|
Sponsor a page on Historic Baseball! Click here for details |
Spec Shea
Francis Joseph Shea (Born:
Joseph O'Shea Francis)
Nickname: Naugatuck Nuggett
Born: Oct. 2, 1920 in Naugatuck, Conn.
Died: July 19, 2002
Debut: 1947 | Pos: P
Ht: 6' | Wt: 190 | B:
R | T: R
| Yrs | G | IP | W | L | Sv | SO | ERA |
| 8 | 195 | 943.2 | 56 | 46 | 5 | 361 | 3.800 |
>> Visit the Spec Shea biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.
Frank "Spec" Shea won 2 games in the 1947 World Series as a rookie for the New York Yankees. He died July 19, 2002 at the age of 81, four weeks after have heart valve replacement surgery.
In his career, Shea finished 56-46 with a 3.80 ERA for the New York Yankees (1947-49, 1951) and Washington Senators (1952-55). He pitched 943.2 innings in 195 games.
In 1947, Shea finished with a 14-5 record and a 3.07 ERA for the Yankees. He also became the first rookie pitcher to get the win in an All-Star Game. He led the league by holding opponents to just .200 hitting. He also missed several weeks during the middle of the season due to a neck injury.
He started Game 1 of the 1947 World Series and helped the Yankees to a 5-3 win over Brooklyn. Two days after his birthday, he pitched a 4-hitter to beat Brooklyn, 2-1, in Game 5. He also drove in a run in that game.
Jackie Robinson of the Dodgers won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947. Shea, however, was the leading vote-getter from the American League.
After returning from military service in 1946, Shea pitched for Waterbury, Connecticut, in an exhibition game against the Yankees. Shea won the game, 1-0, and received an invitation to Spring Training with the Yankees in 1947.
His neck injury continued to plague him and, in 1950, he spent time in the minors after the Yankees thought he was having arm problems.
Before the 1952 season, he was traded to the Senators along with OF Jackie Jensen, OF Archie Wilson and SS Jerry Snyder for OF Irv Noren and infielder Tom Upton.
Shea, who had freckles, earned the nickname Specs and he was given the nickname "The Naugatuck Nuggett" by broadcaster Mel Allen. Shea also taught Robert Redford how to throw in baseball's older style for the movie, "The Natural."
Sources: Baseball Encyclopedia, Associated Press.