Professional Baseball Player. He was inducted into Hall of Fame Major League Baseball. He played 17 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox. As one of the premier left handed pitchers of the 20th century, he was the dominant pitcher of the late 1920s and early 130s. He came to the Majors in 1925 with the A's, posting a 10 and 12 record and leading the American League in strikeouts (116). He led the League in strikeouts for his first seven seasons. He starred with the A's from 1925 to 1933, winning 20 or more games seven years in a row. He led the American League in wins: in 1928 with 24, in 1930 with 28, in 1931 with 31, and in 1933 with 24. He led the American League in ERA 5 times in his first 8 seasons, and accomplished Pitching's Triple Crown with the most wins, most strikeouts and lowest ERA two years in a row, in 1930 and 1931. He led the A's to 3 successive World Series: in 1929, 1930 and 1931. In 1929 his A's beat the Cubs 4 games to 1. In 1930 he won two games and lost one as the A's beat the Cardinals 4 games to 2. In 1931 he again won two games and lost one, but the Gas House Gang Cardinals beat his A's 4 games to 3. His regular season record during those three years was a staggering 79 wins and 15 losses. In 1931 he won 16 games in a row, and just missed wining his 17th when the A's lost 1-0. In 1934 he was sold to the Boston Red Sox, with whom he had one 20 win season and lead the AL in ERA 4 times. His career total came to 300 wins, 141 losses. He appeared in 6 All-Star teams (1 with the A's, 5 with the Red Sox), pitching in the very first Game in 1933, and was the losing pitcher for the AL in the 1936 game. He led the AL in ERA for 9 of his 17 seasons. He was an intense competitor, and was known for vicious tirades and attacks against teammates who he thought were not playing hard enough. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. He died in of a heart attack while watching a televised baseball game at his daughter-in-law's home on May 22, 1975.