Fleet-footed Johnny Mostil was one of the premier AL outfielders of the 1920s. He
led the league in stolen bases in 1925 and 1926 and in runs scored in '25, and four
times batted over .300. In a 1925 spring training game, Mostil snared a foul fly
down the left-field line while playing center. Though he hit a career-high .328 in
1926, on March 9, 1927, he tried to kill himself in his Shreveport hotel room, inflicting
13 razor cuts to his wrist, neck, and arms. The press reported that Mostil suffered
from neuritis, but rumors circulated that Mostil was having an affair with the wife
of teammate Red Faber, and attempted suicide when Faber found out and threatened
to kill him. Mostil recovered and returned by the end of the season, but played less
than two more years. Later, he became a minor league manager and White Sox scout.
(RL)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»April 30, 1922: Johnny Mostil, fleet-footed White Sox CF, moves over to LF for the only time in his career, and makes two outstanding catches to save Charlie Robertson's 2–0 perfect game over Detroit. Robertson is the 3rd pitcher in the 20th century to pitch a perfect game. Play is stopped twice after Ty Cobb and Harry Heilmann complain that Robertson is doctoring the ball. The losing pitcher is Herman Pillette, whose son Duane will pitch in the American League.
»October 23, 1926: In South Bend, Indiana, the Babe Ruth All Stars, including Johnny Mostil, Marty McManus and Urban Shocker, beat the local South Bend Indians 7-3 in a game called after six innings because of a late start. The all stars were delayed two hours when their vehicle broke down, as researched by historian Kevin Paczkowski. The Babe is 3-for-4 and hits a home run estimated at 600 feet. In preparation for the Babe's visit, the local team stocked up on baseballs at a cost of $1.23 each: in Montreal on October 17, the Babe hit 36 into a nearby river, according to the South Bend Tribune, and the ensuing game had to be stopped for lack of balls. Babe's squad will tie tomorrow when the Indians pitch the Giants Fred Fitzsimmons, who lives nearby. Joining Freddie is Fred Lindstrom.
»March 9, 1927:
A depressed outfielder Johnny Mostil tries to commit suicide by slashing himself with a razor. His White Sox teammate Red Faber learns that the cause of Mostil's depression is that the outfielder has been having an affair with Faber's wife. Mostil will play just 13 games for Chicago in 1927, but like Faber, will play all his games in a Sox uniform.
»May 22, 1928: White Sox CF Johnny Mostil handles 12 chances against the Indians, equaling Happy Felsch's American League record, also made against Cleveland as the Sox win, 4–3. Mostil also legs it home from 2B with the winning run on a wild pitch by George Uhle. Sam Langford has a home run and two doubles for Cleveland.
»May 19, 1929:
In the 4th inning at Detroit, fleet White Sox CF Johnny Mostil, 2-time American League SB leader, breaks his right leg tripping over home on the uncontested front end of a double steal. The injury ends his ML playing days at the age of 33. Mostil missed most of the 1927 season following a suicide attempt in spring training in Shreveport. Ted Lyons wins for the Sox, 10–3, making two hits and scoring twice.
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