Feb 01 2025 11 mins
February 2, 1969 – Pitchers Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
Stan Coveleski learned control as a youngster by throwing rocks at tin cans that swung from a tree. Though he pitched a shutout in his first big league start with the Athletics in 1912,
it was the spitball he later learned in the Minor Leagues. in 1913-1915, earning a permanent spot in the big leagues in 1916 when the Indians bought his contract.
Using a fluttering spitball that dove sharply and broke inside on lefties and righties, Stan Coveleski helped two unlikely teams to the World Series. He won three games in the 1920 Series — the first championship for Cleveland, against Brooklyn while yielding only two runs, he was traded on December 12, 1924: Traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Washington Senators for By Speece and Carr Smith, and in 1925 he helped the Senators to the World Series in his first year with that club, winning 20 games. He consistently topped 275 innings pitched and was a valuable pitcher well into his mid-thirties. A longtime resident of South Bend, Indiana, the ballfield in that college town bears his name.
What's in a Name?
He was born Stanislaus Kowalewski in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, which was mining country. He and four brothers all became professional baseball players. The last name was changed to "Coveleskie" for all formal matters, but somewhere along the line sources dropped the last "e" and made it "Coveleski." Stan's Hall of Fame plaque, and the stadium in South Bend, Indiana that bears his name, both spell the last name "Coveleski," but during their playing days, Harry (the only other brother to make the big leagues) and Stan were known as "Coveleskie."
World Series Aces
Pitchers who have hurled three complete game wins in one World Series:
Christy Mathewson, Giants (1905 vs. A's)
27 IP, 14 H, 18 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
Babe Adams, Pirates (1909 vs. Tigers)
27 IP, 18 H, 11 K, 6 BB, 1.33 ERA
Stan Coveleski, Indians (1920 vs. Robins)
27 IP, 15 H, 8 K, 2 BB, 0.67 ERA
Lew Burdette, Braves (1957 vs. Braves)
27 IP, 21 H, 13 K, 4 BB, 0.67 ERA
Bob Gibson, Cardinals (1967 vs. Red Sox)
27 IP, 14 H, 26 K, 5 BB, 1.00 ERA
Mickey Lolich, Tigers (1968 vs. Cardinals) 27 IP, 20 H, 21 K, 6 BB, 1.67 ERA
Waite "Schoolboy" Hoyt pitched his first inning in the majors at the age of 18, and when he threw his last pitch 20 years later he had more than 230 wins in his Hall of Fame career. Originally signed by the New York Giants, Hoyt fell from the grasp of John McGraw and was with the Boston Red Sox in 1919-1920 before he was shipped off with the rest of Harry Frazee's big names prior to the 1921 season. Like many other Red Sox castoffs, Hoyt ended up with the New York Yankees, and it was there that he emerged as an ace. A clutch performer, Hoyt was 6-3 with a stellar 1.62 ERA for the Bronx Bombers in the World Series. He anchored the pitching staff for three Yankee championship clubs before moving on to several teams in his 30s.
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