Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (; May 5, 1884
[There is uncertainty about Bender's birth-date. He was voted the ]SABR
Sabr () (literally 'endurance' or more accurately 'perseverance' and 'persistence'"Ṣabr", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'') is one of the two parts of Iman (concept), faith (the other being ''shukr'') in Islam. It teaches to remain Spirituality, sp ...
"Centennial Celebrity" of 1983, as the best baseball player or figure born in 1883. However, the SABR ''Baseball Research Journal'' for 1983 acknowledges that there are discrepancies in records about Bender's birth year, ranging from 1883 to 1885. They year 1884 is the figure most often given. His grave marker says 1884. – May 22, 1954) was a
Native American professional
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 ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
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 ...
during the 1900s and 1910s. In 1911, Bender tied a record by pitching three
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 in a single
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- ...
. He finished his career with a 212–127
win–loss record for a .625 winning percentage and a career 2.46
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 ...
(ERA).
After his major league playing career, Bender's roles in baseball included major league coach, minor league manager and player-manager, college manager, and professional scout. He was elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
in 1953 and died the following year.
Early life
Bender was born in
Crow Wing County, Minnesota
Crow Wing County is a County (United States), county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 66,123. Its county seat is Brainerd, Minnesota, Brainerd. The cou ...
, as a member of the
White Earth Band of the
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. His father was German and his mother was part Chippewa. As a child, he was named ''Mandowescence'', which might be translated into English as "Little Spirit Animal". His family had on the
White Earth Indian Reservation near
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Detroit Lakes is a city and the county seat of Becker County, Minnesota, Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much hi ...
. His father taught him to farm on the reservation. He graduated from
Carlisle Indian Industrial School
The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from its founding in 1879 to 1918. It was based in the histo ...
and attended
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...
.
Baseball career
Early career
Bender debuted in the major leagues in 1903. He is one of only a few pitchers in the 20th century to throw 200 or more innings at the age of 19. His walks per nine innings rate were 2.17; only a few pitchers since 1893 have had a rate below 2.2 at the age of 20 or younger. That year, he also won a game against
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered t ...
and met his future wife Marie.
In 1905, Bender earned an 18–11
win–loss record with a 2.83 ERA, helping the A's win the AL pennant; but they lost the World Series in five games to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. Bender went 1–1 with a 1.06 ERA in the series, pitching a 4-hit, 3–0 complete-game shutout in Game 2, striking out 9. He went the distance again in Game 5, giving up just two earned runs in eight innings, losing 2–0 to
Christy Mathewson
Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...
.
After solid seasons in 1906 (15–10, 2.53), 1907 (16–8, 2.05), 1908 (8–9 despite a 1.75 ERA), and 1909 (18–8, 1.66), he led the Athletics to the AL pennant in 1910, as Philadelphia went 102–48, games ahead of the second-place
New York Highlanders
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...
. Bender led the AL in winning percentage, at .821, going 23–5 with a 1.58 ERA. He went 1–1 with a 1.93 ERA 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- ...
as the A's beat 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 ...
, who had gone 104–50 in the regular season, in five games. Bender pitched a complete-game three-hitter in the opener, striking out 8 and giving up only one unearned run. He lost Game 4 of the series in another complete-game effort, 4–3 in 10 innings. Bender pitched all innings for the Athletics, striking out 6.
Later career
In 1911, he led the AL in winning percentage again (.773), going 17–5 with a 2.16 ERA as the A's won their second consecutive AL pennant, going 101–50 and finishing games ahead of 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 ...
. In a rematch of the
1905 World Series, the Athletics got their revenge, defeating the New York Giants and becoming the first American League team to win back-to-back World Series (the Chicago Cubs from the NL had won back-to-back titles in 1907 and 1908). After losing the opener 2–1 to Mathewson, though pitching a complete game, giving up just 5 hits and 2 runs (1 earned run) and striking out 11, Bender returned in Game 4, beating the Giants 4–2 on a complete game 7-hitter, and closed out the Series in game 6 with a 13–2 A's victory. Bender again went the distance (his 3rd complete game of the series), a 4-hit performance which he gave up no earned runs (the two Giants runs were unearned). He went 2–1, with 1.04 ERA and 3 complete games in the series.
In 1912 Bender was 13–8 with a 2.74 ERA. He did not start for nearly 40 games late in the year and was suspended by the A's in September for alcohol abuse. His next contract had a clause saying he had to abstain from drinking to earn his full salary. In 1913, he went 21–10 with a 2.21 ERA, helping the A's win their third AL pennant in four years. They would also make it three World Series titles in four years by defeating the Giants in five games. Bender went 2–0 in the series with complete-game victories in Games 1 and 4.
He led the AL in winning percentage (.850) for the third time in 1914, going 17–3 with a 2.26 ERA, and the A's would win their fourth AL pennant in five years. But the Athletics would be swept by the underdog
Boston Braves
The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
, with Bender losing Game 1 7–1, giving up 6 earned runs in innings. It was the only World Series game he failed to finish, after completing his previous nine starts in the Fall Classic.
When the
Baltimore Terrapins of the upstart
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...
offered Bender a large salary increase, Athletics manager
Connie Mack
Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. Mack holds records for the most wins (3,731), losses (3,948), ties (76), and ga ...
knew he could not hope to match it and released Bender. In his only season with the Terrapins, Bender went 4–16, and his 3.99 ERA was near the bottom of the league. Bender later regretted leaving Philadelphia for the upstart league. After two years with the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
, he left baseball in 1918 to work in the shipyards during World War I.
Over his career, his win–loss record was 212–127, for a .625 winning percentage (a category in which he led 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 ...
in three seasons), and a career 2.46 ERA. His talent was even more noticeable in the high-pressure environment of 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- ...
; in five trips to the championship series, he managed six wins and a 2.44
ERA
An era is a span of time.
Era or ERA may also refer to:
* Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time
* Calendar era
Education
* Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school
* ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia
* E ...
, completing 9 of the 10 games he started, putting him second in World Series history behind Christy Mathewson. In the
1911 Series, he pitched three
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 to tie Mathewson's record of three complete games in a World Series. He also threw a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
on May 12, 1910, beating the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
4–0.
Bender was an adept hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a .212
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 ...
(243-for-1,147) with 102
runs, 6
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
and 116
RBI. Bender notably hit two home runs in one game—rare for the dead ball era—in a 1906 game where he replaced outfielder
Topsy Hartsel. He had 10 or more RBI in a season four times, with a career-high 16 in 1910.
Minor leagues
In 1919, Bender pitched in the minor leagues for the
Richmond Colts of the
Virginia League. He earned a 29–2 record that year. He spent the next three seasons as a player-manager: the first two seasons with the
New Haven Weissmen/Indians and the third was with the Class AA
Reading Aces. For the 1920 New Haven team, Bender recorded 25 wins as a pitcher. His record declined to 13–7 in 1921 and 8–13 in 1922.
In 1923 and 1924, Bender did not manage, but did pitch for the minor league
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
and the
New Haven Profs
The New Haven Profs was one of the longest lasting names of a minor league baseball team that was located in New Haven, Connecticut, and played primarily in the Eastern League (1916–1932), Eastern League and Connecticut League from 1878 to 1932 ...
, respectively. He went 6–3 with a 5.03 ERA for Baltimore, then went 6–4 with a 3.07 ERA for New Haven.
[
]
Coaching career
Bender came back to the majors as a coach for the 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
(1925–26) and even made a cameo appearance on the mound in 1925. Between 1924 and 1928, Bender managed the baseball team at the United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...
, where he had a record of 42–34–2. In 1931, he coached for the Giants and the next year managed the Yankees affiliate in the Central League. He then returned to the Athletics where he worked as a scout, minor league manager, and coach. The Yankees signed Bender in February 1942 as a pitching coach for the Newark Bears
The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...
.
Personal
Bender was nicknamed "Chief", a common nickname for baseball players of Native American descent. Biographer Tom Swift writes that Bender "was often portrayed as a caricature and was the subject of myriad cartoons – many exhibits of narrow-mindedness. After he threw one of the most dominating games of the early years of the American League, Bender was depicted wielding a tomahawk and wearing a headdress as though he was a happy warrior."
He also faced discrimination on the field. Swift writes that taunting from the bench was common in Bender's era and that the opposition or the fans often made war whoops or yelled taunts such as "Nig!" or "Back to the reservation!" Bender usually remained calm, sometimes smiling at the insults. After an inning in which he had pitched particularly well, he might yell back, "Foreigners! Foreigners!"
Off the baseball field, Bender was one of several prominent baseball players who enjoyed trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting. The other disciplines are skeet shooting and sporting clays.
Trap shooting is distinguished by the targets being launched from a single "house" or machine, ...
, bowling, and golf. He felt that shooting in the offseason helped to train his eye and increase his self-control. He worked in sporting goods at Wanamaker's
Wanamaker's was an American department store chain founded in 1861 by John Wanamaker. It was one of the first department stores in the United States, and peaked at 16 locations along the Delaware Valley in the 20th century. Wanamaker's was pur ...
in Philadelphia during his early playing days. He opened his own store, Bender Sporting Goods, in 1914.
In February 1917, Bender was charged with manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
when a car he owned struck and killed a boy in Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and the driver sped off. He was cleared of wrongdoing later the same month by a coroner's jury
A coroner's jury is a body convened to assist a coroner in an inquest, that is, in determining the identity of a deceased person and the cause of death. The laws on its role and function vary by jurisdiction.
United Kingdom
In England and Wa ...
.
Bender's brother, John C. Bender, also played professional baseball. John Bender was suspended from minor league baseball for three years beginning in 1908 after he stabbed his manager, Win Clark, several times during a fight. John Bender is sometimes erroneously described as having died on a baseball field, but he died at a restaurant in 1911, not long after attempting a professional baseball comeback.
Later life
Late in his life, Bender's friend John Burns gave him a plot of land in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Bender planted a garden on the land and worked with it almost every day, even though he lived in Philadelphia, about 12 miles away. He grew fruits and vegetables, especially corn, and ate, sold, or gave away what he grew. After the 1950 season, Bender took his last position in the major leagues, replacing 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 ...
as the pitching coach for the Athletics. Bender's coaching helped pitcher Bobby Shantz win the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1952. Bender was struggling with health problems, including arthritis and a cancer he did not disclose, during his tenure with Philadelphia.
In his last days, Bender remained close friends with Athletics coach Bing Miller
Edmund John "Bing" Miller (August 30, 1894 – May 7, 1966) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1922 to 1936, most prominently as a member of the Philadelphia Athletic ...
, who used to bring Bender a container of ice cream almost every day. Bender was hospitalized in Philadelphia in mid-April 1954. He died there on May 22, 1954, of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...
. He had also been suffering from cardiac problems. While he had been hospitalized, Bender sent Marie to Shibe Park
Shibe Park ( , rhymes with "vibe"), known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) from 1909 to 1954 and the Philadelphia Phillies of the Natio ...
for each home game so that she could report back to him on his team's pitching.
Bender was buried in the Philadelphia suburb of Roslyn, Pennsylvania.[
]
Legacy
Bender was well-liked by his fellow players. Teammate Rube Bressler called him "one of the kindest and finest men who ever lived". Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...
praised his intelligence, describing a play by Bender in the 1911 World Series as "the greatest bit of brainwork I ever saw in a ballgame". Cobb was not alone in regard for his intelligence; Bender drew similar praise from many other teammates, opponents, and umpires, including Billy Evans and Nap Lajoie
Napoléon Lajoie (; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie, was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "the Frenchman", he represented both Ph ...
. Bender was also known for his keen eye and ability to discern subtle details of opposing pitchers' motions to help his teammates predict their pitches. His success led other teams to suspect Bender and the Athletics were stealing signs; though teammate Cy Morgan denied the A's were stealing signs, Danny Murphy praised Bender's ability and said he could "come pretty near to getting anybody's signs." Mack often put this skill to use by occasionally using Bender as the third or first base coach on days he wasn't scheduled to pitch.
The innovator of the slider is debated, but some credit Bender as the first to use the pitch, then called a "nickel curve", in the 1910s.["WISCONSIN Magazine of History"](_blank)
,''Wisconsin Historical Society Press'', Spring 2004 issue. Accessed July 8, 2007. Bender used his slider to help him achieve a no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
and win 212 games.
Bender was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
in 1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
, less than a year before his death. He died before his induction ceremony and Marie accepted the Hall of Fame plaque on his behalf.[Kashatus, p. 152]
In 1981, Lawrence Ritter
Lawrence Stanley Ritter (May 23, 1922 – February 15, 2004) was an American writer who wrote on economics and baseball.
Career
Ritter was a professor of economics and finance at New York University, and was chairman of the Department of Financ ...
and Donald Honig
Donald Martin Honig (born August 17, 1931) is an American novelist, historian and editor who mostly writes about baseball.
While a member of the Bobo Newsom Memorial Society, an informal group of writers, Honig attempted to convince Lawrence Rit ...
included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time''. The Minnesota Humanities Center published a children book about his life, ''Charles Albert Bender: National Hall of Fame Pitcher'', written by Kade Ferris (Turtle Mountain Chippewa
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe language: Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag) is a federally recognized Native American tribe of Ojibwe based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. The tribe has 30,000 ...
/Métis
The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...
) and illustrated by Tashia Hart ( Red Lake Chippewa).
See also
* List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
* List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
The following is a list of annual leaders in saves in Major League Baseball (MLB), with separate lists for the American League and the National League. The list includes several professional leagues and associations that were never part of MLB.
...
* List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is a situation in which a batter (baseball), batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded ...
* List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
Below is a list of Major League Baseball no-hitters, enumerating every no-hitter pitched in Major League Baseball history. The list also includes no-hit games that were broken up in extra innings or were in shortened games, although they have no ...
Notes
Citations
References
*
*
Further reading
*
Charles Albert Bender
at MNopedia
* Sorell, Traci (2023). ''Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players'', One World Series.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Chief
1884 births
1954 deaths
People from Crow Wing County, Minnesota
American people of German descent
Baltimore Orioles (International League) players
Baltimore Terrapins players
20th-century American sportsmen
Baseball players from Minnesota
Carlisle Indian Industrial School alumni
Chicago White Sox coaches
Chicago White Sox players
Dickinson Red Devils baseball players
Johnstown Johnnies players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Minor league baseball managers
National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Native American baseball players
Navy Midshipmen baseball coaches
New Haven Indians players
New Haven Profs players
New Haven Weissmen players
New York Giants (NL) coaches
Philadelphia Athletics coaches
Philadelphia Athletics players
Philadelphia Athletics scouts
Philadelphia Phillies players
Reading Aces players
Richmond Colts players
Deaths from prostate cancer in Pennsylvania
White Earth Nation people
People acquitted of manslaughter
Ojibwe sportsmen