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John Gordon Rhodes (August 11, 1907 – March 22, 1960) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 to 1936. He played for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Athletics. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 187 pounds (85 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.

Biography

Rhodes played four sports—baseball, basketball, football, and track—at West High School in Salt Lake City, and then attended the University of Utah for a year before signing a professional baseball contract.[1] His baseball career spanned 12 years, 1928 to 1939; he spent parts of eight seasons in the major leagues (appearing in 203 games) and parts of seven seasons in the minor leagues (appearing in 174 games).[2]

Rhodes made his major league debut in April 1929 at age 21,[3][4] after his contract was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League.[5] During parts of four seasons, he went 7–9 in 41 games (17 starts) with the Yankees.[6] He was then traded to Boston in August 1932, in the same transaction that brought Wilcy Moore to the Yankees.[3]

Rhodes spent parts of four seasons with the Red Sox, recording a career-high total of wins, 12, in both 1932 and 1933.[6] However, he did not have a winning record in any of his years with Boston, compiling a 27–45 record in 124 games (90 starts) with the Red Sox.[6]

Rhodes, minor league catcher George Savino,[7] and cash were sent to the Philadelphia Athletics in December 1935, in a deal that brought Jimmie Foxx and Johnny Marcum to Boston.[3] With the Athletics, Rhodes collected 9 wins in 1936, but led American League pitchers with 20 losses and 26 home runs allowed.[6]

During his major league career, Rhodes posted a 43–74 record with 356 strikeouts and a 4.85 ERA in 200 appearances, including 135 starts, 47 complete games, one shutout, four saves, and 1048+2⁄3 innings of work.[6] As a hitter, he had a .194 batting average (69-for-356) with two home runs and 34 runs batted in.[6]

Nicknamed "Dusty", Rhodes was born in Salt Lake City, Utah; he died at the age of 52 in Bellflower, California.[3] Rhodes was inducted to the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.[8]

Notes

Rhodes' places of birth and death are listed as they appear in baseball sources.[3][6][2] An alternate source with a family connection to Rhodes has given his place of birth as Winnemucca, Nevada, and place of death as Long Beach, California.[9] Rhodes' draft registration card, which he signed in October 1940, lists his place of birth as Salt Lake City.[10] Long Beach was noted as his place of death in contemporary news reports;[11] Long Beach and Bellflower are adjacent communities.

References

  1. ^ "Rhodes Dies In California". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. March 24, 1960. p. 34. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Gordon Rhodes Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Gordon Rhodes". Retrosheet. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "Tigers Lose Mound Tilt to Browns; Sox Victors". San Francisco Examiner. AP. April 30, 1929. p. 19. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Leonard, Lank (April 16, 1929). "Gordon Rhodes A Likely Looking Yankee". Long Branch Daily Record. Long Branch, New Jersey. p. 9. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Gordon Rhodes Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "George Savino Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Honorees". utahsportshalloffame.org. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Womack, Graham (August 16, 2010). "The original Dusty Rhodes story". Baseball: Past and Present. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  10. ^ "WWII Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. October 1940. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  11. ^ "Former Utah Hurler Dies In California". The Salt Lake Tribune. March 24, 1960. p. 24. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.

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