Russ Van Atta

Russell Van Atta (June 21, 1906 – October 10, 1986) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Browns over a seven-season career. After his career ended, he was elected to one-term as sheriff of Sussex County, New Jersey, from 1941 to 1944.

Biography

Early life and education He was born on June 21, 1906, near Augusta in Frankford Township, Sussex County, in northwestern New Jersey. Having attended grammar and secondary school locally in Augusta, Van Atta attended the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in State College, Pennsylvania.

Baseball career

Minor leagues (1928–1932) After completing his degree at Penn State, scouts from the Major Leagues considered Van Atta to be a promising prospect and in 1928 the New York Yankees negotiated a contract and paid a signing bonus of $250. To date, he is the only American League (AL) pitcher to get four hits in his major league debut, and one of only seven players in AL history to do so in a nine-inning game.

Van Atta's season performance consisted of a .283 batting average, 4.38 ERA and a record of 12 wins and 4 losses (.750).

The successes of Van Atta's rookie year did not carry over into subsequent seasons. His statistics and performance declined for the rest of his career. In 1934, he posted a 6.34 ERA and a 3–5 record. In December 1934, Van Atta injured his pitching hand while breaking a glass window to rescue his pet Cocker Spaniel during a house fire at his home in the Lake Mohawk section of Sparta Township, New Jersey. The injuries included cuts to his left hand that caused nerve damage. For the rest of his career, he would be limited to relief pitching and few spot-starts.

After baseball Van Atta was elected County Sheriff in Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey in 1941 and served one three-year term until 1944.

Van Atta died on October 10, 1986, in Andover, New Jersey, at the age of 80. He was buried in the Frankford Plains Cemetery in Augusta, New Jersey.