Chet Laabs

Chester Peter Laabs (April 30, 1912 – January 26, 1983) was an American baseball right-handed outfielder. He played professional baseball from 1935 to 1950, including 11 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers (1937–1939), St. Louis Browns (1939–1946) and Philadelphia Athletics. He ranked second in the American League with 27 home runs in 1942 and was named to the 1943 All-Star team.

Laabs is often remembered for his role in two historic games. On October 2, 1938, he struck out five times, including the final strikeout, in the game in which Bob Feller set a new major league record with 18 strikeouts. Six years later to the day, on October 2, 1944, he helped the Browns clinch the only pennant in club history by hitting two home runs on the final day of the season against the New York Yankees.

Early years Laabs was born in 1912 in Milwaukee. He was the fourth of six children of Herman Julius Laabs and Jennie (Szulczewski) Laabs. His father was a German immigrant who worked as a molder at a steel fabricating plant and later as a fabric merchant and tavern owner. Laabs attended Milwaukee's Boys' Technology and Trade School. He began playing semipro baseball at age 15 with the Braman Coal Company team. Laabs was sometimes known as "The Polling Pole", owing to his Polish ancestry (on his mother's side) and his ability to hit long home runs.

Professional baseball Minor leagues (1935) Laabs began playing professional baseball in 1935 for the Fort Wayne Chiefs of the Three-I League. In 87 games at Fort Wayne, he compiled a .384 batting average with a .699 slugging percentage and 56 extra-base hits. He was leading the minor leagues with a .427 average before missing a month due to an ankle injury. Despite the games missed due to injury, he led the Three-I League with 24 home runs.

Detroit Tigers (1936–39) In October 1935, the Detroit Tigers purchased Laabs from the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. He attended spring training with the Tigers in 1936 but did not make the club. The Tigers decided to convert him from an infielder to an outfielder and sent him back to the Brewers to learn to play the outfield. The Tigers were sufficiently impressed that they sold outfielder (and future Hall of Famer) Al Simmons to make room for Laabs on the team's roster. Laabs hit .410 in 21 games at Toledo.

Laabs began the 1939 season with the Tigers but appeared in only five games while compiling a .313 batting average.

St. Louis Browns (1939–46) During the 1939 season, Laabs appeared in 100 games (95 for the Browns, 5 for the Tigers) and compiled a .300 batting average and .369 on-base percentage with 21 doubles, 10 triples, and 62 RBIs. Some 70 of his appearances in 1939 were as the Browns' center fielder. His batting average dipped that year to .234, and he started only 53 games. The Encyclopedia of Baseball later referred to the game as "the most important in the history of the Browns." Laabs appeared in only 16 games for the Athletics, compiling a .219 average with no home runs and one RBI in 32 at bats. Laabs remained with the Bisons for parts of three seasons, batting .293 with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs in 1947 and .295 with 29 home runs and 81 RBIs in 1948. Laabs appeared in 123 games for Buffalo and Toronto in 1949, totaling 22 home runs and 75 RBIs. He played in 99 games in the outfield for Jersey City. and he was credited with being the "big man" in Jersey City's lineup and leading the team to a berth in the International League playoffs.

Career statistics In 11 major league seasons, Laabs appeared in 950 games and compiled a .262 batting average.346 on-base percentage, and .452 slugging percentage. He totaled 117 home runs and 509 RBIs. He finished with a .977 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. He then worked at a Detroit trophy company, Spike Lawrence Trophies. In 1983, Laabs died at age 70 in Warren, Michigan. Sources are in conflict as to whether he died from a pulmonary embolism or a heart ailment.