In mid-season 1939, the 6'2" 220-lb Butcher stood 2-13 with the Phillies when Pittsburgh
acquired him in a trade for longtime Pirate first baseman Gus Suhr. Although the
deal was unpopular in Pittsburgh at the time, by 1941 Suhr was out of the majors
and Butcher was the staff ace at 17-12. A sore arm in 1942 reduced his effectiveness,
but he posted three more winning seasons for the Pirates during the war years.
(MC)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»June 15, 1938: Johnny Vander Meer stuns baseball by pitching his 2nd successive no-hitter, defeating the Dodgers and Max Butcher, 6–0. Brooklyn plays the first night game ever at Ebbets Field. In front of 38,748 fans, including spectators Babe Ruth and several hundred fans from Vandy's home town of Midland Park, NJ. Vandy strikes out seven and walks 8, including three one-out walks in the 9th. A force out at home on a grounder by Ernie Koy and a fly ball by Leo Durocher ends the game. In a pregame event, Koy, with a 10-yard start but running in his Reds' uniform, beats Olympic champion Jesse Owens in the 100-yard dash.
»May 31, 1942: Against the Pirates, the Reds Clyde Vollmer chops a home run on the first ML pitch he sees, the 4th major leaguer to do so. Pitcher Max Butcher is the instant loser as the Reds go on to win 3–0 in this 2nd game of a doubleheader. Vollmer's next homer won't come until 1947.
»June 21, 1946:
A federal judge rules that the Seattle club does not have to play returning serviceman Al Niemiec but it does have to pay him his $720 a month contract through the season. At midseason 143 players who had ML contracts when they went to war had been released or sent to the minors. Former major-league players Van Mungo, Lou Finney, Chubby Dean, Nate Andrews, and Max Butcher are all playing in Class D leagues.
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