Boots Poffenberger | |||
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![]() Boots Poffenberger, Detroit Tigers
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Pitcher | |||
Born: Williamsport, Maryland |
July 1, 1915|||
Died: September 1, 1999 Williamsport, Maryland |
(aged 84)|||
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MLB debut | |||
June 11, 1937, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
May 21, 1939, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 16-12 | ||
Earned run average | 4.75 | ||
Strikeouts | 65 | ||
Teams | |||
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Cletus Elwood "Boots" Poffenberger (July 1, 1915 – September 1, 1999) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1937–1939) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1939).
Born in Williamsport, Maryland, Boots Poffenberger played for the Beaumont Exporters in 1937, with a record of 9–1. He was called up to the Tigers mid-season and went 10–5 as a rookie in 137⅓ innings with an earned run average of 4.67. His won-loss percentage of .667 in 1937 was seventh best in the American League. He was also ninth best in the league in saves (3) and tenth in hit batsmen (4). Boots also fell for the "hidden ball trick" as a rookie, caught by Frank Crosetti on July 16, 1937.
Boots was only 21 years old when he debuted with the Tigers, and his career spun out of control within two years. Baseball writer Joe Falls wrote that "Poffenberger aroused great expectations with a 10–5 season as a rookie in 1937, but his performance never approached the heights of his antics...He loved to live it up. In fact, some days he did not show up for work. He became known as the ‘Duke of Duckout'."
Stories about Poffenberger's late night drinking and poor training practices caused him to fall out of favor with the team. After a night of heavy drinking while on a road trip with the Tigers in 1937, Poffenberger called room service and said, "I'll have the breakfast of champions." When asked if he wanted cereal, Poffenberger replied, "Hell, no. Two fried eggs and a bottle of beer."
Later, Boots was interviewed on a radio program sponsored by a cereal company. When it came time for the commercial plug, the interviewer asked, "Now, tell us, Boots, what is your favorite breakfast, taken with cream, sugar and some sort of fruit?" The non-conformist, Boots refused to play along and responded, "Ham, eggs, and two bottles of beer."
After returning to the Tigers from a one-day "disappearance", manager Mickey Cochrane stood over him in the clubhouse and demanded to know his whereabouts. Boots replied: "I refuse to reveal my identity."