1917 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 1917.

"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

1917

n/a Walt Alexander New York Yankees C 27
n/a Milo Allison Cleveland Indians OF 27
n/a Angel Aragon New York Yankees OF 27
n/a Eddie Bacon Philadelphia Athletics P 23
n/a Ray Bates Philadelphia Athletics 3B 28
n/a Paddy Baumann New York Yankees 2B 32
n/a Pete Bigler St. Louis Browns PR 25
n/a Dallas Bradshaw Philadelphia Athletics 2B 22
n/a Bobby Byrne Chicago White Sox 2B 33
n/a Howie Camp New York Yankees OF 24
n/a Sam Crawford Detroit Tigers 1B 38
n/a Harry Davis Philadelphia Athletics PH 44
n/a Tony DeFate Detroit Tigers 2B 23
n/a George Dickerson Cleveland Indians P 25
n/a Jack Enright New York Yankees P 22
n/a Ferd Eunick Cleveland Indians 3B 26
n/a Cy Falkenberg Philadelphia Athletics P 37
n/a Rube Foster Boston Red Sox P 30
n/a Pat French Philadelphia Athletics OF 24
n/a Lee Gooch Philadelphia Athletics OF 28
n/a Al Gould Cleveland Indians P 25
n/a Ray Haley Philadelphia Athletics C 27
n/a Ziggy Hasbrouck Chicago White Sox 2B 24
n/a Olaf Henriksen Boston Red Sox PH 30
n/a Red Hill Philadelphia Athletics P 25
n/a Ivan Howard Cleveland Indians 3B 35
n/a Bill Johnson Philadelphia Athletics OF 25
n/a Walt Johnson Philadelphia Athletics P 25
n/a Bill Kenworthy St. Louis Browns 2B 31
n/a Otis Lawry Philadelphia Athletics 2B 24
n/a Billy Meyer Philadelphia Athletics C 25
n/a Horace Milan Washington Senators OF 24
n/a Ray Miller Cleveland Indians 1B 30
n/a Ward Miller St. Louis Browns OF 33
n/a Scrappy Moore St. Louis Browns 3B 25
n/a Bill Murray Washington Senators 2B 24
n/a Ed Murray St. Louis Browns SS 23
n/a Jack Nabors Philadelphia Athletics P 30
n/a Otto Neu St. Louis Browns SS 23
n/a Eddie Palmer Philadelphia Athletics 3B 24
n/a Jim Park St. Louis Browns P 25
n/a Rube Parnham Philadelphia Athletics P 24
n/a Kewpie Pennington St. Louis Browns P 21
n/a Eddie Plank St. Louis Browns P 42
n/a Tom Richardson St. Louis Browns PH 34
n/a William Rumler St. Louis Browns OF 27
n/a Rube Schauer Philadelphia Athletics P 27
n/a Jim Scott Chicago White Sox P 30
n/a Ralph Sharman Philadelphia Athletics OF 23
n/a Pop-Boy Smith Cleveland Indians P 26
n/a Buck Thrasher Philadelphia Athletics OF 28
n/a Red Torkelson Cleveland Indians P 24
n/a Doc Waldbauer Washington Senators P 26
n/a Jimmy Walsh Boston Red Sox OF 32
1917 American League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the American League during the 1917 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.

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.