Baseball Almanac - 1918 National League Retirements

1918 National 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 National League League players who hung up their spikes in 1918.

"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

National League Retirements
1918

# Name Team Pos Age

n/a Fred Bailey Boston Braves PH 23

n/a Doc Bass Boston Braves PH 20

n/a Hugh Canavan Boston Braves P 22

n/a Chet Chadbourne Boston Braves OF 34

n/a Rip Conway Boston Braves 2B 23

n/a Sam Covington Boston Braves PH 24

n/a Doc Crandall Boston Braves P 31

n/a Cal Crum Boston Braves P 29

n/a Lefty George Boston Braves P 32

n/a John Henry Boston Braves C 29

n/a Tom Hughes Boston Braves P 35

n/a Jim Kelly Boston Braves OF 35

n/a Roy Massey Boston Braves OF 28

n/a Bill Upham Boston Braves P 31

n/a Bill Wagner Boston Braves C 25

n/a Jimmy Archer Brooklyn Robins C 36

n/a Al Bashang Brooklyn Robins OF 30

n/a Mickey Doolan Brooklyn Robins 2B 39

n/a Rich Durning Brooklyn Robins P 26

n/a Dan Griner Brooklyn Robins P 31

n/a Jake Hehl Brooklyn Robins P 19

n/a Harry Heitmann Brooklyn Robins P 22

n/a Marty Herrmann Brooklyn Robins P 26

n/a Tommy Clarke Chicago Cubs C 31

n/a Chuck Wortman Chicago Cubs 2B 27

n/a Rollie Zeider Chicago Cubs 2B 35

n/a Jimmy Archer Cincinnati Reds C 36

n/a Snipe Conley Cincinnati Reds P 25

n/a Larry Jacobus Cincinnati Reds P 24

n/a Harry Smith Cincinnati Reds C 29

n/a Fred Anderson New York Giants P 33

n/a Pete Compton New York Giants OF 29

n/a George Gibson New York Giants C 38

n/a Jay Kirke New York Giants 1B 30

n/a Bert Niehoff New York Giants 2B 35

n/a Jose Rodriguez New York Giants 2B 25

n/a George Ross New York Giants P 26

n/a Jeff Tesreau New York Giants P 31

n/a Ed Burns Philadelphia Phillies C 31

n/a Justin Fitzgerald Philadelphia Phillies OF 27

n/a Ed Hemingway Philadelphia Phillies 2B 26

n/a Alex Main Philadelphia Phillies P 35

n/a Patsy McGaffigan Philadelphia Phillies 2B 30

n/a Ty Pickup Philadelphia Phillies OF 21

n/a Jimmy Archer Pittsburgh Pirates C 36

n/a Lute Boone Pittsburgh Pirates SS 29

n/a Ralph Comstock Pittsburgh Pirates P 28

n/a Roy Ellam Pittsburgh Pirates SS 33

n/a Gus Getz Pittsburgh Pirates 3B 29

n/a Bob Harmon Pittsburgh Pirates P 31

n/a Tommy Leach Pittsburgh Pirates OF 41

n/a Jake Pitler Pittsburgh Pirates 2B 25

n/a Roy Sanders Pittsburgh Pirates P 26

n/a Ben Shaw Pittsburgh Pirates 1B 25

n/a Cy Slapnicka Pittsburgh Pirates P 33

n/a Red Smith Pittsburgh Pirates C 27

n/a George Anderson St. Louis Cardinals OF 29

n/a Johnny Beall St. Louis Cardinals OF 37

n/a Bruno Betzel St. Louis Cardinals 3B 24

n/a John Brock St. Louis Cardinals C 22

n/a Dutch Distel St. Louis Cardinals 2B 23

n/a Earl Howard St. Louis Cardinals P 25

n/a Rankin Johnson St. Louis Cardinals P 31

n/a Marty Kavanagh St. Louis Cardinals OF 27

n/a Bob Larmore St. Louis Cardinals SS 22

n/a Wally Mattick St. Louis Cardinals OF 32

n/a Ted Menze St. Louis Cardinals OF 21

n/a Bert Niehoff St. Louis Cardinals 2B 35

n/a Red Smyth St. Louis Cardinals OF 26

n/a Bobby Wallace St. Louis Cardinals 2B 45

n/a Dick Wheeler St. Louis Cardinals OF 21

# Name Team Pos Age

1918 National League Retirements

Find out which players made their Major League debut in the National League during the 1918 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.

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