Matthew Constantine Surkont (June 16, 1922 – October 8, 1986) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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 attempts to e ...

who played from 1949 through 1957 in the Major Leagues. He played 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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, Boston / Milwaukee Braves,

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

, St. Louis Cardinals, and

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

. The nickname ''Max'' was given to him by his childhood friends.

Minor league pitcher

A native of

Central Falls, Rhode Island Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely ...

, the right-handed Surkont was in the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a major league prospect. He was highly touted in 1942, prior to injuring his arm during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

. This impeded his advancement throughout the season, as the injury was of a lingering kind. Surkont was sold to the Braves before being returned to the Cardinals after manager

Billy Southworth William Harold Southworth (March 9, 1893 – November 15, 1969) was an American outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player in and and from to for five big-league teams, Southworth took part in almost 1,200 games, fell j ...

passed on him. He was again shipped to the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...

, where he remained until 1949. Then the

risked the draft price on Surkont. The team was struggling at the time to emerge from the second division of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

standings. In 1950, he pitched for the

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 p ...

of 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 level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

. Sportswriter Jim Cooper wrote on June 12, "Folks are saying that six-foot Max Surkont of the Sacramento Solons is the handiest man tossing the pill in the Pacific Coast League."

Career highlight

Surkont pitched for the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

in 1953. Against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on May 25, 1953, he recorded eight consecutive strikeouts. Following his seventh straight strikeout, Surkont was forced to endure a thirty-five-minute rain delay. Afterward he struck out Andy Seminick to lead off the fifth inning. Surkont struck out thirteen batters in the game, a 10–3 Braves victory. He was 11–5 for the season and recorded a 61–76 career record. The record stood until

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 private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

pitcher,

Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...

, struck out ten in a row in 1970. Surkont was projected to be a top starter for Pittsburgh, where he was traded prior to the 1954 season. It was reported that Surkont ate his way off the Braves' team, having an especial fondness for

Polish sausage Kielbasa (, ; from Polish ) is any type of meat sausage from Poland and a staple of Polish cuisine. In American English the word typically refers to a coarse, U-shaped smoked sausage of any kind of meat, which closely resembles the ''Wiejska'' ...

.Baseball Digest, October 1987, pg. 28.

References

External links

Pura Pelota
(Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) {{DEFAULTSORT:Surkont, Max 1922 births 1986 deaths American military personnel of World War II American people of Polish descent Baseball players from Rhode Island Boston Braves players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cambridge Cardinals players Chicago White Sox players Decatur Commodores players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Braves players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players New York Giants (NL) players Patriotas de Venezuela players People from Central Falls, Rhode Island Phoenix Giants players Portsmouth Red Birds players Pittsburgh Pirates players Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento Solons players St. Louis Cardinals players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Seattle Rainiers players