Harry Hoch

Harry Keller Hoch (January 9, 1887 – October 26, 1981) was an American professional baseball player and lawyer. From Woodside, Delaware, he attended Keystone State Normal School (now known as Kutztown University), where he was a top pitcher for the baseball team and led them to a record of 10–1 in 1905. After graduating from college at the age of 18, Hoch became superintendent of schools in Camden, Delaware, the youngest person in the state to hold the position. He later started a professional baseball career to help him earn money to attend Dickinson Law School. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1908, compiling a record of 2–1, and later for the St. Louis Browns in 1914 and 1915, where he went 0–6. After his baseball career, he practiced law in Delaware until 1962.

Early life Harry Keller Hoch was born on January 9, 1887, in Woodside, Delaware. The son of C. M. Hoch, a mercantile businessman who moved to Delaware from Pennsylvania, he was one of six brothers who played baseball growing up. Also a top student, he was eventually one of 12 selected from Kent County for a program allowing him to attend a teacher's school out of state. Hoch attended Keystone State Normal School (now known as Kutztown University) in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where he was a top pitcher for the baseball team. Hoch was a member of a 10–1 Keystone State team in 1905, having one game with 15 strikeouts against Albright while also pitching in a 11–10 victory against Carlisle Indian School. Hoch started 36 games with the Peaches, compiling a win–loss record of 12–18, and was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of the season. He made the Phillies for the 1908 season and won his first two games, including pitching a complete game against the Boston Doves. In his stint with the Phillies, he had a record of 2–1 with a 2.77 earned run average (ERA). In addition to pitching, he was also sometimes used as a pinch hitter. He posted a win–loss record of 0–2 and had an ERA of 3.00. He attended the law school in the offseasons and was nicknamed "Schoolmaster" for this.

Later life In 1915, Hoch began working as a clerk in the office of Daniel O. Hastings, a future U.S. Senator. In 1920, he began practicing privately at his home, close to Odessa, Delaware. Hoch worked at the firm Morris James Hitchens and Williams the last six years of his career before retiring in 1962. He and his wife, Arrelee, had two sons.