Hal Newhouser

Played For
Detroit Tigers (1939-1953)
Cleveland Indians (1954-1955)

All-Time Rankings
Hal Newhouser ranks #49 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1945
Newhouser had a 34-52 record to show for his first five seasons before exploding to win 29 games in 1944, 25 in 1945 and 26 in 1946. For those three seasons he was 80-27, improving his career mark to 114-79. In his 17-year career, Newhouser had ten losing or break-even seasons (he was 66-85 in those ten years), and enjoyed seven winning campaigns, in which he was 141-65 (a .684 winning percentage). In 1945 his 25 wins, 1.81 ERA and 212 strikeouts led the American League. For his career, he won two ERA titles, led the league in wins four times, strikeouts twice, complete games twice, and shutouts once (eight in 1945). In the '45 World Series against the Cubs he was 2-1 with a 6.10 ERA and 22 K's in 20 2/3 innings. He was rocked for seven earned runs in less than three innings in the opener, but rebounded to pitch complete game wins in Game Five and Seven, helping Detroit to their second World Series title.

Factoids
In 1947, the Yankees offered Joe DiMaggio to the Tigers in a trade for Hal Newhouser, and Detroit refused.

Hal Newhouser was 80-27 over a three-year stretch (1944-1946).

Lucrative Offers
Early in 1946, after Newhouser won his second straight MVP Award, he was offered $500,000 to jump to the Mexican League, started by maverick millionaire Jorge Pasquel. According to Newhouser, Pasquel agreed to place $300,000 in Newhouser's bank account immediately, and pay the left-hander $200,000 over three seasons. Hewhouser wrestled with the offer, talked with manager Steve O'Neill and Tiger owner Walter Briggs about it, but decided to stay in Detroit. Briggs gave him an estimated $10,000 bonus and a fat new contract following the '46 campaign. The Mexican League, which successfully attracted a few major leaguers south of the border, proved to be a bust.

Though the actaul figure of his 1947 contract was never released, it was high enough to satisfy Newhouser.

"All I can say is that it was thousands more [than the $60,000 newspapers were reporting). I've always felt I owe Mr. Briggs a lot of victories to repay him," Newhouser told columnist Lyall Smith in 1951.

In 1951, Newhouser seriously considered quitting baseball to take a job with an undisclosed Detroit firm for a salary of $30,000 and benefits. Once again, he determined to stay in baseball. Newhouser finally retired in 1955.

Born
Harold Newhouser was born on May 20, 1921, in Detroit, MI.

Died
November 10, 1998, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Left

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  DET

Major League Debut
September 29, 1939

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1939
Ted Williams
Mickey Vernon
Bob Elliott
Bob Kennedy
Early Wynn
Hal Newhouser
Dizzy Trout
Fred Hutchinson
Johnny Hopp

Nicknames
Prince Hal

When Newhouser and Art Houtteman were the top two pitchers for the Tigers, southpaw Hal was called "Mr. Left" and righty Houtteman was dubbed "Mr. Right."

Uniform Numbers
#16 (1939-1955)

Similar Players
Vida Blue, Fernando Valenzuela

Related Players
Dizzy Trout and Eddie Mayo, both teammates of Newhouser in Detroit who finished second to him in MVP voting... Milt Pappas, who was scouted and signed by Newhouser.

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1962 BBWAA 4 2.5% 1964 BBWAA 26 12.9% 1964 Run Off 3 1.3% 1966 BBWAA 32 10.6% 1967 BBWAA 62 21.2% 1967 Run Off 13 4.2% 1968 BBWAA 67 23.7% 1969 BBWAA 82 24.1% 1970 BBWAA 80 26.7% 1971 BBWAA 94 26.1% 1972 BBWAA 92 23.2% 1973 BBWAA 79 20.8% 1974 BBWAA 73 20.0% 1975 BBWAA 155 42.8% 1992 Veterans %

Post-Season Appearances
1945 World Series
1954 World Series

Post-Season Notes
Newhouser pitched a complete game against the Cubs to win Game Seven of the 1945 World Series, 9-3.

Awards and Honors
1944 AL MVP
1945 AL MVP
1945 AL Triple Crown

Milestones

• September 25, 1952: 200th Win... Final victory in a Tiger uniform.

Transactions
Newhouser was released by the Tigers in early 1954, and latched on with the Indians. He pitched very well for Cleveland in 1954, going 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen.

All-Star Selections
1942 AL
1943 AL
1944 AL
1945 AL
1946 AL
1947 AL
1948 AL

Replaced
Newhouser was one of the many young Tiger pitchers who found their way into the starting rotation in 1939-1940. The others indluded Dizzy Trout and Fred Hutchinson. They replaced guys like Roxie Lawson, George Gill, and Vern Kennedy.

Replaced By
His last job as a starting pitcher was 1952-1953, with the Tigers. He gradually was replaced by young southpaw Billy Hoeft.

Best Strength as a Player
Control of his overhand curveball.

Largest Weakness as a Player
He had a temper.

Learn More about Hal Newhouser
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