Reuben Franklin Melton (February 27, 1917 – September 11, 1971) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

, from 1941 to 1947. Melton experienced difficulty in his first MLB season when he was suspended by the Phillies for leaving the team without permission reportedly because of homesickness. Melton led the league in walks and

wild pitches In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third stri ...

during the 1942 season. Melton was traded to Brooklyn, on December 12, 1942, for pitcher Johnny Allen and $30,000. (The Dodgers had previously tried to trade for Melton, but Commissioner of Baseball Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis disallowed the transaction; however, because of Philadelphia’s ever-increasing financial instability, the second deal was approved.) Melton missed the 1945 season due to service in the US Army during World War II. His best season occurred just after his military discharge in May 1946, when Melton went 6–3 with a 1.99 earned run average (ERA) for the Dodgers. An earlier arm injury forced him to shorten his major league career. Melton continued to make comeback attempts through 1951, in the minor leagues, then retired as an active player. Melton's playing career overlapped that of his cousin, Cliff Melton, who pitched for 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. On September 12, 1971, Melton died in an automobile accident in Greer, South Carolina.

References

External links

Rube Melton
at Baseball Almanac
Rube Melton
at CNN/SI * Major League Baseball pitchers Brooklyn Dodgers players Philadelphia Phillies players 1917 births 1971 deaths Baseball players from North Carolina Campbell Fighting Camels baseball players Road incident deaths in South Carolina Asheville Tourists players Greensburg Red Wings players Albany Travelers players Columbus Red Birds players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Montreal Royals players Mobile Bears players Greenville Spinners players Gastonia Browns players People from Gaston County, North Carolina United States Army personnel of World War II {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub