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Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 21 seasons, all in the National League. Although never quite as dominating as some, he was both astonishingly consistent and durable. more...

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He won 20 games in 13 different seasons, and compiled a 23-7 record when he was aged 42. He won more games than any other left-handed pitcher, or any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era, and is acknowledged as one of the best left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball history.

Baseball career

Spahn was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1921. His major league career began in 1942 with the Braves and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first in Boston and then in Milwaukee. He finished his career in 1965 with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. Spahn won more games than any other lefty (363) and is the fifth-winningest pitcher in MLB, trailing only Cy Young (511), Walter Johnson (417), Grover Cleveland Alexander (373), and Christy Mathewson (373) on the all-time list.

Spahn also threw two no-hitters, won 3 ERA titles, and appeared in 14 All-Star Games, the most of any pitcher in the 20th century.

To describe the 1948 Braves' pitching staff, Boston Post sports editor Gerald V. Hern wrote a poem:

Warren Spahn briefly managed the Tulsa Oilers AAA franchise in the Pacific Coast League in the 60's.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Spahn's uniform number was 21.

World War II

Spahn reached the major leagues in 1942 at the age of 21. The United States, heavily involved in World War II by that time, required substantial manpower for the war effort. Spahn chose to enlist in the United States Army, along with many other major leaguers. He served with distinction, and was awarded Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star for bravery. He saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Ludendorff Bridge (the famous bridge at Remagen) as a combat engineer, and was awarded a battlefield commission. He was the only one of major league baseball's military who earned a battlefield commission, and the most famous to see combat.

Spahn returned the major leagues in 1946 at the age of 25, having missed 3 full seasons. Had he played, it is possible that Spahn would have finished his career behind only Cy Young in all-time Wins.

Death

Spahn died at age 82, apparently of natural causes, at his home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He is interred in the Elmwood Cemetery in Hartshorne. After his death a street was named after him in Buffalo, New York that connects Abbott Road with Seneca Street, through Cazenovia Park, in the heart of South Buffalo. The street is near South Park High School, Spahn's alma mater.

Read more at Wikipedia.org