The Veterans Committee named outfielder Averill to the Hall of Fame 34 years after his final season. He is still the Indians' all-time home run leader with 226 (thanks in part to the short fence in old League Park) and holds Cleveland career records in six offensive categories. His number 3 is one of only three retired by the Indians.

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"The Earl of Snohomish" (his hometown) grew up in the state of Washington and played semi-pro ball before signing with San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League in 1926. After three .300 seasons in the PCL, including .354 with 36 home runs and 173 RBI in 1928, the 5'9" 172-lb lefthanded hitter was purchased for a reported $50,000 by Cleveland. On Opening Day, 1929, he became the first AL player to homer in his initial big league at-bat. His 18 HRs (then a team record) and .331 BA in his rookie season helped establish him as one of the Indian's most popular players. A graceful but unspectacular centerfielder, he led all AL outfielders that year with 388 putouts, but his arm, injured in high school, was not strong.

In 1930, Averill hit .339, and on September 17 walloped three home runs in the first game of a doubleheader and another in the second game to become the first ML player to hit four homers in a twin bill. His 11 RBI that day set an AL record. A dead pull hitter, he slammed 32 homers in both 1931 and '32. He became one of the most feared hitters in the league; on August 29, 1932, Red Sox pitchers walked him five consecutive times. He had an off-year (.288) in 1935, largely because he burned his hand testing Fourth of July fireworks, but he bounced back in 1936 to lead the AL with 232 hits, and hit .378, second only to Luke Appling's .388.

His line drive in the 1937 All-Star Game broke Dizzy Dean's toe, an injury that indirectly ended Dean's career. That same year, just before a June game, Averill suffered temporary paralysis in his legs. X-rays revealed a congenital spinal malformation which forced him to change his batting style. His BA and home run output slipped.

He was showered with gifts, including a new Cadillac, on "Earl Averill Day" in Cleveland in 1938. Cleveland fans were outraged the following June when he was traded to Detroit for marginal pitcher Harry Eisenstat and cash. Averill hit .280 in a part-time role for the 1940 pennant-winning Tigers. His son, Earl Douglas, played seven years in the majors. (JCA)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 8, 1921: In his first at bat, St. Louis Browns rookie Luke Stuart hits a home run, the first American League rookie to accomplish the feat. His 9th inning blast, good for two runs, comes off no less than Washington's Walter Johnson. Johnson, leading 16–3 at the time, cruises home with a 16–5 win. Stuart will play two more games and then leave the majors with this home run as his only hit. The next AL rookie to connect for a homer on his first at bat will be Earl Averill in 1929. » November 19, 1928: In one of their most important acquisitions ever, Indians GM Billy Evans sends $40,000 and two players to San Francisco (PCL) for OF Earl Averill. Averill asks for and gets $5,000 from the Tribe as part of the deal. He'll play 11 years in Cleveland, hitting .316. » April 16, 1929: Both the Yankees and Indians, the two major league teams with the innovative numbers on the backs of the players' uniforms are scheduled to open today, but rain cancels the New York opener. Cleveland opens at home and hands new Tiger's manager Bucky Harris his first loss, 5–4 in 10 innings. Cleveland rookie Earl Averill, #5, cracks an 0-2 pitch for a homer in his first at bat, off Earl Whitehill (Earl's #3 will later be retired). The numberless Charlie Gehringer matches the rookie in the 3rd inning, hitting his off Cleveland's Joe Shaute. The Indians will wear numbers only on their home uniforms. Averill is just the 2nd player to connect in his first at-bat: Luke Stuart was the 1st, in 1921. » October 3, 1929: At St. Louis, the Browns General Crowder tops the Indians, 3–2, in 10 innings. Accounting for the Indians scoring is Earl Averill's 2-run home run, his 18th of the year and his 5th off the general. Only George Kelly's six off Vic Aldridge in 1923 (and later on, Williams in 1941, off Rigney, and Kluszewski in 1954, off Surkont) will top Earl's 5, according to homer historian Dave Vincent. » September 17, 1930: Earl Averill, Cleveland OF, hits three HRs in succession and narrowly misses a fourth when the umpire rules a long drive foul. He hits another HR the first time up in the second game of the doubleheader. » May 23, 1931: Cleveland's Earl Averill cracks three doubles and a home run in a 10–5 win over Chicago. Averill is the 2nd Indian this year to hit four extra base hits in a game. Joe Vosmik, who did it earlier, has a pair of doubles today. » August 17, 1933: Earl Averill hits for the cycle, as the Indians beat the A's 15-4. » July 10, 1934: The second annual All-Star Game produces Carl Hubbell's amazing feat of striking out five future Hall of Famers in a row. Off to a shaky start with two on base in the first inning, Hubbell uses his screwball to fan Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx. He adds Al Simmons and Joe Cronin to start the second. After three scoreless innings he leaves with the NL ahead 4-0. The AL rallies, scoring nine runs off Warneke, Mungo, and Dean, while Mel Harder pitches five shutout innings in relief of Red Ruffing to hold the lead. Frisch and Medwick hit HRs. Earl Averill's three RBI are decisive for the AL 9-7 victory. » October 21, 1934: An all-star team led by Babe Ruth and Connie Mack sails on tour to Hawaii and Japan. Players with wives include Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Gomez, Earl Averill, and Lefty O'Doul. » May 28, 1935: Washington's Buck Newsom (later to be called Bobo) is hit on the knee by a line drive by Cleveland's Earl Averill in the 3rd inning. After he finishes the game, it is discovered that his kneecap is broken. Washington loses 5–4. » June 13, 1935: Cleveland's Oral Hildebrand tops the A's, 4–3, as Earl Averill is 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Cleveland is in 4th place, with New York leading the AL by two 1/2 games over Chicago. » June 28, 1935: Earl Averill's consecutive-game streak ends at 673 when he is injured in a pre-July 4th fireworks accident. Cleveland still wins, 6–5, over the visiting White Sox. » September 14, 1935: The Senators win their fifth straight, beating the Indians, 5–1. Bobo Newsom scatters 10 hits—5 by Earl Averill, including two doubles and a triple—to go the route. Joe Vosmik, in the race for the batting championship at .345, breaks out of his recent slump going 1-for-4. » July 9, 1936: The temperature is 106 in Central Park, the hottest July nine on record in New York as the Indians take on the Yankees at the Stadium. The temperature at the park is 102. The Yanks score four in the 1st inning, but Cleveland comes back to score 11 runs on 15 hits, including five homers, to win 11–4. Hal Trosky, Roy Weatherly and Joe Vosmik all homer in the 2nd frame to tie the ML record. Trosky hits another homer to tie for the American League lead with 23. Lou Gehrig and Earl Averill also homer. » July 28, 1936: Earl Averill raps his 18th and 19th homers of the year, off Earl Whitehill, as Cleveland beats the Senators, 6–4. Lloyd Brown is the winner, allowing 11 hits. Hal Trosky extends his hitting streak to 22 games, while Cleveland's Roy Weatherly sets an American League rookie record by hitting in his 20th consecutive game. » July 31, 1936: Led by Lou Gehrig, who clouts his 33rd homer, the Yankees down the Indians, 11–7, at League Park. The loss snaps the Tribe's five-game win streak, and leaves the Yankees eight 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland. Gehrig and Red Rolfe clout homers in the 5th to chase Mel Harder, but the Indians answer with three doubles by Earl Averill and a homer by Hal Trosky. Hadley, with relief from Johnny Murphy, hangs on for his 9th win. » September 24, 1936: The AL batting crown is decided when Luke Appling of the White Sox goes 4-for-4 in the 2nd game of a doubleheader with Cleveland. Runner-up Earl Averill is held hitless. Appling will coast to a 10-point margin at .388. » April 30, 1937: Duke All-American football star Ace Parker pinch-hits a HR in his first ML at bat for the Athletics. Parker will have just one more HR on his way to a .117 average this year, but will do better on the gridiron. He will score 2 TDs for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Pittsburgh on November 21st and will eventually be elected to the Football Hall of Fame. He, thereby joins Hoyt Wilhelm and Earl Averill as one of just 3 Hall of Famers to hit a HR in their first at-bat. » July 7, 1937: Lou Gehrig leads the AL All-Stars over the NL 8-3 with a HR, double, and four RBI. FDR attends the game in Washington. Dizzy Dean's toe is fractured by a drive off the bat of Earl Averill. After the injury Dean is unable to pitch with the same delivery. He uses an unnatural motion, causing an arm injury from which he never recovers. » June 14, 1939: Veteran OF Earl Averill is swapped by Cleveland to Detroit for Harry Eisenstat and cash. » February 8, 1941: The Tigers release OF Earl Averill and sign OF Hoot Evers, out of the University of Illinois. Averill will be released by Detroit, signed by the Braves, then released April 29. » February 3, 1975: Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris are selected for the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. » August 31, 1993: 3B Gary Gaetti of the Royals hits the 239th home run of his career in KC's 6-5 win over Milwaukee. By doing so, he becomes the all-time home run leader for players who homered in their 1st big league at bat, moving past Hall of Famer Earl Averill. » July 20, 1996: The Indians defeat the Twins, 6–5, on Alvaro Espinoza's 11th-inning homer. OF Kenny Lofton leads the way for the Tribe with five hits. Albert Belle rings his 226th homer as an Indian to tie Earl Averill's club mark.