Tiny Bonham

Ernest Edward (Tiny) Bonham (August 16, 1913 – September 15, 1949) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1940 to 1949, he played for the New York Yankees (1940–46) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1947–49). Bonham batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Ione, California.

Career

In a 10-season career, Bonham posted a 103-72 record with 478 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA in 1551.0 innings pitched.

Bonham was a skilled master of the pitching trade who kept opposing batters off balance with a baffling assortment of deliveries. He started his professional baseball career with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League in 1935. He worked his way up through the New York Yankees minor league system until 1940, when he was summoned from Triple-A Kansas City to anchor a weak Yankees pitching staff.

Remaining with the Yankees until , Bonham was a pitching mainstay of manager Joe McCarthy's pennant-winning combinations between 1941 and 1943. Bonham supplied his team with the decisive complete game 4-hit 3–1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game Five of the 1941 World Series played at Ebbets Field. But Bonham was ill-fated in his other Series starts, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942 and 1943, both times by 4–3 scores. His most productive season came in 1942, when he led the American League with 22 wins, six shutouts, 22 complete games and a .808 winning percentage. He made the All-Star team that season and again in 1943.

Hampered by a chronic back ailment...
Read More