Randall Pennington Gumpert (January 23, 1918 – November 25, 2008) 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 ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

and

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. A right-hander, he appeared in 261

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over ten seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

as a member of 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, the team became the Oakl ...

New York Yankees 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 o ...

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 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

and Washington Senators (1936–1938; 1946−1952). The native of

Monocacy Station, Pennsylvania Monocacy Station is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community that is located in Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, Amity Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. History and geography This community takes its name f ...

, was listed as tall and .

Pitching career

His pro career began at the age of 18 after he graduated from Birdsboro High School,''Randy Gumpert,''

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New Y ...

Biography Project when he was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics' legendary 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. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

, in 1936. But Gumpert had been throwing

batting practice B backdoor breaking ball :A breaking pitch, usually a slider, curveball, or cut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of the strike zone on the outside edge of the plate after seeming as if it would miss the pla ...

for the Athletics at

Shibe Park Shibe Park, 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) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

as far back as 1934, while he was still in school. He spent his entire

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

1936 season with Philadelphia, getting into 22 games with three

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...

assignments, and threw two

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—pit ...

s, including a two- hit, 5–2 triumph over the Chicago White Sox on August 27. It was Gumpert's first

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a ...

, and the two runs he surrendered were both

unearned In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an error ...

. Gumpert spent most of 1937 and 1938 in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

, getting into only 14 games for the Athletics. In July 1939, still in the minors, he was acquired by the New York Yankees' organization. Gumpert didn't return to the majors until April 1946. He toiled in the Yankees' farm system through 1942, then performed

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

service as a member of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

(1943–1945). In 1946, he was able to make the Yankees' major league roster. He performed well in his first season with the Bombers, earning an 11–3

won–lost record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

with a sparkling

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 numb ...

of 2.31 in 33 games, including 12 starts, and 132

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

. Hampered by a sore elbow, Gumpert appeared in fewer innings the following season and his ERA ballooned to 5.43, but still compiled a 4–1 record, as the Yankees won 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 ...

pennant. They went on to defeat the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californ ...

in the

1947 World Series The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees won the Series in seven games for their 11th World Series championship in team history. Yankees manager Bucky Harris won the Series for the first time ...

, but Gumpert did not appear in the Fall Classic. He was exclusively a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

for the Yankees in the early months of 1948, posting a 2.88 ERA in 15 games and 25 innings pitched, but his contract was sold to the second-division White Sox on July 25. He finished the 1948 season in Chicago's starting rotation, and held his spot in the Pale Hose rotation in 1949 as well. In many ways, 1949 was a notable season for Gumpert. Even though he posted a losing, 13–16 record for a team that went only 63–91, he set personal bests in victories, innings pitched (234), complete games (18), and shutouts (three). His elbow miseries persisted, however, and Gumpert led all American League hurlers in most home runs allowed (22). The 1950 season saw Gumpert split time between the rotation and the bullpen, and his performance fell off: he won only five games and his ERA climbed to 4.75. He rebounded in 1951; he won nine of 17 decisions for the ChiSox and a fast start earned him a spot on the 1951 American League All-Star team. However, he didn't appear in the midsummer classic, played July 10 at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Briggs Stadium Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...

and an 8–3 romp for the rival

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. On May 1, 1951, Gumpert became part of baseball history when he allowed

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

's first

home run 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 is ...

, during a relief appearance at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 Chicago White Sox s ...

. His value improved by his All-Star selection, Gumpert was traded that offseason, on November 13, 1951, along with

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Don Lenhardt to the Boston Red Sox for

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

Mel Hoderlein and pitcher Chuck Stobbs. After getting into ten games for the 1952 Red Sox, with one start, he was traded again on June 10, this time to the Washington Senators with fellow hurler

Walt Masterson Walter Edward Masterson III (June 22, 1920 – April 5, 2008) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. He started the 1948 Major League Baseball All- ...

for

Sid Hudson Sidney Charles Hudson (January 3, 1915 – October 10, 2008) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators (1940–42, 1946–52) and Boston Red Sox (1952–54) who had a lengthy post-playing career as ...

, another right-hander. He finished the 1952 campaign with Washington, working in 20 games, with 12 starting assignments. His final MLB appearance came September 23, 1952, a scoreless, two-inning relief stint against the Athletics at Shibe Park.

Retrosheet Retrosheet is a nonprofit organization whose website features box scores of Major League Baseball (MLB) games from 1906 to the present, and play-by-play narratives for almost every contest since the 1930s. It also includes scores from every major ...

br>box score (1952-09-23): Philadelphia Athletics 4, Washington Senators 3
/ref> Over his ten-season career, which spanned 17 years, Gumpert won 51 games, lost 59, and compiled a 4.17 earned run average. Of his 261 games pitched, 113 were starts and 148 came out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

, and he was credited with 47 complete games, six shutouts and seven saves. He allowed 1,099 hits and 346

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Sec ...

, with 352 strikeouts, in 1,052 innings pitched. Gumpert then played three more seasons, 1953–1955, at the highest levels of minor league baseball before hanging up his glove.

Manager, coach and scout

Gumpert remained in baseball for another 39 years, managing in the Yankees' farm system (1956–1958 and 1960) and working as a minor league pitching instructor. He served as a temporary member of the Bombers' 1957 coaching staff, when, in April,

Bill Dickey William Malcolm Dickey (June 6, 1907 – November 12, 1993) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees for 19 seasons. Dickey managed the Yankees as a player-manager in ...

stepped down due to ill health; Gumpert eventually ceded his coaching post to

Charlie Keller Charles Ernest Keller (September 12, 1916 – May 23, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball from 1939 through 1952 for the New York Yankees (1939–43, 1945–49, 1952) and Detroi ...

. He turned to scouting for the Yankees in 1959 (signing

Doc Medich George Francis "Doc" Medich (born December 9, 1948) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972–1982. He was a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh, and acquired the nickname "Doc" during his e ...

among others), and later worked for the

Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau The Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau is a centralized scouting resource that operates under the auspices of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. Headquartered in Ontario, California, the MLBSB's efforts supplement the independent, propr ...

for two decades. He died in

Wyomissing, Pennsylvania Wyomissing is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough was established on July 2, 1906. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,114, compared to 10,461 at the 2010 census. The growth was significantly larger betwe ...

, in November 2008, two months before his 91st birthday.

References

External links

Randy Gumpert at Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gumpert, Randy 1918 births 2008 deaths Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Baseball players from Pennsylvania Binghamton Triplets players Boston Red Sox players Charleston Senators players Chicago White Sox players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Little Rock Travelers players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball managers Newark Bears (IL) players New York Yankees coaches New York Yankees players New York Yankees scouts Norfolk Tars players People from Berks County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Athletics players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Williamsport Grays players United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II