Wes Ferrell

Wesley Cheek "Wes" Ferrell (February 2, 1908 – December 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1927 through 1941. Primarily a starting pitcher, Ferrell played for the Cleveland Indians (1927–33), Boston Red Sox (1934–37), Washington Senators (1937–38), New York Yankees (1938–39), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940) and Boston Braves (1941). He batted and threw right-handed. Ferrell's 37 home runs as a batter remain a career record for a MLB pitcher.

Early life

Wesley Cheek Ferrell was born on February 2, 1908 in Greensboro, North Carolina to Rufus Benjamin "Lonnie" and Alice Clara Carpenter. His father was employed by the Southern Railroad, and the family lived on a 160-acre dairy farm that was also used to grow crops such as hay and tobacco. Wes was the fifth of seven children, all boys. They each played baseball for the local high school team, and two others went on to enjoyed long careers in baseball; Rick, a Hall of Fame catcher, and George was an 18-year minor league veteran.