Dazzy Vance
From BR Bullpen
Clarence Arthur Vance
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
- Debut April 16, 1915
- Final Game August 14, 1935
- Born March 4, 1891 in Orient, IA USA
- Died February 16, 1961 in Homosassa Springs, FL USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1955
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[edit] Biographical Information
Dazzy Vance did not win his first major league game until his early thirties but proved to be the ultimate late-bloomer. He dominated National League hitters with a live fastball, leading the National League in strikeouts seven straight seasons. He continued to pitch at a high level well into his forties, and gained admittance to the Hall of Fame in 1955.
He was an almost exact contemporary of Babe Ruth, although Vance pitched mostly in the National League while Ruth was almost always in the American League. Vance was briefly with the New York Yankees in 1918, a couple years before Ruth got there.
He is the only major leaguer remembered as "Dazzy", although Monty Swartz, who pitched one game in the majors before Vance was a star, was also nicknamed Dazzy.
Following his playing days, Vance settled on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where he helped to develop the tourist trade at Homosassa Springs, where he died in 1961.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL MVP (1924)
- NL Pitcher's Triple Crown (1924)
- 3-time NL ERA Leader (1924, 1928 & 1930)
- 2-time NL Wins Leader (1924 & 1925)
- 7-time NL Strikeouts Leader (1922-1928)
- 2-time NL Complete Games Leader (1924 & 1927)
- 4-time NL Shutouts Leader (1922, 1925, 1928 & 1930)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 7 (1922-1925, 1927, 1928 & 1930)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 3 (1924, 1925 & 1928)
- 25 Wins Seasons: 1 (1924)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 9 (1922-1925 & 1927-1931)
- 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1924)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 3 (1924, 1925 & 1928)
- Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1934
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1955
| NL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 1924 | 1925 |
| No Award | Dazzy Vance | Rogers Hornsby |
[edit] Further Reading
- John C. Skipper: Dazzy Vance: A Biography of the Brooklyn Dodger Hall of Famer, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2007.
[edit] Related Sites
- [1] Article on Strike Zone Dominance in The Hardball Times.
Categories: Player | Hall of Fame | MVP
