Earl Averill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Earl Averill |
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: May 21, 1902 Snohomish, Washington, U.S. |
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| Died: August 16, 1983 (aged 81) Everett, Washington, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 16, 1929, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| April 25, 1941, for the Boston Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .318 | ||
| Hits | 2,019 | ||
| Home runs | 238 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,164 | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1975 | ||
| Election Method | Veterans Committee | ||
Howard Earl Averill (born May 21, 1902, died August 16, 1983) was a famous American baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 to 1941. He spent 11 of those years with the Cleveland Indians. Earl was chosen as an All-Star six times between 1933 and 1938. In 1975, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Contents
Earl Averill's Baseball Career
Earl Averill was born in Snohomish, Washington. He started playing in the Major Leagues in 1929 when he was 27 years old. His first team was the Cleveland Indians. He played for Cleveland for more than ten years.
A Cleveland Indians Legend
Earl Averill holds many records for the Cleveland Indians. He is still the team's all-time leader in total bases, runs batted in (RBIs), runs, and triples. He is also third in hits and doubles for the team. Averill ranks fourth in home runs and walks for the Indians. During his time in Cleveland, his team never finished higher than third place.
Earl was known by the nickname "the Earl of Snohomish." He was famous for hitting a hard line drive that broke Dizzy Dean's toe. This happened during the 1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Dizzy Dean was a great pitcher, but after this injury, his pitching style changed. This led to arm problems, and he retired early in 1941.
Amazing Batting Achievements
Earl Averill was the first player in Major League history to hit four home runs in one day. He did this during a doubleheader on September 17, 1930. He hit three home runs in the first game and one in the second. He was also one of the first players to hit a home run in his very first Major League at-bat. This happened on opening day, April 16, 1929.
In 1936, Averill had a fantastic batting average of .378. He led the American League with 232 hits that year. However, he finished second in the batting race to Luke Appling, who batted .388.
Injury and Later Career
In July 1935, Earl had an accident while lighting firecrackers with his children. One firecracker exploded in his hand. He got cuts on his fingers and burns on his face and chest. Luckily, he recovered completely after a few weeks.
In 1937, Earl Averill had a health issue where his legs became temporarily paralyzed. Doctors found he had a problem with his spine that he was born with. This made him change how he batted. He became less of a power hitter after that.
Earl was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the 1939 season. The next year, he did not play as much, but the Tigers made it to the World Series. Earl was 38 years old during that series against the Cincinnati Reds. He tried to help his team as a pinch-hitter three times but did not get any hits. The Reds won the series.
In 1941, Averill played for the Boston Braves. He struggled and was released from the team. He finished his professional baseball career playing in the Pacific Coast League for the Seattle Rainiers.
Career Highlights and Stats
Over his 13-year career, Earl Averill played in 1,669 games played. He had a career batting average of .318. He collected 2,019 hits, 1,224 runs scored, 401 doubles, 128 triples, and 238 home runs. He also had 1,164 RBIs.
Earl hit over .300 eight times in his career. He also had five seasons where he drove in more than 100 runs. He was a very consistent and powerful hitter for many years.
Life After Baseball
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| Earl Averill's number 3 was retired by the Cleveland Indians in 1975. |
After his baseball career, Earl Averill spoke openly about being elected to the Hall of Fame. He said that if he had been elected after he died, he had arranged for his name not to be placed there. Luckily, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, eight years before he passed away.
Earl Averill's son, Earl D. Averill, also played in the Major Leagues. He played from 1956 to 1963. His son was mainly a catcher but also played left field and some infield positions.
See also
- List of players with a home run in first major league at-bat
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
