1915 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 1915.

"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

1915

n/a Ray Collins Boston Red Sox P 29
n/a Guy Cooper Boston Red Sox P 23
n/a Howard Baker Chicago White Sox PH 28
n/a Jim Breton Chicago White Sox 3B 24
n/a Finners Quinlan Chicago White Sox OF 28
n/a Abe Bowman Cleveland Indians P 23
n/a Allan Collamore Cleveland Indians P 28
n/a Ben Egan Cleveland Indians C 32
n/a Jim Eschen Cleveland Indians OF 24
n/a Clarence Garrett Cleveland Indians P 25
n/a Oscar Harstad Cleveland Indians P 24
n/a Howie Haworth Cleveland Indians C 22
n/a Herbert Hill Cleveland Indians P 24
n/a Tex Hoffman Cleveland Indians 3B 22
n/a Pete Shields Cleveland Indians 1B 24
n/a Bill Steen Cleveland Indians P 28
n/a Denney Wilie Cleveland Indians OF 25
n/a Roy Wood Cleveland Indians 1B 23
n/a Pug Cavet Detroit Tigers P 26
n/a Razor Ledbetter Detroit Tigers P 21
n/a Ross Reynolds Detroit Tigers P 28
n/a Bill Steen Detroit Tigers P 28
n/a Boardwalk Brown New York Yankees P 27
n/a King Cole New York Yankees P 30
n/a Ensign Cottrell New York Yankees P 27
n/a Birdie Cree New York Yankees OF 33
n/a Tom Daley New York Yankees OF 31
n/a Gene Layden New York Yankees OF 22
n/a Cy Pieh New York Yankees P 29
n/a Pi Schwert New York Yankees C 23
n/a Skeeter Shelton New York Yankees OF 27
n/a Dan Tipple New York Yankees P 26
n/a Jack Warhop New York Yankees P 31
n/a Walter Ancker Philadelphia Athletics P 23
n/a Everett Bankston Philadelphia Athletics OF 23
n/a Henry Bostick Philadelphia Athletics 3B 21
n/a Bob Cone Philadelphia Athletics P 22
n/a Owen Conway Philadelphia Athletics 3B 25
n/a Art Corcoran Philadelphia Athletics 3B 21
n/a Harry Damrau Philadelphia Athletics 3B 25
n/a Buck Danner Philadelphia Athletics SS 24
n/a Bud Davis Philadelphia Athletics P 20
n/a Harry Eccles Philadelphia Athletics P 22
n/a Ralph Edwards Philadelphia Athletics 2B 33
n/a Bruno Haas Philadelphia Athletics P 25
n/a Jack Harper Philadelphia Athletics P 22
n/a Tom Knowlson Philadelphia Athletics P 21
n/a Sam McConnell Philadelphia Athletics 3B 20
n/a Bill Meehan Philadelphia Athletics P 26
n/a Bob Pepper Philadelphia Athletics P 21
n/a Squiz Pillion Philadelphia Athletics P 22
n/a Joe Sherman Philadelphia Athletics P 25
n/a Ira Thomas Philadelphia Athletics C 35
n/a Tink Turner Philadelphia Athletics P 26
n/a Chris Burkam St. Louis Browns PH 23
n/a Rollin Cook St. Louis Browns P 25
n/a Bill Dalrymple St. Louis Browns 3B 25
n/a Shorty Dee St. Louis Browns SS 26
n/a Harry Hoch St. Louis Browns P 29
n/a Chet Hoff St. Louis Browns P 25
n/a Dick Kauffman St. Louis Browns 1B 27
n/a John Leary St. Louis Browns 1B 25
n/a Walt Leverenz St. Louis Browns P 27
n/a Reeve McKay St. Louis Browns P 34
n/a George O'Brien St. Louis Browns C 26
n/a Pat Parker St. Louis Browns OF 23
n/a Parson Perryman St. Louis Browns P 27
n/a Alex Remneas St. Louis Browns P 30
n/a Pete Sims St. Louis Browns P 25
n/a Johnny Tillman St. Louis Browns P 22
n/a Ernie Walker St. Louis Browns OF 25
n/a Dee Walsh St. Louis Browns OF 26
n/a Gus Williams St. Louis Browns OF 28
n/a Tom Connolly Washington Senators 3B 23
n/a Bill Hopper Washington Senators P 24
n/a Sam Mayer Washington Senators OF 23
n/a Doug Neff Washington Senators 3B 24
1915 American League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the American League during the 1915 season as this group of players bid farewell to their field's of dreams.

Stan Musial ended his Major League career on September 29, 1963. His final hit was a single during the sixth inning off Jim Maloney which drove in his last RBI (which was Curt Flood).

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.