Johnny Schmitz
| Johnny Schmitz | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: November 27, 1920 Wausau, Wisconsin |
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Died: October 1, 2011 (aged 90) Wausau, Wisconsin |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 6, 1941, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 7, 1956, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 93–114 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.55 | ||
| Strikeouts | 746 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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John Albert Schmitz (November 27, 1920 – October 1, 2011), nicknamed "Bear Tracks", was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 13 seasons between 1941 and 1956, missing 1943 to 1945 due to World War II. His nickname was inspired by the way he shuffled to the mound and his size 14 feet. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin.
At 6'0", 170 pounds, Schmitz batted right-handed but threw lefty.
Originally signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1938, he was obtained by the Chicago Cubs from the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association as part of a minor league working agreement. He made his major league debut with the Cubs on September 6, 1941, at the age of 20. He was the fourth-youngest player that year. In his debut, he threw only one pitch.
He pitched marvelously in the short stint that would be his first major league season: in five games – including three starts – he went 2–0 with a 1.31 earned run average, and one complete game. That season was a foreshadowing of the success he would witness in the next few years of his career.
In 1942, he posted a solid 3.43 ERA despite a mediocre 3–7 record with the Cubs (who as a team went 68–86 that year). He would end up missing the next three years due to military service, but in 1946 he came back better than ever. An All-Star that year, he posted a 2.61 ERA in 41 games, 31 started. He went 11–11, with 135 strikeouts in 224+ innings pitched, allowing just six home runs in that time. He led the league in strikeouts and was second in hits allowed per nine innings that year (he allowing just 7.38H/9IP). He was fourth in the league in games started, fifth in innings, sixth in ERA and complete games (14) and seventh in game appearances. This performance put him at 30th place in MVP voting that year.
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