Branch Rickey once gave DeLancey a place on his all-time team, even though the lefthanded-hitting catcher played in only 219 ML games. Twenty-one when he joined the Cardinals for a brief trial late in 1932, he returned in 1934 to platoon with Spud Davis for the World Champion "Gas House Gang," hitting .316 with 13 home runs and 40 RBI. He was particularly adept at handling the Cardinals' eccentric pitchers. In 1935, he slumped at the plate and appeared tired. At the end of the season he was discovered to be suffering from tuberculosis. He missed four years, then hit .222 in a comeback attempt in 1940. (MC)
Contribute your recollections of Bill DeLancey by clicking here.
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»June 27, 1934: The temperature reaches 115 degrees at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Dizzy Dean leaves the game with two out and the score tied 7–7 in the top of the 9th. Reliever Jim Mooney retires Mel Ott, and when Bill Delancey homers in the bottom of the inning to win the game, Dean is given credit for the win, his 12th of the year, though he wasn't the pitcher of record when the winning run scores. As on the 24th, Mike Haley, the scorer who had been overruled earlier that day, is the scorer and gives the win to Dean. Taking no chances, he asks Heydler to review his decision and Heydler agrees.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
