Rick Ferrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rick Ferrell |
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Ferrell in 1941
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: October 12, 1905 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Died: July 27, 1995 (aged 89) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 19, 1929, for the St. Louis Browns | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 14, 1947, for the Washington Senators | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .281 | ||
| Home runs | 28 | ||
| Runs batted in | 734 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1984 | ||
| Election Method | Veterans Committee | ||
Richard Benjamin Ferrell (October 12, 1905 – July 27, 1995) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 18 seasons, from 1929 to 1947. Rick played for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators.
His brother, Wes Ferrell, was also a major league pitcher. They even played on the same teams, the Red Sox and Senators, from 1933 to 1938. Rick Ferrell was known as one of the best catchers in baseball during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was chosen for the first-ever Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1933, along with his brother Wes.
Rick Ferrell played 1,806 games as a catcher, which was an American League (AL) record for over 40 years! He was an All-Star seven times. In 1984, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. After he stopped playing, he became a coach, a scout, and a general manager for other baseball teams. He passed away in 1995 when he was 89 years old.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Rick Ferrell was born on October 12, 1905, in Durham, North Carolina. He grew up on a farm with his family. Rick was one of seven brothers, and two of them also played baseball professionally. His brother Wes Ferrell became a major league pitcher. Another brother, George Ferrell, played in the minor leagues. Rick went to Guilford College where he played both baseball and basketball.
In 1926, the Detroit Tigers signed Rick Ferrell. He started playing for their minor league teams. By 1928, he was playing for the Columbus Senators and had a great batting average of .333. This good performance earned him a spot on the American Association All-Star team.
Rick felt he was ready for the major leagues, but the Tigers kept him in the minor leagues. He believed this was unfair. So, he asked the Commissioner of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, to look into his situation. The Commissioner found out that the Tigers and another team had secretly tried to keep Rick in the minor leagues to sell his contract for more money. This was against the rules.
Because of this, Commissioner Landis declared Rick Ferrell a free agent. This meant Rick could sign with any team he wanted, except the Tigers. Many major league teams wanted him. He chose to sign with the St. Louis Browns of the American League.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Rick Ferrell started his major league career with the St. Louis Browns on April 19, 1929. He was 23 years old. In his first season, he was a backup catcher. For the next three years, he became the Browns' main catcher, playing in over 100 games each season.
In 1931, his batting average went up to .306, making him one of the best catchers in the American League. He led the league's catchers in assists, which means he helped get many players out. In 1932, Rick hit .315, the best among AL catchers. He also had 30 doubles and 65 runs batted in.
In May 1933, the Browns traded Rick Ferrell to the Boston Red Sox. Just two months later, Rick and his brother Wes were chosen to play in the first-ever Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 6, 1933. Rick caught the entire game, and his team, the American League, won 4–2.
Later that month, Rick hit a home run against his brother Wes, who was pitching for the Cleveland Indians. Then, Wes hit a home run off the Red Sox pitcher! This was the first time in baseball history that brothers on different teams hit home runs in the same game. Rick finished 1933 with a .290 batting average and a career-high 77 runs batted in.
Teaming Up with Wes
In 1934, the Red Sox signed Rick's brother Wes. They became a strong battery (pitcher and catcher) for the next few seasons. Rick had a .297 batting average that year. He also led the league's catchers in fielding percentage and putouts.
In 1935, with Rick calling the pitches, Wes had an amazing season, winning 25 games. Rick himself batted .301 and was great at catching runners trying to steal bases.
Rick had another excellent year in 1936. He was batting .439 early in the season, which helped him become the starting catcher for the American League in the 1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He finished the season with a .312 batting average and a career-high 8 home runs. He was also one of the best catchers in the league at making putouts.
In June 1937, Rick was traded to the Washington Senators along with his brother Wes. Between 1933 and 1936, Rick set new records for Red Sox catchers in batting average, doubles, home runs, and runs batted in. His .302 batting average with Boston is still one of the best in the club's history.
Rick played for the Senators even with a broken hand in 1937. In 1938, he bounced back with a .298 batting average and again led the league in catching baserunners trying to steal. His brother Wes left the Senators in August 1938.
Later Career and Knuckleball Catching
In May 1941, Rick was traded back to the St. Louis Browns. He caught 100 games for them that year. In 1942, Rick, who was 36, shared catching duties as the Browns improved their record.
Rick was traded back to the Senators in March 1944. He became known as one of the best catchers for the knuckleball. This was because the Senators' main pitchers all threw the knuckleball, which is a very tricky pitch to catch. Rick was the first catcher in major league history to catch for a starting pitching staff made up entirely of knuckleball pitchers. Even though he led the league in passed balls (because knuckleballs are so hard to control), he was still named to his seventh All-Star Game in 1944.
In 1945, Rick shared catching duties as the Senators started winning more games. On July 6, 1945, Rick broke the American League record for most games caught by a catcher, with 1,721 games. The 1945 All-Star Game was canceled due to World War II travel rules. The Senators came very close to winning the American League championship that year.
Rick retired as a player to become a coach for the Senators in 1946. However, he returned to play for 37 games in 1947, batting .303. He played his last major league game on September 14, 1947, at the age of 41.
After Playing Baseball
In his 18-year career, Rick Ferrell played in 1,884 games. He had 1,692 hits and a career batting average of .281. He hit over .300 four times in his career. He was also very patient at the plate, getting 931 walks and only 277 strikeouts. He ended his career with a .984 fielding percentage.
Rick was an eight-time All-Star and had a strong throwing arm. He led American League catchers four times in catching runners stealing bases. He also led twice in assists and putouts. His record of 1,806 games caught as an American League catcher stood until Carlton Fisk broke it in 1988. Rick Ferrell is currently 12th all-time in games played as a catcher.
After his playing career, Rick continued as a coach for the Senators until 1949. Then, he joined the Detroit Tigers as a coach from 1950 to 1954. After that, he became a scout for the Tigers. He later became the scouting director and then the general manager and vice president in 1959. He stayed with the Tigers organization for 42 years, until he retired in 1992 at age 87. During his time as a Tigers executive, the team won two World Series championships, in 1968 and 1984.
In 1984, Rick Ferrell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He passed away on July 27, 1995, at the age of 89.
See also
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
