David Charles "Dauntless Dave" Danforth (March 7, 1890 – September 19, 1970) was an 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, ...

. He 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 ...

(MLB) for ten seasons (1911–1912, 1916–1919, 1922–1925) with the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

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 ...

, and

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

. For his career, he compiled a 71–66 record in 286 appearances, with a 3.89

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 ...

and 484

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. Danforth played on two

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- ...

championship teams, the

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

Athletics and the

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

White Sox. He appeared in one World Series game (in 1917), pitching one

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

, giving up two runs and striking out two. Danforth was an alumnus of

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

. He pitched two seasons at Baylor and pitched two

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 ...

s as a collegiate. In 1911 he led Baylor to the Texas championship with a 10-0

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

. He had agreed to join the Athletics for the 1911 season over the winter of 1910–11, but held off signing his professional contract until graduating from Baylor, joining the Athletics in July. The 1912 Reach Guide described him as a "clever young pitcher" and said that the Athletics were "fortunate" in his "gradual development" in their pursuit of the 1911 league championship. He was known for adulterating baseballs and throwing " shiners". A 1920 rule change banned this practice and Danforth's career suffered following the rule change. After retiring from baseball, he worked as a dentist. He was born in

Granger, Texas Granger is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. It was incorporated in 1891. The population was 1,183 at the 2020 census. History In the late 19th century, Granger was one of the centers of the large Moravian Czech immigrant popu ...

and died in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

at the age of 80. He is buried in

Loudon Park Cemetery Loudon Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated on January 27, 1853, on of the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by James Carey, a local merchant and politician. The entrance to the cemetery ...

Baseball Almanac
/ref> in Baltimore.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danforth, Dave 1890 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Athletics players Chicago White Sox players St. Louis Browns players 20th-century American sportsmen Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Columbus Senators players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Dallas Steers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Scranton Miners players Baylor University alumni Baseball players from Williamson County, Texas People from Granger, Texas

See also

References

External links