Don Black | |||
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Pitcher | |||
Born: Salix, Iowa |
July 20, 1917|||
Died: April 21, 1959 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio |
(aged 41)|||
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MLB debut | |||
April 24, 1943, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 13, 1948, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 34–55 | ||
Earned run average | 4.35 | ||
Strikeouts | 293 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Donald Paul Black (July 20, 1917 – April 21, 1959) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for six seasons in the American League with the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians. In 154 career games, Black pitched 797 innings and posted a win-loss record of 34–55, with 37 complete games, four shutouts, and a 4.35 earned run average (ERA).
Born in Salix, Iowa, he played minor league baseball in Fairbury, Nebraska, and Petersburg, Virginia, before signing with the Philadelphia Athletics. He played with them for three seasons before being released. Black signed with the Cleveland Indians at the end of 1945, and after a season with them joined Alcoholics Anonymous. After completing the program, he played two more seasons with Cleveland, pitching a no-hitter on July 10, 1947. On September 13, 1948, Black suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the field, which marked the end of his professional career. After a comeback attempt, Black went on to become a sports announcer and salesman. He died in 1959.
Black was born in Salix, Iowa. He had his first taste of professional baseball in 1937, when he was signed by the Fairbury Jeffs of the Nebraska State League. The Jeffs were the rookie-level minor league team of the St. Louis Browns farm system. He played alongside two others who would later make the major leagues, George Bradley and Johnny Lucadello. Black pitched in 26 games for the Jeffs, posting a 5-11 record, 154 innings pitched, and a 4.85 ERA. He spent the next three years out of professional baseball, then signed a contract with the Petersburg Rebels of the Virginia League.