Elon Hogsett

Elon Chester "Chief" Hogsett (November 2, 1903 – July 17, 2001) was an American professional baseball pitcher who threw with a left-handed submarine motion. He played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938 plus a final season in 1944, appearing in 330 games, 114 as a starter, compiling a 63–87 win–loss record with a 5.02 earned run average (ERA). He spent parts of nine seasons with the Detroit Tigers and pitched in the World Series in and .

Early years Hogsett was born in 1903 on a farm in Ness County, Kansas. His parents were divorced in 1905, and his father moved to Illinois. His mother remarried in 1907 to Harry Cranston. His stepfather was an abusive alcoholic, and Hogsett left home when he was 14 years old, moving to Brownell, Kansas.

He pitched for the Brownell high school team and later for town teams, including one from Ness City, Kansas.

Although press accounts during his playing days sometimes referred to him as a "full-blooded Indian", Hogsett later claimed to be only one-thirty-second Cherokee, "maybe more", on his mother's side. During his major league career in Detroit, Hogsett was reportedly greeted with "war whoops" by the fans at Navin Field when he took the mound.

At the end of the 1925 season, the Detroit Tigers acquired his contract and assigned him to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League.

Montreal In 1929, he returned to Double-A baseball with the Montreal Royals of the International League, compiling a 22–13 record with a 3.03 earned run average (ERA) in 37 games. He became the most popular player on the Montreal club and was rated as the best left-handed pitcher in the International League.

Detroit Tigers In August 1929, the Detroit Tigers acquired Hogsett from Montreal. He reported to the Tigers in September and made his major league debut on September 18. He appeared in four games, all as a starter, compiling a 1–2 record with a 2.83 ERA.

He appeared in 33 games for the Tigers in 1930 (17 of them as a starter), compiling a 9–8 record with a 5.42 ERA. He also led the American League with nine batters hit by pitch. That year, he appeared in 26 games, all in relief, with a 3–2 record and 4.29 ERA. He helped he Tigers win the American League pennant. In the 1934 World Series, Hogsett shined, appearing in three games, finished two of them, and compiled a 1.23 ERA. In St. Louis, manager Rogers Hornsby decided to use Hogsett as a starting pitcher. On being told of his new assignment, Hogsett was "all but dumbfounded."

Hogsett started 29 games and led the 1936 Browns' pitching staff with 13 wins. He compiled a 5.52 ERA and led the American League's pitchers with six errors and 15 batters hit by pitch. Hogsett appeared in 31 games, nine as a starter, for the 1937 Senators, compiling a 5–6 record and a 6.03 ERA. He finished the season with the Millers, compiling a 5–7 record and a 6.83 ERA.

In 330 career games in the American League, Hogsett threw 1,222 innings with 114 games started, 160 games finished, and 33 saves. He also posted a .226 batting average (91-for-403) with 46 runs, six home runs and 27 RBIs.

Family and later years Hogsett was married in 1928 to Mabel Edith Wilson. They had two children: Virginia, born in 1935, and Stanley Gordon, born in 1940. Hogsett and Mabel remained married until Mabel's death in 1980.

After retiring from baseball, Hogsett worked as a sporting goods salesman. He later moved back to Kansas and worked for many years as a traveling liquor salesman. He lived in Hays, Kansas. After moving to a rest home, Hogsett died in 2001 at age 97.