* Happy birthday, Warren Spahn

April 23, 2008

The Hall of Fame pitcher was born this date in 1921.

Spahn was one of those stars who enjoyed success at an advanced age. After making his debut in 1941, he spent four years in the military during WW II. Apparently, there was no rust upon his return. He won 21 in 1947, his first full season back, and won 20 or more 13 times, winding up with 363 career victories, including a 23-7 season at the age of 42. During his 21 big league seasons — during he he never struck out more than 191 batters — Spahn completed an impressive 382 games. Heck, he even had 29 saves and was no slouch with the bat, either, cracking 35 home runs. He was a 17-time All-Star selection (playing in seven games) and the 1957 Cy Young winner, at a time when only one pitcher was selected for both leagues. Amazingly, Spahn was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1973, eight years after he retired, which means he had to wait two extra years after eligibility to get in.

The Amazon Report on Warren Spahn:

The Warren Spahn Story, by Milton Shapiro

Warren Spahn (Baseball Legends), by Peter Bjarkman

Warren Spahn: Immortal Southpaw (Sports Magazine Library #9), by Al Silverman

How to pitch, by Warren Spahn

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