Howie Pollet
From BR Bullpen
Howard Joseph Pollet
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
- Debut August 20, 1941
- Final Game September 23, 1956
- Born June 26, 1921 in New Orleans, LA USA
- Died August 8, 1974 in Houston, TX USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Howie Pollet of the Texas League Houston Buffaloes went 20-3 with a league-leading 1.16 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 1941 before being promoted to the St. Louis Cardinals in August. He appeared in 9 games for the Cardinals in 1941, breaking into the majors the same season as another young player who was also 20 years old, Stan Musial. Pollet entered the Air Force in July 1943 and was discharged in November 1945. He led the NL in ERA based on the qualifying standards in use in 1943 with 1.75. However, since he only pitched 16 games and 116 innings, he falls short of current standards for qualifying and the title is not recognized in many modern reference sources. That year, he went in the Air Force on a high note, having pitched 3 consecutive complete game shutouts. He stayed in the big leagues through 1956.
After his playing career ended, he was a St. Louis Cardinals coach from 1959 to 1964 and a member of the Houston Astros staff in 1965.
An obituary of Eddie Dyer says that Dyer, Pollet, and Jeff Cross were in business together in Houston.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 3-time NL All-Star (1943, 1946 & 1949)
- NL ERA Leader (1946)
- NL Wins Leader (1946)
- NL Innings Pitched Leader (1946)
- NL Shutouts Leader (1949)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (1946 & 1949)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 2 (1946 & 1949)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1946, 1949, 1950 & 1952)
- Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1942 & 1946)
