Pepper Martin

This article is about the baseball player. For the actor, see Pepper Martin (actor).

Pepper Martin
Martin, circa 1942
Outfielder / Third baseman
Born: (1904-02-29)February 29, 1904
Temple, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died: March 5, 1965(1965-03-05) (aged 61)
McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1928, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1944, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average.298
Home runs59
Runs batted in501
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin (February 29, 1904 – March 5, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager.[1] He was known as the "Wild Horse of the Osage" because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was best known for his heroics during the 1931 World Series, in which he was the catalyst in a Cardinals' upset victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.[2][3]

Martin was an integral member of the Cardinals' teams of the 1930s that became known as the Gashouse Gang for their roguish behavior and practical jokes.[4] Early in his career, he was labeled by some contemporary press reports as the next Ty Cobb because of his spirited, hustling style of play.[4][5][6] However, because his headlong attitude on the playing field took a physical toll on his body, he never lived up to those initial expectations.[7] After the end of his playing career, he continued his career in baseball as a successful minor league baseball manager.[8] In 2017, Martin was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.[9]

  1. ^ "Pepper Martin statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  2. ^ "The Peppering Of Philly". thisgreatgame.com. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  3. ^ Vass, George (October 1971). All-Time World Series Team. Retrieved March 15, 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b "Dizzy, Dazzy and Ducky". thisgreatgame.com. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  5. ^ "Pepper Martin May Be Another Ty Cobb". The Times Daily. October 14, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  6. ^ "John Leonard Pepper Martin Second Ty Cobb". The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal. October 18, 1931. p. 15. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  7. ^ "Pepper Martin Once More Sparks Cards". The Deseret News. August 25, 1939. p. 15. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  8. ^ "Pepper Martin minor league managing record". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  9. ^ "McGwire, McCarver, Martin join Cardinals HOF". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 29, 2017.