Andrew Porter (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Andrew Porter |
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| Born: March 7, 1910 Little Rock, Arkansas |
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| Died: July 1, 2010 (aged 100) Los Angeles, California |
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Andrew V. Porter (born March 7, 1910 – died July 1, 2010) was an American baseball player. He was a talented pitcher in the Negro Leagues and Minor League Baseball. He was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds. Porter batted and threw with his right hand. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
People often called him 'Andy Pullman'. This nickname came from his hard work, like a Pullman porter (someone who worked on trains). He was known for his very fast fastball and a tricky slider pitch. Porter started playing in the Negro Leagues in 1932. He played for 22 years until he retired in 1954. During his career, he played for many teams across the United States. He also played in other countries like Canada, Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela.
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Playing Career Highlights
Andrew Porter began his baseball journey with the Cleveland Cubs in 1932. He played there for a short time. Then, he joined the Louisville Black Caps. Later that same year, he moved to the Nashville Elite Giants. This team became very important to his career.
Becoming a Star Pitcher
For the next six years, Porter was a key pitcher for the Elite Giants. This team moved around a lot. They went from Nashville, Tennessee to Columbus, Ohio in 1935. Then, they moved to Washington D.C. in 1936. Finally, they settled in Baltimore, Maryland in 1938. Porter, along with Bill Byrd and Jonas Gaines, were known as the "Big Three" pitchers for the Elite Giants.
In 1933, as a 22-year-old rookie, Porter had a record of 1 win and 3 losses. But he quickly got better. In 1934, he had 8 wins and 6 losses. His ERA (which shows how many runs he allowed per game) was 3.53. That year, he was chosen for the East–West All-Star Game. This was a big honor for Negro League players. Even though he was selected, he did not get to play in the game.
During the off-season, Porter played very well in the California Winter League. He won 12 games and lost only 3. He also had 66 strikeouts and only 21 walks in 122 innings.
Facing Challenges and Big Games
In 1935, Porter missed a lot of the season because he was sick. But when he returned, he still played well. He had 3 wins and 1 loss with a 2.73 ERA. He was chosen for the East–West All-Star Game again, but he did not play.
After this, Porter had two tougher seasons. In 1936, his record was 3-3 with a 5.75 ERA. In 1937, it was 1-6 with a 4.66 ERA. He was selected for the East–West All-Star Game in 1937 too, but again, he didn't play.
Even without playing in the All-Star games, Porter showed his skills in other important matches. In October 1936, he played in an exhibition series. He faced an all-white All-Star team. This team included future Hall of Famers like Rogers Hornsby and Johnny Mize. Porter had 1 win and 1 loss with a 3.00 ERA in two games. In one game, he pitched four innings, allowing only one run. He struck out eight batters, including Hornsby twice. In another game, he helped his team win by pitching six innings in relief. He allowed only two runs and got Hornsby and Mize out when the bases were loaded.
Playing in Mexico
Porter stayed with the Elite Giants in 1938. He had a strong record of 4 wins and 1 loss with a 2.57 ERA. The next year, he went to play in the Mexican League. He joined the Alijadores de Tampico in 1939. In Mexico, Porter finished with 10 wins and 7 losses. His ERA was 2.28. He led the league with 111 strikeouts. He also played in the first Mexican League All-Star Game. During the winter, he played in Cuba for the Leopardos de Santa Clara team.
In 1940, the Negro Leagues had a rule that players who went to Mexico would be suspended for three years. So, Porter played a second season in the Mexican League. He joined the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo. He became a very busy pitcher there. He played in almost half of his team's games. He won 21 of their 39 victories and had a 3.34 ERA. He also led the league in many ways. He had 27 complete games, pitched 296 innings, and had 232 strikeouts. These were all league records at the time.
In 1941, Porter played for the Diablos Rojos del México. His performance slowed down a bit. He had 11 wins and 16 losses with a 4.47 ERA. Even though he led the league with 133 strikeouts, he had trouble with his control. He gave up 116 walks in 235⅓ innings.
Return to the Negro Leagues
In 1942, the Negro Leagues changed their rule about players in Mexico. Porter returned to the Elite Giants. He had a good record of 7 wins and 1 loss with the Elites. But when he went back to the Azules de Veracruz in the Mexican League, he still struggled with his control. He had 5 wins and 8 losses with a 5.66 ERA.
The next year, Porter played only three games for Veracruz. Then, he rejoined the Elite Giants for the rest of 1943. He had 2 wins and 3 losses with a 6.17 ERA in nine games.
After returning to the Elite Giants, Porter got back in form. In 1944, he won 3 of his 4 games. In 1945, he had a perfect record of 7 wins and 0 losses. His ERA was 3.38 in 11 games, including two shutouts. He led the league in winning percentage. He also showed good control, striking out 30 batters and walking only 18 in 81⅔ innings.
In 1946, his last year with the Elite Giants, Porter had 5 wins and 5 losses. His ERA was 4.30 in 13 games. He had 47 strikeouts and 23 walks in 90 innings. This success made Nuevo Laredo interested in him again. Porter briefly returned to Mexico in 1947. He had 2 wins and 2 losses with a 5.12 ERA for the Tecolotes.
After that, Porter played briefly with the Newark Eagles in 1947. He then played for the Indianapolis Clowns from 1948 to 1950. In 1948, he had 4 wins and 5 losses. In 1949, he improved to 10 wins and 6 losses. In 1950, he played in only three games, winning both of his decisions.
At age 38, he finally got to play in an All-Star game. In the 1949 East–West All-Star Game, he pitched three innings without allowing any hits for the East team. He helped his team shut out the West team 4-0.
Porter also played winter baseball in Venezuela in 1949–1950. He had 5 wins and 6 losses. He struggled with control, giving up 60 walks. After that, he played briefly for the Winnipeg Buffaloes in Canada in 1950.
After a year off, Porter joined the Porterville Comets in 1952. This was a special team. It was the first all-Black team to play in Minor League Baseball. It was also one of the first teams with an African American manager. Even at 41 years old, Porter played very well. He had 3 wins and 5 losses with a 4.27 ERA. He finished his playing career with the Carman Cardinals in 1952–1953.
Pitching Statistics
| League | W | L | W-L% |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEBL | 58 | 37 | .611 |
| MEBL | 107 | 84 | .560 |
| SWIL | 3 | 5 | .375 |
| CUWL | 9 | 9 | .500 |
| VEWL | 4 | 9 | .308 |
Life After Baseball
After his baseball career, Andrew Porter started working for the Goodyear Rubber Company in 1954. He retired from Goodyear in 1977. Then, he moved to Los Angeles, California.
In 2008, Major League Baseball held a special draft. This draft honored the surviving Negro League players. It was a way to recognize them because they were not allowed to play in the major leagues due to their race. The idea for this special draft came from Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Every MLB team took part. 'Andy Pullman' was drafted as a pitcher by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Porter was sick at the time, but he received this special honor.
Andrew Porter passed away in 2010 in Los Angeles, California. He was 100 years old. At the time of his death, he was the second oldest living Negro League baseball player. The oldest was Emilio 'Millito' Navarro.
