Blanton broke into the majors as the top rookie pitcher of 1935. He was 18-13 with
the Pirates, led the NL in ERA (2.58), and tied for ?F
x
x
the league lead in
shutouts (4). Although he was named twice to the NL All-Star team in later years,
he never pitched as well as in that first year. He died in 1945 in an Oklahoma state
hospital for the mentally ill.
(ME)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»September 22, 1935: In the final game at Chicago, the Cubs whip the Pirates 2–0 as Larry French outpitches Cy Blanton to win his 5th of the month. The Cubs, in winning their 18th straight, maintain their hold on 1st place by three games over the Cardinals. With 40,558 today, Chicago has 202,283 fans who have watched the final six games. Blanton finishes his year with a 2.58 ERA, tops in the NL, and his 142 strikeouts sets a Pirates rookie record that will not be broken this century.
»May 23, 1936: At Crosley Field, Sammy Byrd hits a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to give the Reds a 4–3 win over Pittsburgh. Bucs starter Bob Swift loads the bases and reliever Cy Blanton serves up just one pitch to Byrd who lets it fly. Byrd will hit one more homer this year and then retire next March 10 to play professional golf.
»July 27, 1936: Under rainy conditions at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers thrill a crowd of 485 by routing Cy Blanton and beating the Pirates for the 3rd straight time, 6–3. Fred Frankhouse has only one bad inning—the 3rd in which the Bucs make all their runs on six hits—in winning his 6th against eight losses. Frankhouse has five assists while SS Frey has none.
»May 21, 1940:
The Phils sign pitcher Cy Blanton when he is made a free agent by the Pirates on orders from Commissioner Landis.
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