1912 American League Debuts

Willie Mays played his first Major League game on May 25, 1951, and went 0-for-5 at the plate. He started his career 1-for-25 and told his manager, "I can't do it, Mr. Leo. You better bench me."

Casey Stengel played his first Major League game on July 27, 1912, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. He commented later in his life, "I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression."

Both Mays and Stengel would continue their Major League careers down separate paths of greatness, but each still had to appear in that memorable first Major League game. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present what Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone once described as, "His first Major League debut."
"Baseball is the sport that cackles back at can't-miss kids. Baseball humbles every player sooner or later. Baseball confers greatness stingily, in its own sweet time. At least that's what the bow-tied essayists and sandlot scouts solemnly tell us." - Johnette Howard in Sports Illustrated
American League Debuts

1912

n/a Doc Shanley 1912 St. Louis Browns 09-15-1912 0
n/a Hack Eibel 1912 Cleveland Naps 06-13-1912 18
n/a Bill Leinhauser 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 18
n/a Herb Pennock 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 05-14-1912 18
n/a Jack Smith 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 18
n/a Charlie Snell 1912 St. Louis Browns 07-19-1912 18
n/a Bill Brown 1912 St. Louis Browns 08-15-1912 19
n/a Joe Bush 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 09-30-1912 19
n/a Flame Delhi 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-16-1912 19
n/a Joe Engel 1912 Washington Senators 05-30-1912 19
n/a Walt Johnson 1912 Chicago White Sox 09-22-1912 19
n/a Ray Keating 1912 New York Highlanders 09-12-1912 19
n/a Eddie Onslow 1912 Detroit Tigers 08-07-1912 19
n/a Ray Schalk 1912 Chicago White Sox 08-11-1912 19
n/a Roy Walker 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-16-1912 19
n/a Charlie Wheatley 1912 Detroit Tigers 09-06-1912 19
n/a George Batten 1912 New York Highlanders 09-28-1912 20
n/a George Baumgardner 1912 St. Louis Browns 04-14-1912 20
n/a George Boehler 1912 Detroit Tigers 09-13-1912 20
n/a Bundy Brief 1912 St. Louis Browns 09-22-1912 20
n/a Charlie Deal 1912 Detroit Tigers 07-17-1912 20
n/a Howard Fahey 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 07-23-1912 20
n/a Bert Gallia 1912 Washington Senators 09-04-1912 20
n/a Arthur Hauger 1912 Cleveland Naps 07-17-1912 20
n/a Byron Houck 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 05-15-1912 20
n/a Jack Kibble 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-10-1912 20
n/a Charlie Miller 1912 St. Louis Browns 06-29-1912 20
n/a Eddie Murphy 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 08-26-1912 20
n/a Roger Salmon 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 05-03-1912 20
n/a Doug Smith 1912 Boston Red Sox 07-10-1912 20
n/a Bill Stumpf 1912 New York Highlanders 05-11-1912 20
n/a Allan Travers 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 20
n/a Willie Adams 1912 St. Louis Browns 06-30-1912 21
n/a George Aiton 1912 St. Louis Browns 06-29-1912 21
n/a Walt Alexander 1912 St. Louis Browns 06-21-1912 21
n/a Hardin Barry 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 06-21-1912 21
n/a Ralph Bell 1912 Chicago White Sox 07-16-1912 21
n/a Joe Boehling 1912 Washington Senators 06-20-1912 21
n/a Ray Chapman 1912 Cleveland Naps 08-30-1912 21
n/a Roy Crabb 1912 Chicago White Sox 08-10-1912 21
n/a Frank Crossin 1912 St. Louis Browns 09-24-1912 21
n/a John Dowd 1912 New York Highlanders 07-03-1912 21
n/a Slim Harrell 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 06-21-1912 21
n/a Herb Herring 1912 Washington Senators 09-04-1912 21
n/a Jack Little 1912 New York Highlanders 07-02-1912 21
n/a Joe Mathes 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 09-19-1912 21
n/a Polly McLarry 1912 Chicago White Sox 09-02-1912 21
n/a Ollie O'Mara 1912 Detroit Tigers 09-08-1912 21
n/a Howie Shanks 1912 Washington Senators 05-09-1912 21
n/a Homer Thompson 1912 New York Highlanders 10-05-1912 21
n/a Fred Walden 1912 St. Louis Browns 06-03-1912 21
n/a Buck Weaver 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-11-1912 21
n/a Hugh Bedient 1912 Boston Red Sox 04-26-1912 22
n/a George Davis 1912 New York Highlanders 07-16-1912 22
n/a Phil Douglas 1912 Chicago White Sox 08-30-1912 22
n/a Jack Fournier 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-13-1912 22
n/a Harvey Grubb 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-27-1912 22
n/a Lefty James 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-20-1912 22
n/a Heinie Jantzen 1912 St. Louis Browns 06-29-1912 22
n/a Willie Jensen 1912 Detroit Tigers 09-10-1912 22
n/a Rip Jordan 1912 Chicago White Sox 06-25-1912 22
n/a Benny Kauff 1912 New York Highlanders 04-20-1912 22
n/a Paul Musser 1912 Washington Senators 06-06-1912 22
n/a Buddy Napier 1912 St. Louis Browns 08-14-1912 22
n/a Bill Otis 1912 New York Highlanders 07-04-1912 22
n/a Lefty Schegg 1912 Washington Senators 08-20-1912 22
n/a George Shears 1912 New York Highlanders 04-24-1912 22
n/a Henry Smoyer 1912 St. Louis Browns 08-14-1912 22
n/a Dutch Sterrett 1912 New York Highlanders 06-20-1912 22
n/a Tommy Thompson 1912 New York Highlanders 06-05-1912 22
n/a Ossie Vitt 1912 Detroit Tigers 04-11-1912 22
n/a Carl Weilman 1912 St. Louis Browns 08-24-1912 22
n/a Al Bashang 1912 Detroit Tigers 07-30-1912 23
n/a Stan Coveleski 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 09-10-1912 23
n/a Hooks Dauss 1912 Detroit Tigers 09-28-1912 23
n/a Dave Howard 1912 Washington Senators 05-08-1912 23
n/a Marty Krug 1912 Boston Red Sox 05-29-1912 23
n/a Red McDermott 1912 Detroit Tigers 08-06-1912 23
n/a Jim McGarr 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 23
n/a Ed Miller 1912 St. Louis Browns 09-18-1912 23
n/a Harry Moran 1912 Detroit Tigers 06-23-1912 23
n/a Ken Nash 1912 Cleveland Naps 07-04-1912 23
n/a Jim Neher 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-10-1912 23
n/a Jack Onslow 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-02-1912 23
n/a Al Schulz 1912 New York Highlanders 09-25-1912 23
n/a Harry Smith 1912 Chicago White Sox 10-06-1912 23
n/a Ernie Wolf 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-10-1912 23
n/a Jerry Akers 1912 Washington Senators 05-04-1912 24
n/a Howard Baker 1912 Cleveland Naps 08-11-1912 24
n/a Dennis Berran 1912 Chicago White Sox 08-11-1912 24
n/a Babe Borton 1912 Chicago White Sox 09-02-1912 24
n/a Ernie Johnson 1912 Chicago White Sox 08-05-1912 24
n/a Brad Kocher 1912 Detroit Tigers 04-24-1912 24
n/a Pat Maloney 1912 New York Highlanders 06-19-1912 24
n/a Dan McGarvey 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 24
n/a Pat McGehee 1912 Detroit Tigers 08-23-1912 24
n/a Moxie Meixell 1912 Cleveland Naps 07-07-1912 24
n/a Del Paddock 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-14-1912 24
n/a Del Pratt 1912 St. Louis Browns 04-11-1912 24
n/a Bill Steen 1912 Cleveland Naps 04-15-1912 24
n/a Pinch Thomas 1912 Boston Red Sox 04-24-1912 24
n/a Bun Troy 1912 Detroit Tigers 09-15-1912 24
n/a Bobby Veach 1912 Detroit Tigers 08-06-1912 24
n/a Polly Wolfe 1912 Chicago White Sox 09-22-1912 24
n/a Joe Agler 1912 Washington Senators 10-01-1912 25
n/a Bert Brenner 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-21-1912 25
n/a Curt Coleman 1912 New York Highlanders 04-13-1912 25
n/a John Daley 1912 St. Louis Browns 07-19-1912 25
n/a Mutz Ens 1912 Chicago White Sox 09-02-1912 25
n/a Bill Hunter 1912 Cleveland Naps 08-06-1912 25
n/a Walt Kuhn 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-18-1912 25
n/a Fred Lamlein 1912 Chicago White Sox 09-18-1912 25
n/a Vincent Maney 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 25
n/a Jack Martin 1912 New York Highlanders 04-25-1912 25
n/a Wally Mattick 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-11-1912 25
n/a Lou Nagelsen 1912 Cleveland Naps 09-10-1912 25
n/a Hank Perry 1912 Detroit Tigers 04-12-1912 25
n/a Klondike Smith 1912 New York Highlanders 09-28-1912 25
n/a Hick Cady 1912 Boston Red Sox 04-26-1912 26
n/a Bill Kenworthy 1912 Washington Senators 08-28-1912 26
n/a Alex Remneas 1912 Detroit Tigers 04-15-1912 26
n/a Buddy Ryan 1912 Cleveland Naps 04-11-1912 26
n/a Hack Spencer 1912 St. Louis Browns 04-18-1912 26
n/a Jimmy Walsh 1912 Philadelphia Athletics 08-26-1912 26
n/a Hap Ward 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 26
n/a Roy Moran 1912 Washington Senators 09-03-1912 27
n/a Rube Peters 1912 Chicago White Sox 04-13-1912 27
n/a Steve White 1912 Washington Senators 05-29-1912 27
n/a Phil Ketter 1912 St. Louis Browns 05-23-1912 28
n/a Tom Tennant 1912 St. Louis Browns 04-18-1912 29
n/a Ed Irwin 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 30
n/a Billy Maharg 1912 Detroit Tigers 05-18-1912 31
1912 American League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the American League during the 1912 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

When Christy Mathewson made his Major League debut the newspaper wrote, "The untried semi-professional possessed great speed and plenty of confidence in himself, but could not control his curves."

Did you know that Future hall of famer Addie Joss made his Major League pitching debut on April 26, 1902 and tossed a one hitter?
     

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