also a major league pitcher. Ripley was 18 years old when he entered the majors in with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, to become the youngest major league player during that season. He broke

Smoky Joe Wood Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood (October 25, 1889 – July 27, 1985) was an American professional baseball player for 14 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1915, where he was primarily a pitcher, and for the Cleveland In ...

's Red Sox record for youngest player by 40 days (Ripley was 18 years, 264 days; Wood was 18 years, 304 days.) In two relief appearances, Ripley allowed four runs and seven hits, giving up three walks without

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 4.0 innings of work for a 9.00

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. He did not have a

decision Decision may refer to: Law and politics *Judgment (law), as the outcome of a legal case *Landmark decision, the outcome of a case that sets a legal precedent * ''Per curiam'' decision, by a court with multiple judges Books * ''Decision'' (novel) ...

or saves and never appeared in a major league game again. Ripley died in

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...

, at the age of 73.

External links

Retrosheet
Boston Red Sox players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Worcester, Massachusetts 1916 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen Deerfield Academy alumni Cedar Rapids Raiders players Danville Leafs players Moline Plowboys players Pawtucket Slaters players Rocky Mount Red Sox players Welch Miners players Burials at Massachusetts National Cemetery United States Army personnel of World War II {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub

Life

See also

External links