| Dazzy Vance | |
|---|---|
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| Pitcher | |
| Born: March 4, 1891 Orient, Iowa |
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| Died: February 16, 1961 (aged 69) Homosassa Springs, Florida |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 16, 1915 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 14, 1935 for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win-Loss record | 197-140 |
| Earned run average | 3.24 |
| Strikeouts | 2,045 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1955 |
| Vote | 81.7% (twelfth ballot) |
Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 - February 16, 1961) was a star Major League Baseball starting pitcher during the 1920s.
Born in Orient, Iowa, Vance played a decade in the minors before establishing himself as a big league player in 1922 with the Brooklyn Dodgers at the age of 31, when he went 18-12 with a 3.70 ERA and a league-leading 134 strikeouts. His best individual season came in 1924, when he led the National League in wins (28), strikeouts (262) and ERA (2.16) (see Triple crown) en route to winning the National League MVP award.
Vance's play began to decline in the early 1930s, and after bouncing to the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and back to the Dodgers, he retired after the 1935 season. Vance led the league in ERA three times, wins twice, and established a National League record by leading the league in strikeouts in seven consecutive years (1922 - 1928). He retired with a 197-140 record, 2045 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA - remarkable numbers considering he only saw 33 innings of big league play during his twenties.
On September 24, 1924, Vance struck out three batters on nine pitches in the second inning of a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. Vance became the fifth National League pitcher and the seventh pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning. He finished the season with more strikeouts than any two National League pitchers combined (Burleigh Grimes with 135 and Dolf Luque with 86 were second and third respectively).
Vance was also involved in one of the most famous flubs in baseball history, the "three men on third" incident. With Vance on second and Chick Fewster on first, Babe Herman hit a long ball and began racing around the bases. As he rounded second, the third base coach yelled at him to go back, since Fewster had not yet passed third. Vance, having rounded third, misunderstood and reversed course, returning to third. Fewster arrived at third. Herman ignored the instruction and also arrived at third. The third baseman tagged out Vance and Fewster; Herman was declared safe by rule. (Source: [1]; the Wikipedia article on Babe Herman has a slightly different account of the play.)
Vance pitched a no-hitter in 1925. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. Vance is mentioned in the poem "Lineup for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:
| Lineup for Yesterday |
|---|
| V is for Vance, The Dodgers' own Dazzy; None of his rivals Could throw as fast as he. |
| — Ogden Nash, Sport magazine (January 1949)[1] |
See also
- Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches
- Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
References
- ^ "Baseball Almanac". http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame – Member biography
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dutch Ruether |
Brooklyn Robins Opening Day Starting pitcher 1925 |
Succeeded by Jesse Petty |
| Preceded by Burleigh Grimes |
National League Strikeout Champion 1922-1928 |
Succeeded by Pat Malone |
| Preceded by Pete Alexander |
National League Pitching Triple Crown 1924 |
Succeeded by Bucky Walters |
| Preceded by Dolf Luque Ray Kremer Bill Walker |
National League ERA Champion 1924 1928 1930 |
Succeeded by Dolf Luque Bill Walker Bill Walker |
| Preceded by Dolf Luque |
National League Wins Champion 1924-1925 |
Succeeded by Donohue, Kremer, Meadows & Rhem |
| Preceded by Jesse Haines |
No-hitter pitcher September 13, 1925 |
Succeeded by Ted Lyons |
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
