Memory Lane: Leon Pettit
Baseball in Western Pennsylvania has a rich history. While doing some research recently I uncovered another baseball gem from the past: Leon Arthur Petitt.
Born in Waynesburg, PA on June 23, 1902, Pettit took a long winding road to the Major Leagues. He toiled eight years in the minor leagues.
Lefty Pettit worked mainly in the Southern Association, But 无毛视频淗ooks无毛视频� Petitt along the way even pitched for the Bloomer Girls.
Petitt had some solid seasons in the minors, he was a combined 15-7 with two teams 无毛视频� Springfield and Quincy of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1931. In 1932 with Chattanooga of the Class A Southern Association he posted a record of 18-8 with a 3.14 ERA. He followed that up with a record of 10-4 with a 3.79 ERA at Chattanooga in 1933.
Splitting time between two teams Chattanooga and Class B Columbia/Ashville of the Piedmont League, Petitt went 15-9.
At the age of 32 Petitt broke into the big leagues on April 18, 1935, with the Washington Senators. Manager Bucky Harris used him as a starter, but he made his biggest splash coming out of the bullpen.
After years of frustration the 5-foot-10 165 pound southpaw got his big chance, but he faced long odds as he entered a tough situation in a relief role against the Philadelphia Athletics.
The bases were loaded and the Senators were clinging to a small lead. Doc Cramer a very dangerous hitter was at the plate.
Pettit reared back and struck Cramer out on four pitches.
So far so good, but in the ninth inning after the first batter had beaten out an infield hit, the most feared right-handed slugger in baseball, mighty Jimmy Foxx, came to bat. With the count 2 and 2, Petitt drove one right through the middle. Foxx expecting a wasted pitch, he didn无毛视频檛 move his bat from his shoulder.
Pettit whipped across three strikes to fan dangerous Bob Johnson and forced Eric McNair to pop out. Petitt used just 20 pitches to end the game.
Three other during the 1935 season Petitt was rushed in to save games, and on each occasion he came through with flying colors.
At Boston he got credit for his first major league win in relief of Ed Linke in the fourth inning, and also won an argument with one of baseball无毛视频檚 sharpest-tongued antagonists, the heavy hitting Bill Werber.
Petitt slipped a third strike across to Werber in the fifth and the Red Sox infielder gave him some verbal abuse, ridiculing his pitching 无毛视频渟tuff无毛视频� and promising to 无毛视频減in his ears back无毛视频� next time.
无毛视频淵ou had your chance then, big shot,无毛视频� was Petitt无毛视频檚 response after he had fanned Werber in the seventh. And to make the day complete , he whiffed the third sacker again in the ninth inning.无毛视频�
Pettit finished the 1935 season with the Senators and posted a record of 8-5 with a 4.95 ERA, one complete game, a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Browns, and three saves.
Pettit wound up back in the minor leagues, but got another big league shot with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1937. The Phillies purchased Petitt from the Baltimore Orioles of the International League.
John Ogden at the time the Orioles business manager said Petitt had 无毛视频渓earned how to pitch.无毛视频�
Pettit in three games with the Phillies he was 0-1 with a 11.25 ERA. Petitt pitched in the minors until 1939. His career minor league record was 86-75.
He managed one year in 1939 with Spartanburg of the Class B South Atlantic League.
Petitt lived in Columbia, TN and worked for Pine-Van Dairy Products Corp. He passed away on November 11, 1974.
Interesting side note: Petitt无毛视频檚 widow Verla, became renowned for her public service of over 30 years, working and teaching servicemen and female prisoners in jail.
Notebook Item: I just learned of the passing of former Uniontown Red Raider football assistant coach Al Brodhag. He was featured in Memory Lane in 2009.
Brodhag began his coaching career in Uniontown as a line coach on Bill Power无毛视频檚 staff in 1955.
无毛视频淚t was a great place to start at Uniontown,无毛视频� Brodhag opined in the 2009 article. 无毛视频淲e had great players and we had great lineman that I got to coach, fellows like Joe Hrezo who was All State and Ron Firmani who was an All State selection.
无毛视频淏efore I got there they had Moose Machinsky who was a great player and a great man. He would come out to help in the early practices in August with the lineman.无毛视频�
Brodhag developed a great relationship with Bill Power who was building an outstanding program at Uniontown.
无毛视频淚 had a great relationship with Bill,无毛视频� Brodhag offered. 无毛视频淎lthough Bill didn无毛视频檛 play football, he was a manager at Washington and Jefferson, and he learned football from some fine coaches. He brought a lot of football knowledge with him because he studied the game. We used to go to clinics at Ohio State, Cincinnati and we used to stay at camp with West Virginia University before we started practice. That无毛视频檚 the kind of knowledge he had and boy he had the players, they would do anything for Coach Power.无毛视频�
Power was meticulous in his preparation and held in high esteem by college coaches throughout the country.
无毛视频淗e was on top of the game all the time,无毛视频� Brodhag stated. 无毛视频淗e learned from the better coaches in the United States. In Uniontown there used to be a White Swan Hotel and coaches used to come first to Uniontown when they were looking for players from western Pennsylvania. They came into Uniontown first, because Bill was honest and told those scouts the truth about each player, and it was players other than Uniontown players.无毛视频�
Power put together a very good staff and delegated authority very well.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 the other thing about Coach Power, he trusted you, he trusted his staff. He was a great evaluator and he was a great teacher in the school and in order to be a great coach you have to be a good teacher and he could teach,无毛视频� Brodhag said.
Uniontown had a great environment to foster athletics during this period.
The Raiders posted a record of 4-5-1 in 1955, 8-2 in 1956, 8-0 in 1957 and 7-1-1 in 1958.
无毛视频淲e had some great players like Bob Ostrosky and Bob Myden to go along with the likes of Firmani and Hrezo,无毛视频� Brodhag said. 无毛视频淲e had great backs like Sandy Stephens and the 无毛视频淭rain无毛视频� Bill Munsey.无毛视频�
Brodhag left Uniontown and went to North Penn High School in 1959. He had an outstanding teaching and coaching career. Brodhag taught health and physical education for 31 yrs; Dept Chairman 1975-88. Assistant baseball Coach 1959-76. Assistant football (line) Coach 1959-1961; head football Coach 1962-1970, where his teams compiled a 42-40-7 record; won the co-championship of the Bux-Mont League in 1968. Bux-Mont League Coach of the Year in 1962 and 1968. Chairman of the Bux-Mont Coaches Committee in 1965, 1968 and 1970. Served as President of the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association 1966-68. Brodhag was inducted into NPAAA Hall of Fame in 2005.
Brodhag passed away on March 14, 2017 at the age of 87.
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Monday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.