Books and articles about Van Lingle Mungo

In the mid-1930s, Mungo was considered to have the talent of contemporaries Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell, but he pitched for losing Dodger clubs and made matters worse by being easily upset by his teammates' ineptitude. Accused of wasting his strength by compiling strikeouts early in his games, he believed the only sure way to retire batters was to fan them. He was the 1936 National League strikeout leader, with 238. He also led the NL in walks three times. In an era when starters were expected to go the distance, Mungo, who led the NL in games started in 1934 and 1936, only finished 47% of his career starts. But between 1932 and 1936, he averaged 16 wins a year.

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Mungo was wild and mean, a high-kicking fireballer with a fierce temper. He was known as a drinker, and was involved in some bizarre off-the-field incidents. He once had to be smuggled out of Cuba to escape the machete-wielding husband of a nightclub dancer with whom he'd been caught in bed. His career went downhill after he injured his arm in the 1937 All-Star Game. He won only 13 ML games over his next six seasons. Becoming a junkballer, he went 14-7 in 1945. The lifetime .221 hitter sometimes pinch-hit. In 1970 his colorful name was prominently used in a nostalgic bossa nova ballad. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » September 7, 1931: Van Lingle Mungo, Uncle Robby's last find as a pitcher, reports to Brooklyn from Hartford and shuts out Boston 2–0 in his first start. He fans seven and hits a triple and a single to drive in both runs. Ancient Tom Zachary takes the loss. Brooklyn also took the opener, 5–4, in 10 innings on Fresco Thompson's RBI single. » August 14, 1932: John Quinn, at 49, becomes the oldest P to win a ML game. He relieves Van Mungo in the ninth with the game between Brooklyn and New York tied at 1-1. The Dodgers win in the 10th after Johnny Frederick hits a pinch-hit HR off Carl Hubbell in the ninth to tie. It is Frederick's fourth pinch-hit HR of the year, for a new major-league record. He will have six by the season's end. » May 2, 1934: The Giants beat the Dodgers, 6–5, for a series sweep and takes over first place in the National League. Lefty O'Doul, pinch hitting for Travis Jackson in the 8th, homers with two on off reliever Van Lingle Mungo. Charlie Perkins takes the loss against Hal Schumacher. Mel Ott hits his 6th homer of the year in the 3rd with Ott on base. » June 20, 1934: At St. Louis, the Dodgers use 15 hits to down the Cards, 9–5. Taylor, with three extra base hits, and Tony Cuccinello, with a 3-run homer, pace the fusillade. Van Lingle Mungo wins his 11 of the year, allowing 11 hits. Pepper Martin has two of the hits and a steal of home. » September 29, 1934: Brooklyn's Van Mungo knocks the Giants out of the lead at the Polo Grounds 5-1 while Paul Dean is beating the Reds in St. Louis 6-1. » September 29, 1935: Brooklyn's Van Lingle Mungo strikes out 15 Phillies to match yesterday's strikeout feat by Danny MacFayden. Mungo allows two hits in beating Jorgens, 2–0. Not until Koufax, in 1959, will a NL hurler strike out more. The 2nd game ends in a 4–4 tie. » May 22, 1937: Before a 6–2 loss to the Reds in Cincinnati, the Dodgers announce that Van Lingle Mungo has been fined, suspended for three days, and given a bill for $1,500 worth of damage done to a St. Louis hotel room following a ruckus last week with teammates trying to get him to bed at four A.M. When a photographer asks to take a picture of Mungo's black eye, the pitcher replies, "You can take it for $1,000, because that's what it cost me to get it." » August 28, 1937: Van Mungo is suspended indefinitely for insubordination after rejecting the Dodger trainer's program to cure his sore arm. » March 7, 1941: At Havana, the Dodgers roll over the Cleveland Indians 15–0. Pee Wee Reese and Joe Medwick use a batting helmet designed by two Johns Hopkins doctors with the help of Larry MacPhail. The two Dodgers, victims of HBPs last year, pronounce the helmets satisfactory. Brooklyn P Van Lingle Mungo celebrates the win a little too hard and when tomorrow's game is rained out, he continues to party. The result is that manager Leo Durocher sends him a note informing Mungo he's been reassigned to the Dodgers' minor league camp in Macon. Mungo will pitch just two innings for Brooklyn this year. » January 25, 1945: Training rosters list 260 players who are classified 4F for military service, and quality of big-league play will decline even more from 1944 and 1943. But the flow of players will begin to turn around. Rosters will include Al Benton, Tigers; Jim Wallace and Tom Earley, Braves; and Van Mungo of the Giants as players returning from the military. » 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.