Alvin Floyd Crowder (January 11, 1899 – April 3, 1972), nicknamed "General", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eleven seasons in the American League with the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, and the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. In 402 career games, Crowder pitched 2344.1

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

and posted a win–loss record of 167–115, with 150

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, 16 shutouts, and a 4.12 earned run average (ERA).

Early life

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Crowder served almost three years in the army during World War I, including assignments in the Philippines and 11 months with the American Expeditionary Force in Siberia. However, he never reached the rank of "General." His nickname, "General" Crowder, came from General Enoch Crowder, who designed the World War I draft lottery in the United States. Crowder learned to play baseball when he was a private in the Army. He had been shipped from Siberia to the Philippines and back again before a

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 ...

scout offered him a job.

Career

Although Crowder signed his first baseball contract in 1920, he did not play a full season until 1923, with the Winston-Salem Twins. He did not appear in his first major league game until the age of 27, in 1926. Crowder won only seven games in each of his first two seasons, but finished the 1928 season with a record of 21–5 for the Browns. His .808 win percentage was the best in the American League, and his 21 wins finished fourth best in the league. Crowder won 20 games in three different seasons, including a 26–13 record in , the most wins in the American League. In that same season, Crowder set the record, which he still holds, for the most innings pitched in a season without hitting a batter, with 327. In 1933, Crowder won 24 games, again the most in the AL, helped the Senators win the pennant, pitched in the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and finished 7th in the American League Most Valuable Player voting. The

selected Crowder off waivers on August 3, 1934. He went 5–1 for the Tigers down the stretch, helping them win their first pennant in 25 years. Crowder faced the Yankees in two series late in the 1934 season, winning the opening game in both. Those two victories helped the Tigers overtake the Yankees for the American League pennant. In the

1934 World Series The 1934 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1934 season. The 31st edition of the World Series, it matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" won in seven gam ...

against the St. Louis Cardinals, he lost Game 1 to Dizzy Dean. In 1935, Crowder went 16–10 for the Tigers as the club won its second consecutive American League pennant. He pitched a complete game in Game 4 of the

1935 World Series The 1935 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1935 season. The 32nd edition of the World Series, it matched the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers won in six games for their first championship ...

for a 2–1 victory to help the Tigers win their first World Series championship. Crowder pitched in three World Series consecutively (1933–1935), posting a record of 1–2 with a 3.81 ERA in 26

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 ...

. Crowder was also known as "Yankee Killer", for his success against the Yankees generally and Babe Ruth in particular. In his career, Crowder had a 167–115 record with a 4.12 ERA. Crowder was a good fielding pitcher in his career, recording a .984

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

, making only seven errors in 450 total chances. After making an error against the New York Yankees on May 19, 1932, he went the rest of his career without making another, covering 209

games pitched In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although except ...

and handling 180 total chances without a miscue. As a hitter, he went 164-847, for a .194 batting average with 66

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

and 60

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

Post-baseball

After his playing career ended, Crowder returned to Winston-Salem where he operated the Winston-Salem Twins during the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1967, Crowder was named to North Carolina's Sports Hall of Fame. Crowder died in 1972 at age 73 in Winston-Salem.

Notes

References

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External links