Frank W. Overmire (May 16, 1919 – March 3, 1977) was a

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) ...

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 ten seasons for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1943–1949), St. Louis Browns (1950–1952), and

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 ...

(1951). In ten seasons, Overmire won 58 games and lost 67 with a 3.96 earned run average. Because of his stature, and , the

left-hander In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

was nicknamed "Stubby." Born in Moline, Michigan, Overmire attended Western State Teachers College, now known as

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the tr ...

, where he played for the then Hilltoppers from 1938 to 1941

Overmire signed with the

after in 1941 as an undrafted free agent. He debuted for the Tigers in April 1943 and won 7 games with 8 complete games and 3 shutouts in his rookie season. In his second season, Overmire pitched 11 complete games, 3 shoutouts, and had his career-low ERA at 3.07. In 1945, Overmire started 22 games, and won 9, for the American League pennant winning Tigers. He was the Tigers' starting pitcher in Game 3 of the 1945 World Series against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, Despite giving up only 2 runs in 6 innings, Overmire took the loss as the Tigers were shut out 3–0. Overmire's best season was 1947, when he won 11 and lost 5 for the Tigers with a 3.77 earned run average. His 3 shutouts and won-loss percentage of .688 were both fifth best in the American League. Overmire went on to pitch for the St. Louis Browns from 1950 to 1952 with a short stint with the

at the end of the 1951 season. Stubby pitched in 15 games for the Yankees in 1951 and won his second

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

, as the Yankees beat the Giants in the 1951 World Series. After his playing career ended, Overmire became a manager in the Tigers' minor league organization. Through the 1950s, he served as a manager in Little Rock, Terre Haute, Montgomery, Valdosta, and Decatur. In 1959 as manager of the Decatur Commodores of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

, Overmire was named Manager of the Year. He moved on to Durham in 1960 and Jamestown in 1962. From 1963 to 1966, he was a coach in the Major Leagues for the Tigers. In 1967, he managed Lakeland, and in 1970, he returned as the manager for Montgomery. He finished his career as a manager in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

, where he served as manager from 1971 to 1975. Overmire died on March 3, 1977, after suffering a stroke.Tigers 'Stubby' Overmire dies
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References

External links

Baseball-Reference.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Overmire, Stubby 1919 births 1977 deaths Baseball players from Michigan Beaumont Exporters players Decatur Commodores players Detroit Tigers coaches Detroit Tigers players Detroit Tigers scouts Durham Bulls managers Lakeland Flying Tigers managers Little Rock Travelers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Muskegon Reds players New York Yankees players St. Louis Browns players Terre Haute Tigers players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Western Michigan Broncos baseball players