Stan Coveleski (1969)


Date of Birth: 7/13/1889
Date of Death: 3/20/1984
Birthplace: Shamokin, Pennsylvania

Stan Coveleski had a hard life as a child, working 72 hours a week in the Pennsylvania coal mines when he was just twelve years old. Six years later, in 1907, he started playing baseball with a local team. In 1909, he signed with a minor league team and in 1912, he made his first appearance in the major leagues, pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics. However, he was released after just five games and it wasn't until 1916 that Coveleski once again had a chance to pitch in the major leagues.

Cleveland Indians

In 1916, Coveleski was signed by the Cleveland Indians and he became a member of their starting rotation. That season he pitched in a career high 45 games, 27 of them as a starter. He had a 15-13 record with 76 strikeouts to 58 walks and a 3.41 ERA in 232.0 innings.

Coveleski again pitched in 45 games in 1917. He had 19 wins and 14 losses, a career high 133 strikeouts to 94 walks, and a career low ERA of 1.81 in 298.1 innings. The following season, he had a 1.82 ERA with 22 wins and 13 losses in 311.0 innings in 38 games.

Coveleski had a career high 24 wins (to 12 losses) in 1919. He pitched 286.0 innings in 43 games and he had a 2.61 ERA.

In 1920, Coveleski led the AL in strikeouts with 133. He again had a career high 24 wins, this time to 14 losses, and a 2.49 ERA in 315.0 innings in 41 games. Although he had 23 wins in 1921, his ERA jumped up to 3.37 in 43 games. He played well defensively that year, leading all AL pitchers in assists with 108 and in putouts with 23. The next year, he had a 3.32 ERA with 17 wins and 14 losses in 35 games.

Coveleski led the AL in ERA in 1923 with 2.76. However, he had only 13 wins to 14 losses in 228.0 innings in 33 games. The next year, he had control issues and his ERA increased to 4.04. He struck out just 58 batters in 1924, while walking 73.

Washington Senators (Minnesota Twins)

The Indians traded Coveleski after the 1924 season to the Washington Senators. He had a good start with the Senators, ending the 1925 season with a 20-5 record and a league leading 2.84 ERA. The next season, he had a 3.12 ERA and 14 wins to 11 losses in 245.1 innings in 36 games.

In 1927, Covelski was sidelined with arm problems for most of the season and he played in just five games. He finished out his major league career pitching in twelve games in 1928 for the New York Yankees.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Led AL in ERA (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Coveleski in 13 seasons (1916-1928) in the major leagues include:

  • 5 seasons with 20 or more wins, with a high of 24 in 1919 and 1920
  • 6 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with lows of 1.81 in 1917 and 1.82 in 1918

Career pitching statistics for Coveleski include:

  • 450 games played
  • 3,082.0 innings pitched
  • 215-142 win-loss record
  • 981 strikeouts to 802 walks
  • 2.89 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Stan Coveleski
ESPN - Stan Coveleski
Baseball Reference - Stan Coveleski

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