Major League Baseball Player. For thirteen seasons (1941 to 1942, 1946 to 1956), he was a left-handed pitcher with the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. Nicknamed "Bear Tracks" because of the way he shuffled about on the pitching mound. Born John Albert Schmitz, he attended Wausau High School (Wisconsin) and was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 1938. He would end up with the Cubs and mark his Major League debut with them on September 6th, 1941; he pitched in 5 games that year and recorded 2 wins. Following service with the US Navy during World War II, he resumed his career, earning a place within the Cubs' starting rotation and achieving All-Star status in 1946, as he led the league with 135 strikeouts. In 1948, he received All-Star honors a second time and produced a career-high 18 victories. For the remainder of his career Schmitz was well-traveled, as he had stints on several other clubs, failing to maintain his earlier success. However, he would yield another double-digit win season (11 in 1954) while with the Senators. In 366 regular season games, he compiled a 93 win, 114 loss record, with a 3.55 lifetime ERA, in 1,812 innings pitched. After his baseball career, he worked as a groundskeeper at a golf course.
Major League Baseball Player. For thirteen seasons (1941 to 1942, 1946 to 1956), he was a left-handed pitcher with the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. Nicknamed "Bear Tracks" because of the way he shuffled about on the pitching mound. Born John Albert Schmitz, he attended Wausau High School (Wisconsin) and was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 1938. He would end up with the Cubs and mark his Major League debut with them on September 6th, 1941; he pitched in 5 games that year and recorded 2 wins. Following service with the US Navy during World War II, he resumed his career, earning a place within the Cubs' starting rotation and achieving All-Star status in 1946, as he led the league with 135 strikeouts. In 1948, he received All-Star honors a second time and produced a career-high 18 victories. For the remainder of his career Schmitz was well-traveled, as he had stints on several other clubs, failing to maintain his earlier success. However, he would yield another double-digit win season (11 in 1954) while with the Senators. In 366 regular season games, he compiled a 93 win, 114 loss record, with a 3.55 lifetime ERA, in 1,812 innings pitched. After his baseball career, he worked as a groundskeeper at a golf course.
Bio by: C.S.
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