Max Butcher
From BR Bullpen
Albert Maxwell Butcher
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 220 lb.
- Debut April 20, 1936
- Final Game September 11, 1945
- Born September 21, 1910 in Holden, WV USA
- Died September 15, 1957 in Man, WV USA
[edit] Biographical Information
West Virginia native Max Butcher spent sixteen seasons in professional baseball from 1931 to 1946. The right-hander started his pro career with five seasons in the minor leagues from 1931 to 1935. He put together a 60-49 record during this five-year run with his best year coming in 1935 for the Galveston Buccaneers of the class A Texas League. Butcher's 24 wins in 39 games tied him for the league lead and put him on the All-Star team. He also had a 2.21 ERA while pitching 317 innings.
Max made his big league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 20, 1936, and built a 22-25 record with the Ebbets Field team before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Wayne LaMaster on August 8, 1938. He was 4-8 for the remainder of the 1938 year with the Phillies. On July 28, 1939, after a 2-13 run with the Phils, he was moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Gus Suhr. Max finished out the year at 4-4 and his total of 17 losses in 1939 would lead the National League.
Butcher finished out his major league run with the Forbes Field team, having his best big league season in 1941, when he went 17-12 with a 3.05 ERA in 33 games. The prior year, his 6.02 ERA had been second-worst in team history for someone with 20+ starts; only Ad Gumbert in the high-offense 1894 campaign had been worse. No one else would have a higher mark for the Bucs in the 20th Century. The 34-year-old pitcher was released by the Pittsburgh team, on March 20, 1946. He had a seven-year 67-60 record with the club. Butcher finished out his ten-year major league career with 95 wins and 106 losses. He carried a 3.73 ERA while appearing in 334 games and pitching 1,786 1/3 innings.
Butcher finished up his pro career in 1946 in the minor leagues. He was with two teams, had a 6-5 record in 12 games, giving him a minor league career record of 66-54 in 169 games. After baseball, he returned to his home in Man, WV, where he died on September 15, 1957 at the age of 46.
