1908 American League Retirements

The baseball torch is passed from season to season and in some cases, from game to game. In 1911, Cy Young pitched his final Major League game, lost 1-0, and ended the final season of his career with a losing record of 7-9 and an ERA of 3.77. Young's opponent that particular day was a first-year pitcher named Grover Alexander who received the win, added to his league leading shutout total, and went on to begin his career with a winning record of 28-13 and an ERA of 2.57.

Bob Gibson, who was easily one of the most intense competitors of all time, gave up a grand slam to the last Major League hitter he faced, Pete LaCock of the Chicago Cubs. Fifteen years passed and when the two faced off during an old-timer's game, Gibson hit LaCock on his back with a fastball.

Babe Ruth summed it up when he responded to a question about retirement by saying, "A ballplayer should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill." Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a comprehensive list of American League League players who hung up their spikes in 1908.

"You start chasing a ball and your brain immediately commands your body to: Run forward. Bend. Scoop up the ball. Peg it to the infield. Then your body says, 'Who, me?'" - Retirement comment made by Joe DiMaggio
 

American League Retirements

1908

n/a Jimmy Barrett Boston Red Sox OF 34
n/a Walter Carlisle Boston Red Sox OF 27
n/a Ralph Glaze Boston Red Sox P 27
n/a Charlie Hartman Boston Red Sox P 20
n/a Jack Hoey Boston Red Sox OF 27
n/a Ed McFarland Boston Red Sox C 34
n/a Jim McHale Boston Red Sox OF 33
n/a Doc McMahon Boston Red Sox P 22
n/a Harry Ostdiek Boston Red Sox C 28
n/a Case Patten Boston Red Sox P 35
n/a Tex Pruiett Boston Red Sox P 26
n/a Jake Thielman Boston Red Sox P 30
n/a George Winter Boston Red Sox P 31
n/a John Anderson Chicago White Sox OF 35
n/a Moxie Manuel Chicago White Sox P 27
n/a Andy Nelson Chicago White Sox P 24
n/a Ossee Schreckengost Chicago White Sox C 34
n/a Art Weaver Chicago White Sox C 30
n/a Harry Bay Cleveland Naps PR 31
n/a Walter Clarkson Cleveland Naps P 30
n/a Homer Davidson Cleveland Naps C 24
n/a Ed Foster Cleveland Naps P 24
n/a Charlie Hickman Cleveland Naps OF 33
n/a Bill Lattimore Cleveland Naps P 25
n/a Rabbit Nill Cleveland Naps SS 27
n/a Jake Thielman Cleveland Naps P 30
n/a Bill Coughlin Detroit Tigers 3B 30
n/a Herm Malloy Detroit Tigers P 23
n/a Clay Perry Detroit Tigers 3B 27
n/a Ed Siever Detroit Tigers P 34
n/a George Winter Detroit Tigers P 31
n/a Mike Donovan New York Highlanders 3B 27
n/a Fred Glade New York Highlanders P 33
n/a Bill Hogg New York Highlanders P 27
n/a Andy O'Connor New York Highlanders P 24
n/a Queenie O'Rourke New York Highlanders OF 25
n/a Bert Blue Philadelphia Athletics C 31
n/a Nick Carter Philadelphia Athletics P 30
n/a Jimmy Collins Philadelphia Athletics 3B 39
n/a Eddie Files Philadelphia Athletics P 26
n/a Jack Flater Philadelphia Athletics P 25
n/a Jack Fox Philadelphia Athletics OF 24
n/a Al Kellogg Philadelphia Athletics P 22
n/a Frank Manush Philadelphia Athletics 3B 25
n/a Gus Salve Philadelphia Athletics P 23
n/a Ossee Schreckengost Philadelphia Athletics C 34
n/a Socks Seybold Philadelphia Athletics OF 38
n/a Shag Shaughnessy Philadelphia Athletics OF 26
n/a Bert Blue St. Louis Browns C 31
n/a Emmet Heidrick St. Louis Browns OF 32
n/a Charlie Jones St. Louis Browns OF 32
n/a Joe Yeager St. Louis Browns 2B 33
n/a Eli Cates Washington Senators P 32
n/a Bob Edmundson Washington Senators OF 30
n/a Henry Gehring Washington Senators P 28
n/a Case Patten Washington Senators P 35
n/a Ollie Pickering Washington Senators OF 39
n/a John Warner Washington Senators C 36
1908 American League Retirements



Find out which players made their Major League debut in the American League during the 1908 season as this group of players bid farewell to their field's of dreams.

Hank Aaron ended his Major League career on October 3, 1976, with a sharp single during the sixth inning off Dave Roberts of the Detroit Tigers.

Goose Goslin played for eighteen seasons and averaged one-hundred twenty-seven games played per season. In 1938, during his final at-bat, he twisted his back and was replaced at the plate by a pinch-hitter for the first time in his Major League career.