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George Caster
George Jasper Caster (August 4, 1907 – December 18, 1955), nicknamed "Ug", was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher for 21 years from 1929 to 1948 and again in 1953. He played 12 years in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics (1934–1935, 1937–1940), St. Louis Browns (1941–1945), and Detroit Tigers (1945–1946).
Caster became known as an early knuckleball pitcher. He played for American League pennant winning teams in both 1944 and 1945. He appeared in 376 major league games and compiled a career record of 76–100 in 13772⁄3 innings pitched.
Caster was born in Colton, California, in 1907. He played baseball and football at Colton High School. Caster played shortstop until his senior year, when injuries to Colton's pitchers led to his taking up pitching. He also played two years of baseball at San Bernardino Junior College and was an athlete at the University of Southern California for part of a year before beginning his career as a professional baseball player. Caster was also a pitcher for the Colton Cement Dusters in 1928.
Caster signed with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1929. He was farmed out to the San Bernardino Padres in the California State League for the 1929 season. After compiling a 12–5 record in 20 games with San Bernardino, Caster was promoted to the Pacific Coast League, playing for the Mission Reds from 1929 to 1932. In 1931, he compiled a 13–17 record and 5.07 earned run average (ERA) in 35 games for the Reds. He also played for the Seattle Indians in 1933, compiling a 12–19 record and 5.80 ERA in 47 games. He divided the 1934 season between Seattle and the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League, compiling a 1–15 record and 3.40 ERA in 34 games.
In September 1934, Caster made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Athletics. He compiled a 3–2 record for the A's in 1934 and returned to the team in 1935. He appeared in 25 games for the 1935 A's, all but one as a relief pitcher. He finished the season with a 1–4 record and 6.25 ERA.
Caster was optioned by the Athletics to the Portland Beavers for the 1936 season, which proved to be the best of Caster's career. In 44 games for Portland, he compiled a 25–13 record and a 2.79 ERA – a career high in wins and a career low in ERA. He was the leader in the Pacific Coast League in 1936 in both wins and strikeouts (234). In a front page profile, The Sporting News credited Caster's turnaround to overcoming his lack of control and adding a slow knuckleball to his blazing fastball and sharp-breaking curve. Caster later wrote an article describing the role of his knuckler:
"My knuckle ball is thrown with the fingertips of my index and second finger on my right hand in contact with the smooth surface of the ball – no seems touched... I have found when pitching against the wind the ball seems to be most effective because it seems to 'flutter'... I regard the fast ball as my best pitch, with my knuckle ball as the change pitch."
After a strong showing in Portland in 1936, Caster was recalled by the A's for the 1937 season. He remained with Philadelphia for four years, compiling a 41–67 record and 4.94 ERA from 1937 to 1940. He twice led the American League in losses, with records of 16–20 in 1938 and 4–19 in 1940.
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George Caster
George Jasper Caster (August 4, 1907 – December 18, 1955), nicknamed "Ug", was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher for 21 years from 1929 to 1948 and again in 1953. He played 12 years in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics (1934–1935, 1937–1940), St. Louis Browns (1941–1945), and Detroit Tigers (1945–1946).
Caster became known as an early knuckleball pitcher. He played for American League pennant winning teams in both 1944 and 1945. He appeared in 376 major league games and compiled a career record of 76–100 in 13772⁄3 innings pitched.
Caster was born in Colton, California, in 1907. He played baseball and football at Colton High School. Caster played shortstop until his senior year, when injuries to Colton's pitchers led to his taking up pitching. He also played two years of baseball at San Bernardino Junior College and was an athlete at the University of Southern California for part of a year before beginning his career as a professional baseball player. Caster was also a pitcher for the Colton Cement Dusters in 1928.
Caster signed with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1929. He was farmed out to the San Bernardino Padres in the California State League for the 1929 season. After compiling a 12–5 record in 20 games with San Bernardino, Caster was promoted to the Pacific Coast League, playing for the Mission Reds from 1929 to 1932. In 1931, he compiled a 13–17 record and 5.07 earned run average (ERA) in 35 games for the Reds. He also played for the Seattle Indians in 1933, compiling a 12–19 record and 5.80 ERA in 47 games. He divided the 1934 season between Seattle and the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League, compiling a 1–15 record and 3.40 ERA in 34 games.
In September 1934, Caster made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Athletics. He compiled a 3–2 record for the A's in 1934 and returned to the team in 1935. He appeared in 25 games for the 1935 A's, all but one as a relief pitcher. He finished the season with a 1–4 record and 6.25 ERA.
Caster was optioned by the Athletics to the Portland Beavers for the 1936 season, which proved to be the best of Caster's career. In 44 games for Portland, he compiled a 25–13 record and a 2.79 ERA – a career high in wins and a career low in ERA. He was the leader in the Pacific Coast League in 1936 in both wins and strikeouts (234). In a front page profile, The Sporting News credited Caster's turnaround to overcoming his lack of control and adding a slow knuckleball to his blazing fastball and sharp-breaking curve. Caster later wrote an article describing the role of his knuckler:
"My knuckle ball is thrown with the fingertips of my index and second finger on my right hand in contact with the smooth surface of the ball – no seems touched... I have found when pitching against the wind the ball seems to be most effective because it seems to 'flutter'... I regard the fast ball as my best pitch, with my knuckle ball as the change pitch."
After a strong showing in Portland in 1936, Caster was recalled by the A's for the 1937 season. He remained with Philadelphia for four years, compiling a 41–67 record and 4.94 ERA from 1937 to 1940. He twice led the American League in losses, with records of 16–20 in 1938 and 4–19 in 1940.