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Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, August 9, 2019 then toss it into the infield from his outfield position. He completed his education You probably won’t believe this By the Old Sachem, Bill Stewart P ete Gray was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 1915, and died in Nanticoke in 2002. His was a remarkable big-league career playing for the St. Louis Browns in 1945. He batted left and threw left and made his MLB debut April 17, 1945. His last appearance was September 30 of that year. You might know that there was a scarcity of good baseball players at that time because of World War II, and most young men were in the service. His parents were Lithuanian immigrants Antoinette and Peter Wyshner. His father was a coal miner, and his older brother was a middleweight boxer. Pete was righthanded until he lost his right arm at seven years old in a wagon accident. He subsequently learned to both bat and field J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. 505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family Bill Stewart The Old Sachem with his left hand. He would catch the ball in his glove, then quickly placing his glove under his right armpit he would get the ball into his left hand to throw. This was more difficult on a ground ball. He had to kneel to retrieve the baseball, stand up, transfer the ball, S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping at 13 and worked near his father in the mines. At the tender age of 19 he was playing outfield for the Hanover Lits Baseball Club of the Wyoming Valley Anthracite League. He was picked up to play semiprofessional baseball with Pine Grove in Pennsylvania then Scranton in Brooklyn, New York. With his abilities he arranged tryouts with the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Athletics. It was a different American League then – no teams past the Mississippi River. Both teams turned down the youngster; he continued his semipro career. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Pete tried to enlist in the U. S. Army but was turned down. His comment afterward was “If I could teach myself how to play baseball with one arm, I sure as hell could handle a rifle.” He was a very successful minor league outfielder and attained a batting average of .333 and a stolen base record of 63. He was selected as the 1944 Southern Association’s Most Valuable Player. During his minor league career he played for the Trois-Rivières Renards of the Canadian-American League, the Memphis Chickasaws of the Southern Association and the Brooklyn Bushwicks. He changed his last name to Gray during this period as his older brother had done. He signed with the Three Rivers Club of the CanadianAmerican League in 1942. The crowd was one of the largest of the season; everyone wanted to see a one-armed outfielder. In the bottom of the ninth, he came to bat with two outs and the bases loaded. He smacked a line drive into right field, bringing home the tying and winning runs. That season he hit .381 but broke his collarbone and only played in 42 games. He acquired the moniker of “The One-Armed Wonder” in the press, and that led to his signing with the Memphis Chickasaws (Chicks). He batted .333 and had a leagueleading 69 stolen bases He had six successful seasons in the minor leagues before St. Louis brought him up during the war when players were hard to come by. After his one season in the majors, he was back in the minors with Memphis. He played for four more seasons before retiring from playing baseball. At Trois-Rivières at age 27 he In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today played in 42 games. Next year with Memphis he batted .289 with a slugging percentage of .331. He batted .333 in 1944 and wacked 167 hits, 21 doubles, 9 triples and 5 homers. In 1946 he played for the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association, a Triple-A league, batting .250. In 1947 he was with the Browns. In 1948 he played for the Elmira Pioneers of the Eastern League, batting .290, and in 1949 he was with the Dallas Eagles of the Texas League, batting .214. His professional career spanned 7 years; in his 6 minor league seasons he played 472 games, 1,535 at bats with 473 hits for an average of .308. He smashed 45 doubles, 17 triples and 5 home runs. The ’45 season saw Pete in the majors with a contract of $4,000. St. Louis payed the Chicks $20,000 for the rights. His first major league hit was against the Detroit Tigers on April 17. On May 19 he was very excited to take on the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, something he could only dream about when he played minor league in Brooklyn. In the doubleheader he got 5 hits and 2 RBIs as the Browns swept the Yankees. His relationship with his teammates was not great, and many were disgruntled because they were in the race to repeat as American League champions and they felt Gray slowed down their success. They also felt, and knew, he was really only there for ticket sales and to boost fan attendance. The previous year they had won the pennant but only had about 508,644 fans attending all season. Infielder Don Gutteridge later in 1994 said, “Some of the guys thought Pete was being used to draw fans late in the season when the club was still in the pennant race, and he wasn’t hitting well.” While playing the field, Pete Gray wore a glove without padding. When the ball was hit in his direction he would place the glove directly in front of himself; about shoulder height. When the ball hit the glove he would roll the ball across his chest from left to right. During this motion he learned to rest the glove under his right stump and the ball would roll into his left hand. When ground balls were hit his way, he would let it bounce off his glove at knee height and drop the glove completely to grab the ball while it was still in the air. He was faster in these motions and techniques than some players who had the use of both hands. When backing up another outfielder during a play, he would drop the glove completely and was ready to take the ball with his bare hand. While at bat he used a full weight bat. His position and stance at the plate was just like any other player. He placed his THE OLD SACHEM | SEE PAGE 11

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