Billy Rogell
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William George Rogell (; November 24, 1904 – August 9, 2003) was an American
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player who played 14 years 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 ...
, primarily as a
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
for 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. He made his major league debut on April 14, 1925 and played his last game August 25, 1940. After his playing career, he spent 36 years as a member of the Detroit City Council.


Playing career


Early career

Born in Springfield,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, Rogell was originally signed by 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 ...
prior to the campaign after two seasons in the Southwestern League. The Red Sox quickly tried to convert the switch-hitting Rogell into solely a right-handed batter, thinking that he would benefit from more appearances from the right side, hence more chances to drive balls off the
Green Monster The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. The wall is from home plate at the left-field Foul line (baseball), foul line, making it a popular target f ...
. "They just screwed me up for a couple years," Rogell would say later. He appeared in 58 games for the last-place Red Sox—49 at second base—while hitting .195 in 169 at-bats. He was sent back to the minors for more grooming during the 1926 season before being recalled by Boston for . Rogell played in 82 games, hitting .266 while splitting time between third and second. The Red Sox again finished in the cellar, losing 100 games for the third year in a row. During the 1928 season he appeared in games at short, third, second, as well as all three outfield positions, and the Red Sox released him at the conclusion of the season. Rogell played for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association, batting .336 and driving in 90 runs. Following the season, amid offers from a handful of teams, Rogell signed with 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, where he would spend the next ten seasons.


The Tigers Years


Building a contender

Rogell struggled out of the gate and the club acquired shortstop Mark Koenig from the Yankees mid-season and plugged him into the lineup. Koenig, the same age as Rogell but already a household name, had been an integral part of the Yankees' famed
Murderers' Row Murderers' Row were the baseball teams of the New York Yankees in the late 1920s, widely considered some of the best teams in history. The nickname is particularly used for the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koen ...
lineup in 1927 and was still considered by many as one of the premier shortstops in the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
. Rogell finished the year with a .167 average in 54 games, splitting his time between short and third. Though his start in Detroit was unimpressive, by the time the 1931 season had ended it was clear to the Tigers that they had found their shortstop of the future. Rogell unseated Koenig late in the year and finished the year hitting .303 in 48 games, all at shortstop. Koenig was released after the season ended. Rogell was the Tigers'
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...
shortstop for the 1932 season, a position he would hold for the next eight years. A sure-handed fielder, he and
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
double-play partner
Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 Detroit Tigers season, 1924 to 1943 Det ...
would give the Tigers one of the best keystone-combinations in baseball history. Marv Owen, who would man the left side of the Detroit infield with Rogell for five years, said of Rogell's fielding prowess, "He's the only player I ever knew who could catch a bad hop… I don't know how he did it." Rogell's offense continued to show the promise it had with the St. Paul club. He hit .271 with 29 doubles and 88 runs scored during the '32 campaign, and improved the following year to .295, 44 doubles, 11 triples, and drew 79 walks to post a .381 on-base percentage while playing in every game. The 1933 season also marked the first time Rogell, Gehringer, Owen, and first baseman
Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", and "the Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB), p ...
appeared in the same lineup.


The Tigers break through

The Tigers, perennial second division finishers, acquired catcher/manager
Mickey Cochrane Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and De ...
from the Philadelphia A's during the winter. With him in place, the Tigers entered the 1934 season poised to take the American League by storm. Rogell, leading off in front of four future Hall of Famers (Cochrane, Gehringer, Greenberg, as well as
Goose Goslin Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators (1901–60), Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles#St. Louis B ...
), had the best season of his career, hitting .296, driving in a career-best 99 runs and scoring 114. Rogell was part of a prolific offensive infield that combined for a major league record 462
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
. The Tigers won the American League pennant (their first pennant since 1909) by seven games and were set to square off against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
in the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
. Rogell, unbeknownst to the Cardinals or the media, played the series on a broken ankle. Despite the injury, he was able to collect eight hits and drive in four runs over the seven game series. He also found his way into one of the most memorable plays in World Series history.


The Dizzy Dean Incident

After driving in a run with a single to right in the fourth inning of game four, Spud Davis was replaced by Hall of Famer
Dizzy Dean Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean (January 16, 1910 – July 17, 1974), also known as Jerome Herman Dean (both the 1910 and the 1920 Censuses show his name as "Jay"), was an American professional baseball pitcher. During his Major League Baseball (MLB) ca ...
as a pinch runner at first base. Pepper Martin then stepped in and hit a ground ball to Gehringer at second. Gehringer turned and threw to Rogell, who forced out Dean at second, and then fired the ball squarely into Dean's forehead on the relay throw to first. The ball ricocheted off Dean's head and landed over a hundred feet away in the outfield. Dean, always known for his quick wit and humorous nature, remarked after a visit to the hospital, "The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing." Rogell would say of the play later, "If I'd have known his head was there, I would have thrown the ball harder."


World Series Champion

After losing in seven games to the Cardinals, the Tigers returned to the series the following season. Again led by their stellar infield, the Tigers won the pennant by three games over the Yankees and earned a trip to face the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
for the world championship. Rogell finished with another solid year at the bat, hitting .275 with 88 runs scored while drawing 80 walks. Although he had shown speed in the minors, Rogell rarely had a chance to move on the bases with Detroit. "They didn't want me to steal," he would say after retiring. "I had Gehringer and Cochrane and Greenberg hitting behind me." Even with
American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' ...
Greenberg out for much of the series, the Tigers finished off the Cubs in six games to claim the franchise's first ever World Series crown. Rogell had another good showing in the fall classic, batting .292.


The end in Detroit and a year in Chicago

Although continuing to post winning records through the rest of the decade, the Tigers could not bring home another pennant as the
Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...
-led Yankees began their ascendancy from perennial contenders to a baseball dynasty by winning four straight World titles and six in 8 years. Rogell, after two more solid seasons at the bat, began to slip during the 1938 campaign. He did, however, set a Major League record on August 19 of that year when he was walked in seven consecutive plate appearances (a record tied by three other players since, but never eclipsed). Rogell accomplished the feat over a three-game span. He injured his arm after the season playing handball, and by the close of the 1939 season he had been replaced by 24-year-old Frank Croucher at short. Rogell was traded to the Cubs during the winter for shortstop Dick Bartell. The deal was described in the papers as being a trade of "one worn-out shortstop for another." While Bartell would be a key part of the pennant winning Tiger club, Rogell entered a hornets' nest the moment he set foot into the Cubs' spring training camp. Holdovers from the 1935 team still held resentment toward Rogell and his Tiger teammates. Rogell, defending his former mates, got into a posturing match with manager/catcher Gabby Hartnett, who finally shouted, "You don't belong here!" Rogell immediately asked for his release, which the Cubs refused. He spent the year riding the bench, as the Cubs rode their way into the second division of the National League, and retired at the conclusion of the season. Rogell appeared in only 33 games, collecting just eight hits.


Rogell and Gehringer

Rogell led American League shortstops in
fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...
in 1935, '36, and '37. He also led the league once in both
putouts In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out (baseball), out by one of the following methods: * tag play, Tagging a runner with the ball when he is no ...
and assists, and twice paired with Gehringer to lead the league in double plays. The two played over 1000 games together, making them one of the longest tenured double-play combinations in the history of the game. A fiery competitor, Rogell provided an intriguing foil to "The Mechanical Man" throughout their careers. Gehringer recalled in his Hall of Fame induction speech, "I wasn't a rabble rouser. I wasn't a big noisemaker in the infield, which a lot of managers think you've got to be or you're not showing. But I don't think it contributes much." Rogell, however, did not employ Gehringer's ideals when it came to on-field dialogue. On one occasion, after both failing to cover second on a steal attempt, Cochrane charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer. From The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract:
Rogell, astonished, looked at Gehringer to see if he was going to say anything. Gehringer, of course, had nothing to say. "Goddamn you," yelled Rogell. "Don’t you come charging out here telling me how to play shortstop. You go back there and do the catching, and I’ll play shortstop. If I’m not good enough, you can find someone else." Cochrane went back to his own position.


Retirement from baseball

Rogell spent the bulk of his "retirement" as a member of the Detroit City Council. After a brief stint in the minors as a player and coach, he returned to Detroit and began his civil service career in 1942. He would serve on the council, with a two-year break in the late forties, until 1980, playing a key role on the city's planning commissions. "I think I did a lot for that city," he would say after leaving his post. "I was chairman of the committee that built the big airport there. Also the roads and bridges committee." The road entering Detroit's Metropolitan Airport from the north, Merriman Road, changes its name to William G. Rogell Drive as it enters the airport. Rogell also used his position to help old ballplayers in the Detroit area. Former Tiger teammate Tommy Bridges (who came to the Tigers the same year as Rogell), a sober man throughout his career, started to drink while serving in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After trying to restart his career with Tigers following the war Bridges moved on to 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 ...
. His drinking became more and more prevalent until he finally collapsed drunk on the mound during a game. He divorced his wife, married a waitress from a bar he often visited, moved back to Detroit, and caught up with some of his old teammates. Rogell, upset with the condition his former mate was in, lined up for Bridges a sales job in Detroit. Bridges never came to work, but Rogell did not hold any kind of resentment toward Bridges. "It was terrible to see that," he said. "But nice guys go, too, you know." Numerous other former players also turned to Rogell when they had run out of options, and he always worked hard to try to provide them with whatever assistance he could. Rogell, after leaving the council, spent the rest of his retirement in Detroit. At age 94 he threw out the first pitch at the final game at Tiger Stadium on September 27, 1999, nearly 70 years after he had debuted for the Tigers in the same park. Billy Rogell died of pneumonia at the age of 98 in the Detroit suburb of
Sterling Heights Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Sterling Heights is located roughly north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had ...
.


See also

* 1935 Detroit Tigers season


References

* James, Bill. ''The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract''. Free Press, 2001 (2003 edition). * ''The Baseball Biographical Encyclopedia''. Total/Sports Illustrated, 2000. * Neyer, Rob. ''Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups''. Fireside, 2003. * Stanton, Tom. ''The Final Season''. Tom Dunne Books, 2001. 230–234. * Obituary. The Associated Press, 11 August 2003.
Baseball-Reference.com

Retrosheet.org


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogell, Billy 1904 births 2003 deaths Boston Red Sox players Detroit Tigers players Chicago Cubs players Major League Baseball shortstops Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Sportspeople from Sterling Heights, Michigan Detroit City Council members Salina Millers players Jersey City Skeeters players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Montreal Royals players Lancaster Red Roses players American Association (1902–1997) MVP Award winners American athlete-politicians Baseball players from Springfield, Illinois 20th-century Michigan politicians