Skip to main content

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 79

Curt Davis was a pitcher with the Phillies from 1934-1936. Davis was picked up by the Phillies in the 1933 Rule 5 draft, from the Pacific Coast League's San Francisco Seals, after stringing together 5 consecutive 20-win seasons. Davis would prove to be be quite a bargain for Phillies owner Gerry Nugent.

In 1934, as a 30-year-old rookie, Davis started 31 games with the Phillies and won 19 games while posting a 2.95 ERA. He lost 17 games that season, however, but as his ERA, which was third best in the National League, would indicate, he deserved a far better fate. In 10 of those losses, the Phillies, who went 56-93 that season, scored just 1 run or less.

Davis, a Missouri native, got off to a slow start in 1935, winning just 1 of his first 6 starts. He rebounded quickly to win 7 of his next 8 starts, which included back-to-back shutouts of the Reds and Braves in July. He would finish the season with a 16-14 record, a 3.66 ERA and 19 complete games.

Davis kicked off his 1936 season with a 4-hit shutout against the Braves, but won only 1 of the 7 starts that followed. Trade rumors began to spark up and, in May, Davis was sent to the Chicago Cubs along with outfielder Ethan Allen for Chuck Klein and sometimes-pitcher/occasional-outfielder Fabian Kowalik. Klein had been the National League Most Valuable player in 1932 as a member of the Phillies, but was sent to Chicago in a trade for 3 players and $65,000 after the 1933 season.

The right-handed hurler, Davis, would represent the Cubs in the all-star game in 1936. He posted an 11-9 record and a 3.00 ERA while completing 10 games in 19 starts with Chicago following the trade that season.

Exceptional control was a strong attribute for Davis, who twice had the lowest walks per 9 innings ratio in the National League. He walked just 479 batters in 2,325 Major League innings pitched.

His best season in the Majors would come in 1939 as a member of the Cardinals when he went 22-16 with a 3.63 ERA, 13 complete games and 7 saves. He would make his second all-star team that year.

By 1940 Davis pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers and would later help lead them to the 1941 World Series, although he would take a loss in his lone start and the Yankees won the series. Despite not pitching in the Majors until he was 30, Davis managed to compete in 13 Major League seasons. He closed out his career pitching over 4 more seasons with Brooklyn.

_________________________________________________________


Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com