Hal Newhouser

Harold Newhouser
Nickname: Prince Hal
Born: May 20, 1921 in Detroit, Mich.
Died: Nov. 10, 1998 in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Debut: 1939 | Pos: P
H: 6'2" | W: 192 | B: L | T: L

>> Visit the Hal Newhouser biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Hal Newhouser, a member of baseball's Hall of Fame, is the only pitcher to have
captured back-to-back MVP honors. He died on Nov. 10, 1998 in Bloomfield Hills,
Mich.

Newhouser won his first American League MVP in 1944 when he finished 20-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 312.1 innings for the Tigers. He followed that up with a 25-9 record
and a 1.81 ERA in 1945 to garner another MVP honor. He returned in 1946 with a 25-9 record and a 1.94 ERA.

For a period beginning in the 1944 season and extending to the end of the 1950
season, Newhouser was 151-71. The success he found in those seasons, however, might not have been predicted from his performance in the seasons from 1939 to 1943. In that time period, Newhouser was just 34-52.

Newhouser's best seasons in the majors came during the years of World War II. A
congenital heart problem kept him out of the service and, according to reports,
almost brought an end to his major league career.

In 1945, he was the pitcher in the game that allowed the Tigers to clinch the AL
Pennant. He started three games against the Cubs in the 1945 World Series, winning two and losing one. He Had a 6.10 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched in that series.

Newhouser was born in Detroit and he had been a high school star there. It was a
natural that the Tigers would sign the hometown hero. He was just 18 years old when he pitched five innings for the Tigers in 1939.

In 1954, he joined the Cleveland Indians and pitched in 26 games that season and in two more the following season before his major league career came to an end.

He appeared in one game of the 1954 World Series with the Indians.

He was an All-Star in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947 and 1948.

Newhouser was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1992.