Howard Ehmke

Howard Ehmke

Birthdate	4/24/1894
Death Date	3/17/1959
Debut Year	1915
Year of Induction
Teams	Athletics, Blues, Red Sox, Tigers
Position	Pitcher

Howard Ehmke set the World Series single game strikeout record as the surprise Game 1 starter for the powerhouse 1929 Philadelphia Athletics.

Ehmke enjoyed a 15-year career that included a 20-win season and a no-hitter

Howard Ehmke is best remembered for his unlikely gem in Game 1 of the 1929 World Series. Beyond that, his career had many standout moments. Ehmke broke in with the Federal League’s Buffalo Blues in 1915. When the league folded after the season, the American League’s Tigers purchased his

Ehmke gave up the first home run in The House that Ruth Built to the man himself

Yankee Stadium was known as The House that Ruth Built. When the palace opened on April 18, 1923, it was the most exciting event in franchise history for the team that had yet to win a World Series. The place was packed with a then-record 74,200 fans. Boston’s Red Sox squared off against New Yo

Connie Mack almost released pitcher Howard Ehmke two months before the Series

Howard Ehmke’s record-setting Game 1 start in the 1929 World Series almost didn’t happen. As the story goes, Ehmke was on the verge of being released in August. After getting rocked by the Yankees on August 7th, skipper Connie Mack gave Ehmke an ultimatum: completely buy in, or stay home

Mack wanted Ehmke to use his fastball more before going to his breaking ball

Shown here is page two of the historical letter from Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack to Howard Ehmke. Mack explains to his pitcher why he told him to stay home when the team went on the road. Included here is the final sentence of the first page and the text from the second. “I have come to t

Mack makes his pitch to Ehmke to again contribute to the Athletics

Here is the transcription of the third of four pages in the letter between Philadelphia manager Connie Mack and his pitcher Howard Ehmke. Mack details a plan for Ehmke to return in the form of an ultimatum. “You have been pitching a good many years and the past few years you have not worked in

Mack tells the pitcher to remain at home if he feels that's better

Five-time World Series winner Connie Mack does not mince words with Howard Ehmke in page four of the letter. The transcription below lays it on the line for the pitcher. “If after giving the matter plenty of thought and your decision is that you can do as outlined and help the club by working

A Story about Howard Ehmke

Bill James called Connie Mack’s move in the 1929 World Series, “the most brilliant managerial stratagem in the history of baseball”

October 12th, 2022 Leave a comment

Connie Mack’s 1929 Philadelphia Athletics were one of the greatest teams in baseball history. With a lineup that included Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Al Simmons, they finished 18 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Yankee team that won 6 of the previous 8 American League pennants. The Athletics pitching staff boasted a pair of aces with the left-right combination of 20-game winner Lefty Grove and 24-game winner George Earnshaw. For good measure, Mack’s #3 starter Rube Walberg had 18 wins of his own. On May 12th Philadelphia moved into a first-place tie with the Yankees and never relinquished the top spot. By the end of the month the A’s were five games up. Their lead swelled to 10 1/2 games on August 1st behind Earnshaw’s 17th win of the season. The margin remained at double digits the rest of the way. As Philadelphia cruised toward the AL pennant, the Cubs did the same in the National League. When Charlie Root shut down the Giants at the Polo Grounds on August 21st, the Cubs’ lead stretched to 10 1/2 games and never diminished. The two teams were on a collision course for the World Series. An aging […]