Ralph Schwamb

Ralph Richard "Blackie" Schwamb (August 6, 1926 – December 21, 1989) was an American professional baseball pitcher and convicted murderer. He played for the St. Louis Browns of Major League Baseball in 1948. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 198 pounds (90 kg), he threw and batted right-handed.

Ralph Schwamb
Pitcher
Born: (1926-08-06)August 6, 1926
Los Angeles, California
Died: December 21, 1989(1989-12-21) (aged 63)
Lancaster, California
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 25, 1948, for the St. Louis Browns
Last MLB appearance
September 18, 1948, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Win–loss record1–1
Earned run average8.53
Strikeouts7
Teams

Biography

Schwamb was nicknamed "Blackie" while in grade school, due to his habit of wearing black clothing, a practice he adopted after watching Western movies and seeing the "bad guys" wearing black.[1]: 21–22  He served in the United States Navy during World War II,[2] receiving a bad conduct discharge after hitting an officer.[1]: 3–5 

Schwamb first played in the minor leagues from 1947 to 1949; initially in the Arizona–Texas League and Northern League (both Class C) and later the American Association (Triple-A) and Southern Association (Double-A).[3] In 1948, Schwamb pitched in 12 major league games (five starts) for the St. Louis Browns, recording one win and one loss, while compiling an 8.53 earned run average (ERA).[3] His lone win came in his second start,[4] when he pitched 6+1⁄3 innings at home against the Washington Senators while allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits, benefitting from his team scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.[5] Schwamb had three hits in 10 major league at bats and scored one run.[6]

After the 1948 season, Schwamb killed a doctor in Long Beach, California, named Donald Buge.[7] Schwamb did it to pay off a debt to a Los Angeles mobster, Mickey Cohen.[8] Schwamb was sentenced to life in prison in 1949,[9] but was granted parole in 1960.[10]

In 1961, Schwamb played a final season of minor league baseball, for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League.[3] Overall, in four seasons of professional baseball, Schwamb pitched in 62 games while compiling a 13–15 record with a 4.44 ERA. His life is the subject of a 2005 book entitled Wrong Side of the Wall.[11]

References
  1. Stone, Eric (2005). Wrong Side of the Wall: The Life of Blackie Schwamb, the Greatest Prison Baseball Player of All Time. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-59228-439-6.
  2. Rich, Chris (June 1, 2010). "Was He the Best Ever?". sanquentinnews.com. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  3. "Ralph Schwamb Minor & Independent Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  4. "The 1948 STL A Regular Season Pitching Log for Blackie Schwamb". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  5. "St. Louis Browns 10, Washington Senators 8". Retrosheet. July 31, 1948. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. "The 1948 STL A Regular Season Batting Log for Blackie Schwamb". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  7. Adriaanse, Katherine. "Players after prison". Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  8. "The Best Behind Bars". CNN. 2005-03-21. Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  9. "Schwamb Sentenced To Life on Robbery, Murder Count in LA". St. Cloud Times. St. Cloud, Minnesota. AP. December 26, 1949. p. 18. Retrieved May 10, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  10. Judge, Walter (January 6, 1960). "San Quentin's Big Leaguer Leaves Prison". San Francisco Examiner. p. 50. Retrieved May 10, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  11. "Wrong Side of the Wall: The Life of Blackie Schwamb, the Greatest Prison Pitcher of all Time". The Free Library. Retrieved May 10, 2021.

Further reading
  • Introduction of Wrong Side of the Wall: The Life of Blackie Schwamb, the Greatest Prison Baseball Player of All Time by Eric Stone (2005) ISBN 978-1592284399


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