Sloppy Thurston's nickname was a misnomer. He inherited it from his father, a charitable
restaurant owner who would dish out free soup to the poor. But the curveballing pitcher
was a meticulous and dandy Jazz Age dresser. In the 12th inning of an August 22,
1923, game against the Athletics, he struck out the side on nine pitches. He had
his best season for the last-place 1924 White Sox. He reeled off ten straight victories
before the Yankees beat him on July 29, and ended the season at 20-14 with league
highs of 28 complete games and 330 hits allowed. He was mediocre from then on.
After
Thurston's 6-8 performance in 1926, manager Eddie Collins declared his arm was dead
and traded him to the Senators. Thurston was pitching for the Dodgers on August 13,
1932 when he allowed six HR in the first game of a doubleheader, tying the post-1900
ML record. He was one of the best-hitting pitchers of all time, with a .270 lifetime
average and four .300 seasons. He became a longtime scout and signed Ralph Kiner
to a Pirate contract.
(RL)
Sloppy Thurston
