1925 National 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 National League League players who hung up their spikes in 1925.

"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
 

National League Retirements

1925

n/a Bill Anderson Boston Braves P 30
n/a Harry Baldwin New York Giants P 25
n/a Joe Batchelder Boston Braves P 27
n/a Rube Benton Cincinnati Reds P 35
n/a Harry Biemiller Cincinnati Reds P 28
n/a Neal Brady Cincinnati Reds P 29
n/a Herb Brett Chicago Cubs P 26
n/a Frank Bruggy Cincinnati Reds C 35
n/a George Burns Philadelphia Phillies OF 36
n/a Ike Caveney Cincinnati Reds SS 31
n/a Johnny Couch Philadelphia Phillies P 35
n/a Dee Cousineau Boston Braves C 27
n/a Roy Crumpler Philadelphia Phillies P 29
n/a Mickey Devine New York Giants C 34
n/a Pedro Dibut Cincinnati Reds P 33
n/a Leo Dickerman St. Louis Cardinals P 29
n/a Astyanax Douglass Cincinnati Reds C 28
n/a George Durning Philadelphia Phillies OF 28
n/a Jewel Ens Pittsburgh Pirates 1B 36
n/a Dana Fillingim Philadelphia Phillies P 32
n/a Max Flack St. Louis Cardinals OF 36
n/a Marv Goodwin Cincinnati Reds P 35
n/a Nelson Greene Brooklyn Robins P 26
n/a Tommy Griffith Brooklyn Robins OF 36
n/a Tommy Griffith Chicago Cubs OF 36
n/a Denver Grigsby Chicago Cubs OF 25
n/a Chicken Hawks Philadelphia Phillies 1B 30
n/a Walter Holke Cincinnati Reds 1B 33
n/a Walter Holke Philadelphia Phillies 1B 33
n/a Albie Hood Boston Braves 2B 23
n/a Bill Hubbell Brooklyn Robins P 28
n/a Bill Hubbell Philadelphia Phillies P 28
n/a Roy Hutson Brooklyn Robins OF 24
n/a Ike Kamp Boston Braves P 25
n/a Teddy Kearns Chicago Cubs 1B 26
n/a Mel Kerr Chicago Cubs PR 23
n/a Hod Kibbie Boston Braves 2B 22
n/a Ollie Klee Cincinnati Reds OF 26
n/a Pip Koehler New York Giants OF 24
n/a Ernie Krueger Cincinnati Reds C 35
n/a Dick Loftus Brooklyn Robins OF 25
n/a Rube Marquard Boston Braves P 39
n/a Ike McAuley Chicago Cubs SS 34
n/a Lenny Metz Philadelphia Phillies SS 26
n/a Benny Meyer Philadelphia Phillies 2B 41
n/a Hack Miller Chicago Cubs OF 32
n/a Johnny Mitchell Brooklyn Robins SS 31
n/a Hy Myers Cincinnati Reds OF 37
n/a Hy Myers St. Louis Cardinals PH 37
n/a Al Niehaus Cincinnati Reds 1B 26
n/a Al Niehaus Pittsburgh Pirates 1B 26
n/a Joe Oeschger Brooklyn Robins P 34
n/a Joe Ogrodowski Boston Braves P 19
n/a Tiny Osborne Brooklyn Robins P 33
n/a Gil Paulsen St. Louis Cardinals P 23
n/a Jim Roberts Brooklyn Robins P 30
n/a Andy Rush Brooklyn Robins P 36
n/a Walter Schmidt St. Louis Cardinals C 39
n/a Joe Schultz Cincinnati Reds OF 32
n/a Joe Schultz Philadelphia Phillies OF 32
n/a Ralph Shinners St. Louis Cardinals OF 30
n/a Elmer Smith Cincinnati Reds OF 33
n/a Ed Sperber Boston Braves PH 31
n/a Gale Staley Chicago Cubs 2B 27
n/a Casey Stengel Boston Braves OF 35
n/a Johnny Stuart St. Louis Cardinals P 25
n/a George Stueland Chicago Cubs P 27
n/a Tom Sullivan Cincinnati Reds C 19
n/a Chink Taylor Chicago Cubs OF 28
n/a Hank Thormahlen Brooklyn Robins P 29
n/a Cotton Tierney Brooklyn Robins 3B 32
n/a Bob Vines Philadelphia Phillies P 29
n/a Frank Walker New York Giants OF 31
n/a Butch Weis Chicago Cubs OF 25
1925 National League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the National League during the 1925 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.