Fred Frankhouse

Frederick Meloy Frankhouse (April 9, 1904 – August 17, 1989) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1939. His specialty pitch was "the old roundhouse curve", and he was often referred to as a "spitballer" during his career as a pitcher. the Brooklyn Dodgers (1936–1938), He did, however, receive a World Series ring with the rest of his team. and played his last game September 25, 1939

Early life and education Frankhouse was born on April 9, 1904, to Charles David "CD" Juniata County, Pennsylvania. He had two sisters, Margaret and Martha, and two brothers, Melvin and Joseph. Frankhouse attended Port Royal Elementary school and Port Royal High School and graduated from Lewistown High School. He was only 19 when a scout brought him from the lots of his home town of Port Royal, Pennsylvania. He signed his first professional contract with St. Louis in 1922 the Syracuse Stars (1923–1926), While with the Cardinals, Frankhouse knew such greats as Dizzy Dean and Pepper Martin. Also on the Cardinals with Frankhouse were Hall-of-Famers Frankie "The Fordham Flash" Frisch and Walter "Rabbit" Maranville, both of whom Frankhouse later joined on the Braves. In 1934, Frankhouse had his best year pitching, when rain halted the game permanently. After Frankhouse had retired two in the eighth, a heavy downpour ended the contest. Brooklyn had collected five runs. Frankhouse issued six bases on balls and Jimmy Bucher made an error behind him but no Cincinnati runner reached third. Holding the Reds without a hit was totally out of character for Frankhouse. On December 13, 1938, in a trade for Joe Stripp, Frankhouse returned to Boston, for his final year in professional baseball. In his last year as a Major League Baseball pitcher, on May 17, 1939, Frankhouse beans Harry Craft of the Reds. In another incident during the series against the Reds, National League president Fred Frick warned Frankhouse that he would be suspended for ten games should he be found attempting to use an illegal "spitter" again. Frankhouse was released by the Boston Bees on January 23, 1940.

Returning to the Minor League During his career, Frankhouse appeared in 402 major league games, 216 of them as a starting pitcher. He compiled 106 wins and 97 losses and had 81 complete games. and the American Association Kansas City Blues (1942). After Frankhouse's first season as coach-pitcher with Newark, the Bears announced they would re-sign Frankhouse to a second season.

Life after baseball Frankhouse enlisted in the Army during World War II after leaving baseball. After serving four years, Frankhouse was discharged with the rank of captain in the Transportation Corps. Casey Stengel wanted Frankhouse to work for him as a pitching scout, but Frankhouse chose to return to Juniata County with his wife Mabel. After returning to Port Royal, Pennsylvania. Frankhouse started a Little League Baseball program and coached a team. He was one of the first Christmas tree growers in the County and worked a short time for the Commonwealth.

On June 9, 1976, his home town honored him with Fred Frankhouse Appreciation Day, and the baseball field in Port Royal was named the "Frankhouse Field" in his honor. That same year he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Athletic Hall of Fame. Shortly after his death, Frankhouse's family created a baseball scholarship at Juniata High School to keep his memory alive and to support youngsters who play the game.

MLB pitching statistics Career G GS GF W L PCT ERA CG SHO SV IP BFP H ER R HR BB IBB SO WP HBP BK HLD 13 Years 402 216 115 106 97 .522 3.92 81 10 12 1,888.0 8,287 2,033 822 969 111 701 - 622 32 43 6 - Pitching statistics are from the online Baseball-Almanac.com. The pitching statistics at Baseball-Reference.com are in agreement except for the "game started" total, which is 213.

As a hitter, Frankhouse posted a .208 batting average (132-for-636) with 72 runs, 22 doubles, 1 home run, 58 RBI and 38 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .961 fielding percentage.