1926 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 1926.

"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

1926

n/a Clyde Barfoot Detroit Tigers P 35
n/a Honey Barnes New York Yankees C 27
n/a Stan Baumgartner Philadelphia Athletics P 32
n/a John Bischoff Boston Red Sox C 32
n/a Les Burke Detroit Tigers 2B 24
n/a Roy Carlyle Boston Red Sox OF 26
n/a Roy Carlyle New York Yankees OF 26
n/a Bill Clowers Boston Red Sox P 28
n/a Wilbur Cooper Detroit Tigers P 35
n/a Les Cox Chicago White Sox P 22
n/a Hooks Dauss Detroit Tigers P 37
n/a Dixie Davis St. Louis Browns P 36
n/a Russ Ennis Washington Senators C 30
n/a Howie Fitzgerald Boston Red Sox OF 25
n/a Happy Foreman Boston Red Sox P 27
n/a Boob Fowler Boston Red Sox 3B 26
n/a Chappie Geygan Boston Red Sox 3B 23
n/a Tom Gulley Chicago White Sox OF 27
n/a Mike Herrera Boston Red Sox 2B 29
n/a Joe Kiefer Boston Red Sox P 27
n/a Rudy Kneisch Detroit Tigers P 28
n/a Ray Knode Cleveland Indians 1B 26
n/a Guy Lacy Cleveland Indians 2B 29
n/a Bobby LaMotte St. Louis Browns SS 29
n/a Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians OF 30
n/a Dud Lee Boston Red Sox SS 27
n/a Norm Lehr Cleveland Indians P 26
n/a Frank Loftus Washington Senators P 29
n/a Pryor McBee Chicago White Sox P 25
n/a Emmet McCann Boston Red Sox SS 25
n/a Herb McQuaid New York Yankees P 28
n/a Fred Merkle New York Yankees 1B 38
n/a Curly Ogden Washington Senators P 26
n/a Sy Rosenthal Boston Red Sox OF 23
n/a Buster Ross Boston Red Sox P 24
n/a Everett Scott Chicago White Sox SS 34
n/a Hank Severeid New York Yankees C 35
n/a Hank Severeid Washington Senators C 35
n/a Bill Skiff New York Yankees C 31
n/a Milt Steengrafe Chicago White Sox P 29
n/a Al Stokes Boston Red Sox C 27
n/a Lefty Thomas Washington Senators P 23
n/a Jimmy Uchrinscko Washington Senators P 26
n/a Bill Wambsganss Philadelphia Athletics SS 33
1926 American League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the American League during the 1926 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.