Jack Creel
From BR Bullpen
Jack Dalton Creel (Tex)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 165 lb.
- Debut April 22, 1945
- Final Game September 25, 1945
- Born April 23, 1916 in Kyle, TX USA
- Died August 13, 2002 in Houston, TX USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Texan Jack Creel spent sixteen seasons (1938-1953) that covered parts of three decades in professional baseball, after signing as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1938 season. The right-hander spent seven years in the minors before getting his one and only chance at the big leagues. After posting six double-digit winning seasons in his first seven years on the professional mound, he would make his major league debut with the Cardinals on April 22, 1945.
He appeared in 26 games for the Cardinals, coming up with a 5-4 record and a 4.14 ERA while pitching 87 innings. This was Creel's only season in a big league uniform and he pitched his last game in the majors on September 25, 1945.
In 1946, with many players returning from the war, he was back in the minor leagues with the Columbus Red Birds of the American Association and spent the eight remaining years of his baseball career in AA and AAA leagues. Jack had four more double-digit winning seasons from 1946 to 1953, his last active season being 1953, and closed out his minor league run at age 37 with a 179-157 record and a 3.37 ERA.
During his long run in the minors, Jack's first good seasonal record came early on in his career in 1940, when he went 22-7 with a league leading 1.51 ERA for the Daytona Beach Islanders of the class D Florida State League. He also went 16-10 with a 3.39 ERA for the Houston Buffaloes of the AA Texas League in 1949. On December 5, 1949 Jack was drafted by the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League from the St. Louis Cardinals, in the 1949 Rule V Draft.
Jack "Tex" Creel was a cousin of former major league pitcher Tex Hughson. Creel pitched his entire baseball career, overcoming a deformity to his hands. He died August 8, 2002, at his home in Houston, TX, at the age of 86.
