Pete Appleton

1933 Goudey card

Pitcher

Born: May 20, 1904
Terryville, Connecticut

Died: January 18, 1974 (aged 69)
Trenton, New Jersey

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

MLB debut

September 14, 1927, for the Cincinnati Reds

Last MLB appearance

September 20, 1945, for the Washington Senators

MLB statistics

Win–loss record

57–66

Earned run average

4.30

Strikeouts

420

Teams

Peter William Appleton (May 20, 1904 – January 18, 1974), born Peter Jablonowski and sometimes known as "Jabby" and the "Polish Wizard," was an American baseball player, scout, and manager.

Appleton played college baseball for the University of Michigan and played professional baseball from 1926 to 1951, including stints as a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns. He compiled a record of 57–66 in 343 games in Major League Baseball.

He changed his surname from Jablonowski to Appleton in 1934. After retiring as a player, Appleton remained active in baseball as a scout and manager. He was a manager of minor league teams in the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins organization for 20 years.

Appleton was born as Peter Jablonowski in 1904 at Terryville, Connecticut. His father was a foreman at the Eagle Lock Co. in Terryville. Jablonowski attended Terryville High School where he was a star athlete in baseball, basketball, and track. He was selected as an all-state forward in basketball and broke the Connecticut state record with a distance of 39 feet, 4 inches in the shot put. In 1921, he threw a no-hitter and struck out 23 batters in a game against Waterbury High School.

As a youth, Jablonowski was an accomplished classical pianist. He reportedly "horrified his mother when he elected to become a baseball player." A newspaper profile of Jablonowski in 1930 noted: "He plays a mean piano. And no amount of persuasion will induce him to mix jazz with his Chopin and Beethoven. It remains to be seen how many more ball teams will fall for is 'slow music' on the diamond." A 1952 newspaper story noted that, during his time in the major leagues, he was "recognized as the finest piano player in the majors."

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Wikipedia