Howard Joseph Pollet (June 26, 1921 – August 8, 1974) was an American left-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

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), ...

during the 1940s and 1950s. A three-time All-Star in

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 ...

, 1946 and 1949, he twice led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

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 ...

(1.75 in 1943 and 2.10 in 1946).

Stellar minor league career

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, Pollet signed his first professional contract with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, and it was as a Cardinal that he achieved his greatest success. In 1941, he won 20 of 23 decisions and led the Class A1

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in ERA (1.16) and strikeouts (151) as a member of the

Houston Buffaloes The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League Baseball, Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The clu ...

. This performance earned Pollet a promotion to the Cards that season: as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

, he won 5 and lost 2, with an ERA of 1.93. He missed the 1944–45 seasons while serving in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.

Ace left-hander for postwar Cardinals

Pollet returned to baseball in 1946, and promptly played a major role in the Redbirds' National League pennant and

world title A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. In addition to topping the NL in earned-run average, he led the league in wins (21) (losing ten) and innings pitched (266). When the Cardinals finished in a tie for the pennant with the Brooklyn Dodgers at the close of the regular season, he was chosen by manager

Eddie Dyer Edwin Hawley Dyer (October 11, 1899 – April 20, 1964) was an American left-handed pitcher, manager and farm system official in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922–1944 and 1946–1950. In , Dyer's first season at the he ...

to start Game 1 of the best-of-three National League playoff on October 1. Pollet hurled a complete game, 4–2 victory in the opener, and the Cardinals wrapped up the league title by easily winning Game 2 behind

Murry Dickson Murry Monroe Dickson (August 21, 1916 – September 21, 1989) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1940s and 1950s. He was known for his vast array of pitches and del ...

. Pollet started two games of the

1946 World Series The 1946 World Series was played in October 1946 between the St. Louis Cardinals (representing the National League) and the Boston Red Sox (representing the American League). This was the Red Sox's first appearance in a World Series since their c ...

against 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, and lost his only decision, posting an ERA of 3.48 in 12 innings pitched. In 1949 Pollet posted a 20–9 mark and led the NL in

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

with five. That year, however, St. Louis finished second to Brooklyn by one game. Pollet was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 15, 1951, and thereafter struggled to post a winning record. During his 14-year career, he won 131 and lost 116 (.530) with a career ERA of 3.51. As a Cardinal (1941–43; 1946–51), his record was 97–65; as a member of the Pirates, Chicago Cubs and

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 ...

(1951–56), he won 34 and lost 51. Altogether, he worked in 403 Major League games pitched and 2,107 innings pitched; he gave up 2,096 hits and 745 bases on balls with 934 strikeouts. As a hitter, Pollet posted a .185

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(129-for-698) with 54 runs, 48 RBI and 55 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .960 fielding percentage.

Pitching coach

Pollet returned to the field in 1959 as the Cardinals' pitching coach, serving through 1964. In his last season there, the Cards won their seventh

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. He then moved back to his adopted city of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

in 1965, working as the pitching coach of the

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

for one season. Pollet was a business partner of his former manager, Dyer, in insurance, real estate and energy companies in Houston. He retired from baseball and resumed his business career after the 1965 season, and died from adenocarcinoma in Houston at age 53 in 1974.

References

*Reichler, Joseph, ed. ''The Baseball Encyclopedia.'' New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1979.

External links

* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollet, Howie 1921 births 1974 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Baseball players from New Orleans Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Deaths from adenoid cystic carcinoma Deaths from cancer in Texas Houston Astros coaches Houston Buffaloes players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches National League All-Stars National League ERA champions National League wins champions New Iberia Cardinals players Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Louis Cardinals coaches St. Louis Cardinals players Baseball players from Houston United States Army Air Forces soldiers

Stellar minor league career

Ace left-hander for postwar Cardinals

Pitching coach

See also

References

External links