Pete Appleton

Appleton played professional baseball for 26 years from 1926 to 1951. He played for six major league and 12 minor league teams.[3][20] In 14 seasons of Major League Baseball, Appleton posted a 57–66 record with 420 strikeouts and a 4.30 ERA in 341 games (71 as a starter).[3] In his obituary, The Sporting News described him as "a righthander with no outstanding talents."[6]

After graduating from Michigan in June 1926, Appleton turned down several offers to play Major League Baseball and opted to play during the 1926 season near his Connecticut home for the Waterbury Brasscos in the Eastern League.[5][20] In a game against Bridgeport in August 1926, he allowed three hits in a 1–0 victory. One week later, on August 17, 1926, Jablonowski threw a no-hitter against Bridgeport. Jablonowsky faced 29 batters, and Bridgeport hit only four balls out of the infield.[5]

On October 1, 1926, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Jablonowski from Waterbury in the Rule 5 draft.[21] After appearing in 40 games for the Hartford Senators (Eastern League) during the 1927 season with an earned run average of 2.99,[20] Appleton made his Major League debut with the Reds in September 1927.[3] In the final game of the 1927 season, he threw a four-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates, one day after the Pirates had clinched the National League penant.[22] Jablonowski remained with the Reds in 1928. Over the course of the 1927 and 1928 seasons, he appeared in a total of 37 games for the Reds with a record of 5–5.[3] Jablonowski was also a strong batter early in his career; he compiled a .381 batting average in his two seasons with the Reds.[3]

In December 1928, Jablonowski was assigned to the Columbus Senators in the American Association.[23] During the 1929 season, he compiled an 18–12 record for the Senators.[20]

In September 1929, Jablonski was purchased by the Cleveland Indians.[24] He remained with the Indians from 1930 to 1932. In one of his first games for Cleveland, Jablonowski held the St. Louis Browns to one run. After the game, a newspaper wrote that Jablonowski studied psychology as a hobby and used it as part of his pitching technique:

"'Psych one.' 'Psyche two.' 'Psych three.' 'Batter's out.' They're going to have to change the terminology of baseball when Peter William Jablonowski does the pitching. For when Peter can't strike 'em out, he's got his mind made up to psych 'em out, which after all may be just as good, if it wins ball games."[1]

The same newspaper profile described Jablonowski as follows: "Jablonowski has thick, stubby fingers, a wide mouth, a heavy nose and an assured manner. He is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. Some man! And how he wears his vivid clothes!"[1]

In two years with Cleveland, Jablonowski appeared in 72 games with 12 wins and 11 losses.[3]

On June 10, 1932, he was traded by the Indians to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Jack Russell.[25] He appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox in 1932, compiling an 0–3 record.[3]

In late July 1932, the Red Sox traded Jablonowski to the Newark Bears, an International League team affiliated with the New York Yankees, in exchange for John V. Welch.[26] Jablonowski appeared in 12 games for Newark in 1932 and compiled an 11–1 record with a 3.73 ERA.[20]

In January 1933, Jablonowski signed to play with the New York Yankees.[27] He joined the Yankees in March 1933,[28][29] but he appeared in only one regular-season game for the team, pitching two scoreless innings.[3] Jablonowski later recalled an encounter with Babe Ruth shortly after he had been called up by the Yankees. During a road trip, Ruth placed a call to the hotel switchboard and asked the operator to page "any Yankee player that's around down there."[3] Jablonowski took the call, and Ruth told him, "Hey, keed, how about coming up and playing some cards with me?"[3] According to Jablonowski, Ruth would be mobbed if he came down to the lobby and was lonesome.[30]

In early June 1933, the Yankees gave Jablonowski an outright release, sending him back to the Newark Bears.[31] At Newark, Jablonowski put together a second strong season, compiling a 13–7 record in 22 games with a 3.88 ERA.[20]

In early 1934, Appleton legally changed his surname from "Jablonowski" to "Appleton." According to one account, he decided to change his name, because he felt his birth name was "too much of a tongue twister, especially if he decided to embark on a musical career."[6] Appleton considered pursuing a career as a band leader. He later recalled, "I never got around to it, and I suppose I really have no regrets."[6]

The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract offered two alternate rationales for the name change. One theory was that Jablonowski changed his name in order to change his luck.[32] In their history of the Boston Red Sox, Jim Prime and Bill Nowlin noted that, at least for a time, the name change did appear to bring the hoped-for change in luck:

"With the exception of pitching two innings for the Yankees in 1933, he was out of the majors until he reappeared in 1936 with the Senators, having changed his name to Pete Appleton. That year, freshly named, he went 14–9 with a 3.54 ERA, but then returned to his former level of mediocrity ... Perhaps he should have changed his name a second time – to Feller."[33]

A third theory advanced by James was that he had recently married Aldora Leszcynski (Leszczynski?), who "just couldn't stomach the prospect of going through the rest of her life as Aldora Leszcynski Jablonowski."[32]

Appleton spent the 1934 season in the International League, playing for the Rochester Red Wings and Baltimore Orioles.[20] In February 1935, Appleton was sold to the Montreal Royals.[34] He had the best season of his career in Montreal, compiling a 23–9 record with a 3.17 ERA.[20] Appleton also performed well as a batter with .354 batting average for the Royals.[20]

After a good showing in Montreal, Appleton was drafted by the Washington Senators in the October 1935 Rule 5 draft.[35] Appleton won three games for the Senators in April 1936, the opening month of the 1936 season, including a two-hitter against the defending 1935 World Series champions the Detroit Tigers.[36] He had his best Major League season in 1936 with a 14–9 record and 88 strikeouts in 201-2/3 innings pitched. His 3.53 ERA in 1936 was the third best in the American League.[3] He spent four full seasons with the Senators, his longest stint with any team. He appeared in 156 games for Washington from 1936 to 1939, compiling a record of 34–43.[3]

On December 8, 1939, Appleton was traded by the Senators to the Chicago White Sox along with Taffy Wright in exchange for Gee Walker.[3][37] Appleton appeared in 42 games as a relief pitcher for the White Sox from 1940 to 1942 while compiling a 4–3 record.[20]

In July 1942, Appleton was released by the White Sox and signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Browns.[38][39] He appeared in 14 games as a relief pitcher for the 1942 Browns with a 2.96 ERA. By the end of the 1942 season, Appleton was 38 years old and the 10th oldest player in Major League Baseball.[3]

On November 28, 1942, following the United States' entry into World War II, Appleton was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.[40] Appleton was initially assigned to duty in North Carolina where he played for a Navy Pre-Flight baseball team and entertained cadets with his talent as a pianist.[40] In July 1943, he was assigned to the Quonset Naval Base at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. In August 1943, Appleton was appointed as the coach of the Quonset Flyers baseball team.[41] He also pitched for the Flyers during his wartime service.[42][43][44][45] Appleton was discharged from the Navy in July 1945.[46]

After completing his military service, Appleton returned to the St. Louis Browns halfway through the 1945 season. He compiled a 15.43 ERA in two games and was released by the Browns in August 1945. He signed as a free agent with the Senators at the end of August 1945. He concluded his major meague career appearing in six games for the Senators in 1945 with a 3.38 ERA. He appeared in his final major league game on September 20, 1945. At age 41, he was the eighth oldest player in the major leagues at the end of the 1945 season.[3]

On April 10, 1946, Appleton was released by the Washington Senators, but he continued to pitch in the minor leagues for another six years. He played for the Buffalo Bisons in the International League from 1946 to 1948.[20][47] He was given an outright release by Buffalo "to allow him an opportunity to shop for a managerial job."[48]

In July 1948, Appleton signed with the Sherman–Denison Twins in the Big State League. He played there in 1948 and 1949.[20]

He next served as the player-manager of the Dallas Eagles in the Texas League during the 1949 season.[49] In 1950, he took over as the player-manager of the Augusta Tigers in the Sally League.[50]

Appleton concluded his playing career in 1951 as a player-manager for the Erie Sailors in the Middle Atlantic League. Appleton was 47 years old when he appeared in his final game as a professional baseball player in 1951.[20]