Cy Blanton
| Cy Blanton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: July 6, 1908 Waurika, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| Died: September 13, 1945 (aged 37) Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 23, 1934, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 6, 1942, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 68–71 |
| Earned run average | 3.55 |
| Strikeouts | 611 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Darrell Elijah (Cy) Blanton (July 6, 1908 – September 13, 1945) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. Blanton batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Blanton was a screwball pitcher.[1]
Pitching career
[edit]Blanton grew up in Trousdale, Oklahoma, and was living in Shawnee, Oklahoma, playing on sandlot teams. In 1929 he joined the Shawnee Robins, a C Class team in the Western Association. Blanton was a pitcher for the Independence Producers in 1931. The Independence Producers were a Class C minor league team located in Independence, Kansas. Blanton had twelve wins and eight losses for the season.[2]
Blanton was one of the mainstays of the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation in the mid-1930s. He pitched for the Albany Senators in 1934, being promoted to Pittsburgh to pitch one game. Earlier he pitched in the Piedmont League and the Western Association.[3]
In his 1935 rookie season he recorded 18 wins with 142 strikeouts and led the National League in earned run average (2.58) and shutouts (4).[4] He averaged 12.67 wins for the next three years, leading again the league in shutouts in 1936 (4) and starts in 1937 (34). A free agent before the 1940 season, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Although he made the National League All-Star team in 1937 and 1941, he never showed again the brilliance of his first season. He last pitched for the Phillies in 1942,[3] being released after a month long stay in hospital due to kidney problems.[5][6]
In a nine-season career, Blanton posted a 68–71 record with a 3.55 ERA and 611 strikeouts.
Death
[edit]He was suspended by the Hollywood Stars for failure to get in shape in March 1945.[7] He returned to Oklahoma from California where he had been living just before he died. Blanton died in Norman, Oklahoma, at the age of 37, from internal hemorrhaging as a result of cirrhosis.[5][8] His body was taken to Shawnee, Oklahoma, for burial in the nearby Tecumseh Cemetery.[3] He left a wife, Marie, and four children including a son, Zane, who briefly played in the minor leagues with the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Blanton, Pirates, Stops Dodgers, 8-2". The New York Times. May 19, 1935. p. S5.
- ^ "1931 Independence Producers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Darrell (Cy) Blanton". The New York Times. September 14, 1945. p. 23.
- ^ "1935 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Jackson, Frank. "Holding 'Em Hitless and Going the Distance … When It Doesn't Count". tht.fangraphs.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Cy Blanton Reported To Be Seriously Ill". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. Associated Press (AP). June 18, 1942. p. 16. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Blanton Suspended By Hollywood Club; Hurler Fails to Get Into Condition, Los Angeles Times, March 28, 1945, pg. A8.
- ^ Wolf, Gregory H. "Cy Blanton". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- The Deadball Era
- 1908 births
- 1945 deaths
- People from Waurika, Oklahoma
- National League All-Stars
- National League ERA champions
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Baseball players from Oklahoma
- Deaths from cirrhosis
- Alcohol-related deaths in Oklahoma
- 20th-century American sportsmen