Cot Deal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cot Deal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: January 23, 1923 Arapaho, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| Died: May 21, 2013 (aged 90) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1947, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 9, 1954, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 3–4 |
| Earned run average | 6.55 |
| Strikeouts | 34 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Ellis Ferguson "Cot" Deal (January 23, 1923 – May 21, 2013) was an American pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Listed at 5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m), 185 lb (84 kg), Deal was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A native of Arapaho, Oklahoma, he grew up in Oklahoma City and was nicknamed "Cot" for his cotton-top hair color.
Deal had a career in baseball from 1940 through 1989 and interrupted only by military service during World War II (1943–44).[1] He spent 48 years in baseball as a player (20), manager (5), coach (22) and executive (1).
Deal died on May 21, 2013, in Oklahoma City.[2]
As a sixteen-year-old, Deal was invited by the Pittsburgh Pirates to spend in week in Pittsburgh. By then, the club was managed by Pie Traynor, who gave Deal his first baseball tryout. After signing with Pittsburgh, he spent 1940 with the Hutchinson, Kansas team of the Western Association, hitting a .312 average while splitting time between the outfield and third base. The next year he gained promotion to the Harrisburg Pirates of the Interstate League, playing for them two seasons before joining the military. In 1945, he played in the International League with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a pitcher, and was sold to the Boston Red Sox in 1947. Late in the season he was called up to the Red Sox, making his debut on September 11 as a pinch-hitter. In his first major league at bat, he connected a game-winning RBI single off Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Lemon, while posting a 0–1 mark in five appearances.
Deal earned a spot as a starting pitcher during 1948 spring training, but hurt his arm after that. He would eventually pitch in four games with the Red Sox that year and went 1–0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA in 4 innings of relief. In 1949 he was traded by Boston to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for a minor leaguer. He spent 1949 with the Columbus Red Birds of the American Association and later pitched in 36 games for the Cardinals in 1950 and 1954.
In four major league seasons Deal posted a 3–4 record with a 6.55 ERA in 45 games, including two starts, 34 strikeouts, 48 walks, 12 games finished, one save, and 891⁄3 innings of work. As a hitter, he collected a .167 batting average (4-for-24), including one home run, one double, five runs, and four RBI. His one save came on August 22, 1954, against the Cincinnati Redlegs.[3]
Deal later established himself in the St. Louis organization as an outfielder, catcher and switch-hitting pinch-hitter, while winning 108 games as a pitcher. His highlights included starting and completing a twenty-inning game for Columbus against the Louisville Colonels on September 3, 1949, and collected four hits in eight at bats. He also hit a home run during the 1952 Caribbean Series while playing as a pitcher/outfielder for the Puerto Rico team. Between 1951 and 1959, Deal spent most of those years with the Cardinals' AAA International League farm team, the Rochester Red Wings. He had a record of 61–38 as a pitcher for Rochester. Deal also was a utility outfielder, back-up catcher and pinch-hitter for the Red Wings.