Harry Eisenstat
Pitcher
Born: (1915-10-10)October 10, 1915
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died: March 21, 2003(2003-03-21) (aged 87)
Beachwood, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 19, 1935, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1942, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Win–loss record25–27
Earned run average3.89
Strikeouts157
Teams

Harry Eisenstat (October 10, 1915 – March 21, 2003) was an American professioanl baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians from 1935 to 1942.

Early life

Eisenstat was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was Jewish.[1] He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York, where, in 2008, he was inducted into its prestigious Wall of Distinction.[2]

Career

He pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians. Eisenstat was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 19, 1935, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the third-youngest player in the National League.[3][2] In his Major League debut, he gave up 5 runs over 22⁄3 innings in a 9–6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.[4] On October 4, 1937, he was granted free agency and signed with the Detroit Tigers.

Eisenstat is best known for, while pitching for the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader on the last day of the 1938 season, beating Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians 4–1 despite Feller setting the Major League record for most strikeouts in a game (18). Earlier that season, he won both ends of a doubleheader in relief against the Philadelphia Athletics while teammate Hank Greenberg hit two home runs, causing their Tigers Manager, Mickey Cochrane, to warn the two of them to stay in their rooms that night because "the Jews in Detroit are going crazy."

In 1938 his four saves were sixth-most in the National League.[2] The next season, Eisenstat was traded to the Cleveland Indians for future Hall-of-Famer outfielder Earl Averill. In 1938 his four saves were eighth-most in the National League.[2] He finished his professional baseball career with the Indians.

Due to World War II, Eisenstat enlisted in the Army in 1942, ending his career in the MLB. Through 2010, he was 9th all-time in career ERA (3.80; directly behind Harry Feldman) among Jewish MLB players.[5]

Later life

After the war, Eisenstat moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio, and opened a hardware store.

In 1993, Eisenstat was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. After his death in 2003, his papers were donated to the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rosengren, John (March 4, 2014). Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. ISBN 978-0451416025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Harry Eisenstat Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Harry Eisenstat Baseball Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Harry Eisenstat". Jewish Baseball News. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Career Pitching Leaders". Career Leaders. Jewish Major Leaguers. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  • Schneider, Russell (2002). Tales from the Tribe Dugout. Sports Publishing. pp. 51–59. ISBN 1-58261-303-6.
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