Tom Acker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tom Acker |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: March 7, 1930 Paterson, New Jersey, US |
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| Died: January 4, 2021 (aged 90) Narvon, Pennsylvania, US |
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| debut | |||
| April 20, 1956, for the Cincinnati Redlegs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 20, 1959, for the Cincinnati Redlegs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 19–13 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.12 | ||
| Strikeouts | 256 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Thomas James Acker (born March 7, 1930 – died January 4, 2021) was an American baseball pitcher. He played his whole career for the Cincinnati Reds team. Tom played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four seasons, from 1956 to 1959. He threw and batted with his right hand. He mostly played as a relief pitcher, coming into games after the starting pitcher.
Tom Acker first joined professional baseball in 1948. He was signed by the New York Giants as a young player. He played for their smaller, "minor league" teams until 1950. Then, another team, the Buffalo Bisons, chose him in a special draft. After playing for the Bisons for one year, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1951. That same month, he joined the US Army. Because of his military service, he did not play baseball in 1952 and 1953. When he returned, he played in the minor leagues again. In 1956, the Reds brought him up to the major leagues. He played his last game on September 20, 1959. After baseball, he worked at the Meadowlands Racetrack from 1976 to 1992.
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Early Life and High School Baseball
Tom Acker was born in Paterson, New Jersey, on March 7, 1930. His father, Tom Sr., was a police officer. Tom grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and went to Fair Lawn High School. He was a star pitcher for his high school baseball team. His team won their league and state championships from 1946 to 1948. In his last year of high school, he had an amazing record. He won 9 games and lost 0. He also struck out 102 batters in 63 innings pitched. The New York Giants signed him to play professionally before the 1948 season began.
Tom Acker's Professional Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Tom Acker began his professional baseball career with the Oshkosh Giants. This was a minor league team in the Wisconsin State League. In his first year, he had a 3–6 win–loss record. His earned run average (ERA) was 5.06 in 80 innings. An ERA shows how many runs a pitcher allows per game.
He played much better in his second season. He won 14 games and lost 7. His ERA improved to 3.18, and he had 213 strikeouts in 201 innings. His great pitching helped the Giants win their league title. This success led to him moving up to a higher minor league team. He joined the Knoxville Smokies in 1950. Even though he won fewer games (6), his ERA was even better at 3.07. The Smokies also won their league title. At the end of 1950, the Buffalo Bisons chose him in the minor league draft.
In 1951, Tom played one season for the Bisons. He had a 10–13 win–loss record and a 3.69 ERA. He struck out 111 batters in 29 games where he started. He also pitched 11 complete games and 2 shutouts. A complete game means the pitcher finishes the whole game. A shutout means the other team scores no runs.
On October 14, 1951, Tom was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded with another player for Jim Bolger. Later that month, he was called to join the US Army. Because of this, Tom did not play professional baseball in 1952 and 1953. While in the army, he played baseball for a team called the Richmond Mercurys. After his military service, he played for the Tulsa Oilers. He had a 7–8 record and a 5.08 ERA there. In 1955, he played for the Nashville Volunteers. He improved his record to 11–8 and his ERA to 3.26.
Playing for the Cincinnati Reds (1956–1959)
Tom Acker made his first Major League Baseball (MLB) appearance on April 20, 1956. He was 26 years old. He came into the game to pitch after Hal Jeffcoat. He gave up one run and struck out three batters. One of those strikeouts was Gene Baker, the first batter he faced. His team, the Cincinnati Redlegs, lost that game 12–1 to the Chicago Cubs.
In his first MLB season, Tom had a 4–3 record. His ERA was very good at 2.37 in about 83 innings. He started 7 of the 29 games he pitched in. On September 19, he pitched the only shutout of his major league career against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 1957 season was one of Tom Acker's best. He pitched in 49 games, which was one of the highest in the National League (NL). He also hit 8 batters with pitches, which was the second highest. He had a 10–5 record and a 4.97 ERA. He struck out 67 batters in about 108 innings. He started six games and also saved four games. A save happens when a relief pitcher finishes a close game without letting the other team score. On May 19, he won both games of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. A doubleheader is when two games are played on the same day.
In 1958, Tom Acker had his highest numbers for strikeouts (90), games started (10), and innings pitched (about 124). He also pitched 3 complete games. He finished the season with a 4–3 record and a 4.55 ERA.
Tom Acker played his last major league game on September 20, 1959. He was 29 years old. In his final season, he had a 4.12 ERA and 45 strikeouts in about 63 innings. After the season, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics. The Athletics sent him to a minor league team, the Richmond Virginians, where he played briefly in 1960. He decided to stop playing when they wanted him to move his family to another team, the Dallas Rangers.
Life After Baseball
After he stopped playing baseball, Tom Acker went back home to Bergen County, New Jersey. He built a house in Wyckoff and worked for a trucking company. He still played baseball at a semi-professional level. First, he played for the Paterson Phillies. Then, he spent seven years with the Emerson-Westwood Merchants. He was both a pitcher and a manager for them. His playing helped make small-town baseball popular again.
Tom Acker also loved horses. In 1976, he started working at the Meadowlands Racetrack. He first worked as a clerk, then became a supervisor. He retired from that job in 1992. He then moved to Virginia and later settled in Pennsylvania. In 2006, he was honored and put into the Fair Lawn Athletics Hall of Fame.
Family Life
Tom Acker married his first wife, Trudy, while he was in the military. They had two daughters named Nancy and Janice. Later, he married Barbara, and he had three stepsons from that marriage. Tom and Barbara were married until he passed away. Tom Acker died at his home in Narvon, Pennsylvania, on January 4, 2021. He was 90 years old.
