Charlie Deal Explained

Charlie Deal
Position:Third baseman
Birth Date:30 October 1891
Birth Place:Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death Place:Covina, California, U.S.
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:July 17
Debutyear:1912
Debutteam:Detroit Tigers
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:October 2
Finalyear:1921
Finalteam:Chicago Cubs
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.257
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:11
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:318
Teams:
Highlights:

Charles Albert Deal (October 30, 1891 – September 16, 1979) was an American professional baseball player who played third base in the Major Leagues from 1912 to 1921. He would play for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Terriers, and Detroit Tigers.[1]

Charlie Deal was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, the fifth of six children of Joseph Calvin and Alice (née Ling) Deal. While working as a fitter for an electric company, Deal would play second base for local semi-professional clubs. On July 19, 1912, Deal made his professional debut with the Detroit Tigers.[2] In 1914, Deal was a member of the Braves team that went from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July.[3] The team then went on to defeat Connie Mack's heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics in the 1914 World Series. When his request for a salary increase for 1915 was rejected, Deal jumped to the Federal League, playing for the St. Louis Terriers.[4] Deal only played 65 games for the Terriers, due to being hospitalised with a bout of typhoid fever.[5]

In 1917 Deal led the National League in sacrifice hits with 29. He also proved to be very reliable defensively, leading National League third baseman in fielding three years in a row (1919–1921).[6] Deal then played for several teams in the Pacific Coast League in the mid-1920s, before ending his career at Chattanooga in the Southern Association in 1927.

He was the last surviving member of the 1914 World Champion Boston Braves.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Charlie Deal Baseball Stats. Baseball Almanac. 31 July 2011.
  2. Web site: Faber . Charles F. . Charlie Deal – Society for American Baseball Research . Society for American Baseball Research . 26 August 2023.
  3. http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1914.html The 1914 Boston Braves at www.thisgreatgame.com
  4. Book: Faber, Charles. Major League Careers Cut Short: Leading Players Gone by 30. 2010. McFarland Publishing. United States. 978-0-7864-4743-5. 298.
  5. Book: Nowlin. Bill. The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions. 2014. SABR Inc. United States. 978-1933599694. 394.
  6. Web site: Charlie Deal Statistics and History. Baseball Reference. 31 July 2011.