Tony Freitas
| Birthdate | 5/5/1908 |
| Death Date | 3/14/1994 |
| Debut Year | 1928 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Athletics, MiLB, Reds |
| Position | Pitcher |
Tony Freitas pitched in 107 MLB games and 748 more in the minors; his 348 victories in the Minor Leagues are the most ever by a left-hander.
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Tony Freitas signed this 94 victories into his 373-win career in 1934
Tony Freitas signed this 94 victories into his 373-win career in 1934
Tony Freitas dropped this postcard by the post office on August 11th, 1934. By that time he had 19 big league wins and 75 minor league victories.
Freitas was 26 years old and just 7 years into his 23-year professional career. Though he’d win only six more big league contests his best years were ahead of him.
In 1937 Freitas posted the first of his nine 20-win seasons in the minors. Freitas went on to pitch until after his 45th birthday. His 343 victories in the bushes remain the most ever by a southpaw.
Freitas lived a long life after baseball. He happily complied with autograph requests sent through the mail throughout his life. The hurler died at age 85 in 1994.
While the pitcher’s autograph is by no means rare, examples such as these from his playing career are scarce.
The postmark gives rich context to the autograph
The postmark gives rich context to the autograph
Government postcards are a favorite medium for autograph collectors. Such cards provide rich context of the time and place of the signature.
This one reveals an August 16, 1934 postmark from Cincinnati. That day at Crosley Field the Reds beat Casey Stengel‘s Brooklyn Dodgers 9-1. Hall of Famers Jim Bottomley, Chick Hafey, and Ernie Lombardi combined for three hits, two runs scored, and two RBI.
Two days later Freitas made his 41st start and 61st appearance of his big league career. It was a rough outing. Freitas surrendered four runs on four hits without retiring a batter.
The home team Reds lost to the visiting Giants 5-0 behind Bill Terry, Mel Ott, and Travis Jackson who tallied 5 of their team’s 14 hits. By season’s end New York had 93 wins and finished two games behind Frankie Frisch‘s World Champion Cardinals.
Tony Freitas won 373 games in his 23-year professional pitching career
Tony Freitas won 373 games in his 23-year professional pitching career
Tony Freitas pitched in over 100 games for five big league teams from 1932-1936. He broke in with Philadelphia Athletics and earned a dozen victories for Connie Mack’s 97-win team.
After pitching 19 games for the Athletics in ’33, Freitas was traded twice before landing in Cincinnati. From 1934 until early 1936 he pitched 65 games for the Reds. After he was sold to the Cardinals in May of 1936 he never pitched in the Major Leagues again.
The following season Freitas won 23 games for the Cards’ Double-A affiliate, the Sacramento Solons. He put up at least 20 wins per season from 1937-42, totaling 134 victories during that time. Overall he won 20 or more in nine different minor league seasons.
By the time he hung up his spikes, Freitas earned 348 minor league wins – the most by a southpaw. Predictably, his minor league honors are many. When Freitas was voted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame his class included Joe DiMaggio, Ernie Lombardi, Jimmie Reese, and others. In 2003 Freitas was named to the PCL’s All Century Team.
In the collection is this letter that’s handwritten and signed by Freitas. He writes, “Details of my minor league career are hard to talk about without bragging. I would rather let someone else talk about my accomplishments.
“I was very lucky that my arm held up without any serious injuries for 26 years.
“Thanks for the kind words of considering me as one of the greatest pitchers in the minor leagues.”
The man with the most Minor League wins as a southpaw then signed the bottom of the letter.
