1926 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."
"There is a certain amount of fascination to the big league debut of any athlete. Sometimes they are incredible successes. Sometimes they are frenetic failures." - Sportswriter Arthur Daley
American League Debuts

1926

n/a Willis Hudlin 1926 Cleveland Indians 08-15-1926 20
n/a Jack Russell 1926 Boston Red Sox 05-05-1926 20
n/a Pat Veltman 1926 Chicago White Sox 04-17-1926 20
n/a Dave Barbee 1926 Philadelphia Athletics 07-29-1926 21
n/a Bump Hadley 1926 Washington Senators 04-20-1926 21
n/a Danny MacFayden 1926 Boston Red Sox 08-25-1926 21
n/a Bobby Reeves 1926 Washington Senators 06-09-1926 21
n/a Les Cox 1926 Chicago White Sox 09-11-1926 22
n/a Ray Hayworth 1926 Detroit Tigers 06-27-1926 22
n/a Tony Lazzeri 1926 New York Yankees 04-13-1926 22
n/a Bill Moore 1926 Boston Red Sox 09-07-1926 22
n/a Pid Purdy 1926 Chicago White Sox 09-07-1926 22
n/a Frank Sigafoos 1926 Philadelphia Athletics 09-03-1926 22
n/a Hal Wiltse 1926 Boston Red Sox 04-13-1926 22
n/a Stew Bolen 1926 St. Louis Browns 04-15-1926 23
n/a Ernie Nevers 1926 St. Louis Browns 04-26-1926 23
n/a Kiddo Davis 1926 New York Yankees 06-05-1926 24
n/a Dick Jones 1926 Washington Senators 09-11-1926 24
n/a Norm Lehr 1926 Cleveland Indians 05-20-1926 24
n/a Pryor McBee 1926 Chicago White Sox 05-22-1926 24
n/a George Smith 1926 Detroit Tigers 04-21-1926 24
n/a Nick Cullop 1926 New York Yankees 04-14-1926 25
n/a Sam Langford 1926 Boston Red Sox 04-13-1926 25
n/a Danny Taylor 1926 Washington Senators 06-30-1926 25
n/a Jimmy Uchrinscko 1926 Washington Senators 07-20-1926 25
n/a Honey Barnes 1926 New York Yankees 04-20-1926 26
n/a Sam Gibson 1926 Detroit Tigers 04-19-1926 26
n/a Augie Johns 1926 Detroit Tigers 04-16-1926 26
n/a Ski Melillo 1926 St. Louis Browns 04-18-1926 26
n/a Tommy Thomas 1926 Chicago White Sox 04-17-1926 26
n/a Bill Clowers 1926 Boston Red Sox 07-20-1926 27
n/a Alvin Crowder 1926 Washington Senators 07-24-1926 27
n/a Bill Hunnefield 1926 Chicago White Sox 04-17-1926 27
n/a Rudy Kneisch 1926 Detroit Tigers 09-21-1926 27
n/a Bill Regan 1926 Boston Red Sox 06-02-1926 27
n/a Tony Welzer 1926 Boston Red Sox 04-13-1926 27
n/a Guy Lacy 1926 Cleveland Indians 05-07-1926 28
n/a Frank Loftus 1926 Washington Senators 09-26-1926 28
n/a Myles Thomas 1926 New York Yankees 04-18-1926 28
n/a Russ Ennis 1926 Washington Senators 09-19-1926 29
n/a Bill Morrell 1926 Washington Senators 04-20-1926 33
n/a Joe Pate 1926 Philadelphia Athletics 04-15-1926 33
1926 American League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the American League during the 1926 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

Five-for-five debuts? Believe it or not it has happened twice: On June 30, 1894 Fred Clarke of the Louisville Colonels and on May 16, 1933, Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made their Major League debuts and both went five-for-five at the plate.

On the final day of the 1930 season, Dizzy Dean was called up and pitched a three-hitter. In Spring Training the following year, Dean had a fight with catcher Gabby Street and the franchise left him in the Minor Leagues all season long.
     

Baseball Almanac on Facebook

Copyright © 2000-2013. All Rights Reserved by Baseball-Almanac. Privacy Policy.Design by Geisler Young. Web hosting by Hosting 4 Less.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Football Almanac | Pigskin Fever | Today in Baseball History.