Baseball Almanac - 1906 American League Retirements

1906 American League Retirements

The baseball torch is passed from season to season and in some cases, from game to game. In 1911, Cy Young pitched his final Major League game, lost 1-0, and ended the final season of his career with a losing record of 7-9 and an ERA of 3.77. Young's opponent that particular day was a first-year pitcher named Grover Alexander who received the win, added to his league leading shutout total, and went on to begin his career with a winning record of 28-13 and an ERA of 2.57.

Bob Gibson, who was easily one of the most intense competitors of all time, gave up a grand slam to the last Major League hitter he faced, Pete LaCock of the Chicago Cubs. Fifteen years passed and when the two faced off during an old-timer's game, Gibson hit LaCock on his back with a fastball.

Babe Ruth summed it up when he responded to a question about retirement by saying, "A ballplayer should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill." Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a comprehensive list of American League League players who hung up their spikes in 1906.

"You start chasing a ball and your brain immediately commands your body to: Run forward. Bend. Scoop up the ball. Peg it to the infield. Then your body says, 'Who, me?'" - Retirement comment made by Joe DiMaggio

American League Retirements
1906

# Name Team Pos Age

n/a Tom Doran Boston Americans C 26

n/a Norwood Gibson Boston Americans P 30

n/a John Godwin Boston Americans 3B 30

n/a Charlie Graham Boston Americans C 29

n/a Ed Hughes Boston Americans P 26

n/a Red Morgan Boston Americans 3B 23

n/a Kip Selbach Boston Americans OF 35

n/a Chick Stahl Boston Americans OF 34

n/a Len Swormstedt Boston Americans P 28

n/a Gus Dundon Chicago White Sox 2B 32

n/a Bill O'Neill Chicago White Sox OF 27

n/a Babe Towne Chicago White Sox C 27

n/a Rube Vinson Chicago White Sox OF 28

n/a Ben Caffyn Cleveland Naps OF 28

n/a Harry Eells Cleveland Naps P 27

n/a Jim Jackson Cleveland Naps OF 29

n/a Malachi Kittridge Cleveland Naps C 37

n/a Happy Townsend Cleveland Naps P 28

n/a Red Donahue Detroit Tigers P 34

n/a Gus Hetling Detroit Tigers 3B 21

n/a Chris Lindsay Detroit Tigers 1B 28

n/a Frank Scheibeck Detroit Tigers 2B 41

n/a Sam Thompson Detroit Tigers OF 47

n/a Jimmy Wiggs Detroit Tigers P 30

n/a Noodles Hahn New York Highlanders P 28

n/a Harry Armbruster Philadelphia Athletics OF 25

n/a Art Brouthers Philadelphia Athletics 3B 24

n/a Jim Byrnes Philadelphia Athletics C 27

n/a Mike Cunningham Philadelphia Athletics P 24

n/a Willy Fetzer Philadelphia Athletics PH 22

n/a Hack Schumann Philadelphia Athletics P 22

n/a Ben Koehler St. Louis Browns OF 30

n/a Lou Nordyke St. Louis Browns 1B 30

n/a Ike Rockenfield St. Louis Browns 2B 30

n/a Ed Smith St. Louis Browns P 28

n/a Pat Duff Washington Senators PH 32

n/a Clyde Goodwin Washington Senators P 20

n/a Harry Hardy Washington Senators P 31

n/a Malachi Kittridge Washington Senators C 37

n/a Warren Shanabrook Washington Senators 3B 26

n/a Con Starkel Washington Senators P 26

n/a Willie Sudhoff Washington Senators P 32

n/a Otto Williams Washington Senators SS 29

n/a Willy Wilson Washington Senators P 23

n/a Barney Wolfe Washington Senators P 31

# Name Team Pos Age

1906 American League Retirements

Find out which players made their Major League debut in the American League during the 1906 season as this group of players bid farewell to their field's of dreams.

Did you know that future hall of fame pitcher Walter Johnson ended his Major League career in 1927 with a pinch-hit appearance? During the final game of the season pitcher Tom Zachary, who had just given up Babe Ruth's sixtieth home run of the season, was lifted and Johnson replaced him at the plate.

On September 28, 1960, broadcaster Curt Gowdy uttered, "It's got a chance. It's got a chance. And it's gone!" Those words were used to describe the final at-bat of slugger Ted Williams.

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