1914 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 1914.

"I'll never make the mistake of being seventy (70) again." - Casey Stengel comment made after being told to quit following the 1960 World Series
 

American League Retirements

1914

n/a Ed Kelly Boston Red Sox P 26
n/a Bill Swanson Boston Red Sox 2B 26
n/a Squanto Wilson Boston Red Sox 1B 26
n/a Matt Zeiser Boston Red Sox P 26
n/a Scotty Alcock Chicago White Sox 3B 29
n/a Joe Berger Chicago White Sox SS 28
n/a Delos Brown Chicago White Sox PH 22
n/a Cecil Coombs Chicago White Sox OF 27
n/a Charlie Kavanagh Chicago White Sox PH 23
n/a Walt Kuhn Chicago White Sox C 28
n/a Bill Lathrop Chicago White Sox P 23
n/a Carl Manda Chicago White Sox 2B 28
n/a Irv Porter Chicago White Sox OF 27
n/a Polly Wolfe Chicago White Sox OF 26
n/a George Beck Cleveland Naps P 25
n/a Henry Benn Cleveland Naps P 25
n/a Joe Birmingham Cleveland Naps OF 30
n/a Lloyd Bishop Cleveland Naps P 25
n/a Rivington Bisland Cleveland Naps SS 25
n/a Fred Blanding Cleveland Naps P 29
n/a Al Cypert Cleveland Naps 3B 25
n/a Harley Dillinger Cleveland Naps P 20
n/a George Dunlop Cleveland Naps SS 26
n/a Tinsley Ginn Cleveland Naps OF 23
n/a Bruce Hartford Cleveland Naps SS 23
n/a Lefty James Cleveland Naps P 25
n/a George Kahler Cleveland Naps P 25
n/a Jack Lelivelt Cleveland Naps OF 29
n/a Frank Mills Cleveland Naps C 20
n/a Larry Pezold Cleveland Naps 3B 21
n/a Tom Reilly Cleveland Naps PH 30
n/a Al Tedrow Cleveland Naps P 23
n/a Marc Hall Detroit Tigers P 27
n/a Ed McCreery Detroit Tigers P 25
n/a Billy Purtell Detroit Tigers 3B 29
n/a Johnnie Williams Detroit Tigers P 25
n/a Tom Burr New York Yankees OF 21
n/a Frank Chance New York Yankees 1B 38
n/a Les Channell New York Yankees PH 29
n/a Dick Gossett New York Yankees C 24
n/a Bill Holden New York Yankees OF 25
n/a Harry Kingman New York Yankees 1B 23
n/a Charlie Meara New York Yankees OF 24
n/a Bill Reynolds New York Yankees C 30
n/a Jay Rogers New York Yankees C 26
n/a Harry Williams New York Yankees 1B 24
n/a Toots Coyne Philadelphia Athletics 3B 20
n/a Press Cruthers Philadelphia Athletics 2B 24
n/a Willie Jensen Philadelphia Athletics P 25
n/a Earle Mack Philadelphia Athletics 1B 25
n/a Ferdie Moore Philadelphia Athletics 1B 19
n/a Billy Orr Philadelphia Athletics SS 24
n/a Ben Rochefort Philadelphia Athletics 1B 18
n/a Dean Sturgis Philadelphia Athletics C 22
n/a Buck Sweeney Philadelphia Athletics OF 25
n/a Fred Worden Philadelphia Athletics P 20
n/a Grover Baichley St. Louis Browns P 25
n/a Charlie Bold St. Louis Browns 1B 20
n/a Tim Bowden St. Louis Browns OF 23
n/a Bob Clemens St. Louis Browns OF 28
n/a Frank Crossin St. Louis Browns C 23
n/a Ernie Manning St. Louis Browns P 24
n/a Bobby Messenger St. Louis Browns OF 31
n/a Branch Rickey St. Louis Browns PH 33
n/a Dutch Schirick St. Louis Browns PH 24
n/a Wiley Taylor St. Louis Browns P 27
n/a Buzzy Wares St. Louis Browns SS 29
n/a Frank Barron Washington Senators P 24
n/a Carl Cashion Washington Senators P 23
n/a Clark Griffith Washington Senators P 45
n/a Mike Mitchell Washington Senators OF 35
n/a Wally Smith Washington Senators 2B 27
n/a Jim Stevens Washington Senators P 25
n/a Mutt Williams Washington Senators P 22
n/a Tom Wilson Washington Senators C 24
1914 American League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the American League during the 1914 season as this group of players bid farewell to their field's of dreams.

On July 28, 1976, Blue Moon Odom pitched the final five innings of his Major League career. He was relieved by Francisco Barrios in the sixth inning and the two White Sox combined to pitch a 2-1 no-hitter versus the Oakland Athletics.

Goose Goslin played for eighteen seasons and averaged one-hundred twenty-seven games played per season. In 1938, during his final at-bat, he twisted his back and was replaced at the plate by a pinch-hitter for the first time in his Major League career.