Allen Sothoron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allen Sothoron |
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| Pitcher / Manager | |||
| Born: April 27, 1893 Bradford, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Died: June 17, 1939 (aged 46) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 17, 1914, for the St. Louis Browns | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 6, 1926, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 91–99 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.31 | ||
| Strikeouts | 576 | ||
| Managerial record | 2–6 | ||
| Winning % | .250 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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Allen Sutton Sothoron (born April 27, 1893 – died June 17, 1939) was a talented American baseball player. He was a pitcher, which means he threw the ball to the batter. Allen played for 11 years in the big leagues, also known as Major League Baseball. He played for teams like the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and St. Louis Cardinals. Later, he also worked as a coach and even a manager for a short time.
Allen was born in Bradford, Ohio. He threw and batted right-handed. He was about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 182 pounds. He went to Albright College and Juniata College. Sometimes, sportswriters would misspell his name, but his personal documents show he preferred "Allen."
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Playing Baseball
Allen Sothoron started playing in the major leagues when a special pitch called the spitball was still allowed. A spitball was a pitch where the pitcher would put saliva or another substance on the ball to make it move in an unusual way.
His Best Season
His best year was in 1919 when he played for the St. Louis Browns. He won 20 games and lost 13. His earned run average (ERA) was 2.20, which is very good. ERA measures how many runs a pitcher allows per nine innings. He finished fifth in the American League for both wins and ERA that year.
The Spitball Rule Change
After the 1919 season, the spitball was made illegal in baseball. At first, Allen wasn't allowed to throw it anymore. But in the middle of 1920, he was put on a special list. This list had 17 pitchers who were allowed to keep using the spitball because they had used it for a long time. Even with this permission, he never quite matched his amazing 1919 performance.
Later Career and Shutouts
Allen's pitching career ended with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League. He played for his first MLB manager, Branch Rickey, there. In 1924, he led the National League with four shutouts. A shutout is when a pitcher plays a whole game and doesn't let the other team score any runs. During his time in Major League Baseball, he played in 264 games. He threw 102 complete games, meaning he pitched from start to finish without another pitcher taking over.
In 1921, a sportswriter named Bugs Baer made a famous joke about Allen. He said, "Allen S. Sothoron pitched his initials off yesterday."
After Playing Baseball
After his playing days, Allen Sothoron became a manager in minor league baseball. He also worked as a coach for the Cardinals in 1927, the Boston Braves in 1928, and the Browns from 1932 to 1933.
Brief Manager Role
In 1933, he had a very short time as a manager for the St. Louis Browns. He managed only eight games, winning two and losing six. He was then replaced by a famous player named Rogers Hornsby.
Allen Sothoron passed away in St. Louis when he was 46 years old. This was in the middle of the 1939 baseball season. He had been sick for a while. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City.
