Harold Turpin (September 28, 1903 – February 28, 1997) was an American baseball pitcher who played 20 season in

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

, including 18 in 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 ...

. He won 271 games in his career and is a member of the

Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame The Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame is an American baseball hall of fame which honors players, managers, and executives of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). It was created by the Helms Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles in 1942 to honor those ind ...

. He threw right-handed, batted left-handed, was 5' 11" and weighed 185 pounds. The hurler was born in

Yoncalla, Oregon Yoncalla is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, Douglas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,047 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is wa ...

. He began his career with the San Francisco Seals in 1927 and would also play for them from 1929 to 1931. In 1928 and the first part of 1929, he played for the

Little Rock Travelers The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and members (1902–1910, 1915–1958, 1960–1961) of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or Double-A circuit was typically tw ...

of the

Southern Association The Southern Association (SA) was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class B (1902-19 ...

. In 1931 and 1932, he played for the

Seattle Indians Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, with whom he would spend the most seasons—he was also with Seattle from 1937 to 1945. In total, he spent about 10.5 seasons with Seattle. He also played for the

Denver Bears Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of th ...

of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Wester ...

(1932), the PCL's

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

(1933-1935), the Western League's

Des Moines Demons The Des Moines Demons were a minor league baseball team that was located in Des Moines, Iowa from 1925 to 1937 and 1959 to 1961. The teams played at Holcomb Park. The first professional night baseball game was played at Holcomb Park when the Dem ...

(1935-1936) and the PCL's

Sacramento Solons The Sacramento Solons were a Minor League Baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods (1903, 1905, 1909–1914, 1918–1960, 1974–1976). The current Sacramento River Cats began ...

(1946). He won 20 games for the first time in 1936 at age 32, beginning a run in which he won 20 or more games in five of seven seasons. From 1939 to 1942, he won 20-plus games each season and from 1938 to 1943, his ERA never exceeded 3.00. He played his final game in 1946 at age 42. Overall, he went 271–203, including a 203–158 mark in the Pacific Coast League. He also had 249 complete games and 29 shutouts in the PCL, along with a no-hitter he threw in 1942 (he also tossed a no-hitter with Des Moines in 1935). He hit well for a pitcher, often batting over .200.Career statistics
/ref> He was inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame in 2003. He died in

Roseburg, Oregon Roseburg is the most populous city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Oregon. It is located in the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 at the 2020 census, making it the principal city of th ...

at age 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turpin, Hal 1903 births 1997 deaths Baseball players from Oregon San Francisco Seals (baseball) players People from Yoncalla, Oregon Little Rock Travelers players Seattle Indians players Denver Bears players Portland Beavers players Baseball pitchers Des Moines Demons players Sacramento Solons players Place of death missing 20th-century American sportsmen