Former Dodger Great Preacher Roe Passes Away
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Colorful former Brooklyn Dodgers lefthanded pitching great from the late 1940’s to mid-1950’s, Elwin Charles “Preacher” Roe passed away on Sunday in West Plains, Mo. in his 90’s after a long illness.
Nicknamed “Preacher” because, as AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker puts it;
According to one family story, he dubbed himself “Preacher” at a young age because he admired a local preacher
but as fellow hurler Ralph Branca related to AP’s Walker;
“We all called him ‘Preacher’ because he could talk your ear off,” he said. “If there was no one around, he would talk to the wall,”
how he got his nickname and how many pitches he utilized and whether or not he actually threw a spitter were as big a mystery as was his true age. His website gives his birthdate as February 26, 1916 whereas Baseball Library, Baseball Almanac and Wikipedia all list the same date of birth, but a year earlier.
Branca also told Walker;
“He threw two pitches, a slider and his ‘Beech-Nut slider.’ Beech-Nut was a gum we all chewed back then. He knew how to use that juice to get that ball all wet.”
After retiring, Roe admitted in a Sports Illustrated story that he had benefited for years by throwing a spitball.
Walker notes Roe’s role in the famous Boys of Summer Dodgers era;
Roe went 127-84 in a 12-year career with the Dodgers, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. But it was in Brooklyn, where he played alongside the likes of Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Ralph Branca and others at Ebbets Field, where he enjoyed his greatest success and acclaim.
Though those Dodgers teams of the 1940s and 1950s won only one World Series — Roe was part of three teams that lost to the New York Yankees—they became a beloved part of the borough. And Roe, a skinny left-hander and mathematics teacher from a small town in Arkansas, was among the fan favorites in the big city.
Roe led the NL in strikeouts in 1945 with Pittsburgh. He posted his best season in 1951, going 22-3 for the Dodgers—he did not, however, start in the three-game pennant playoff with the New York Giants, capped by Bobby Thomson’s famous home run.
Roe helped put the Dodgers into the World Series in 1949, 1952 and 1953. He started a game in each of those matchups with the Yankees, going 2-1 and completing all three outings.
Known for his sharp control, Roe finished with a career 3.43 ERA and pitched 101 complete games.
Roe made his big league debut with St. Louis in 1938 and pitched only once for the Cardinals. He spent the next several years in the minors and returned to the majors with Pittsburgh in 1944.
Roe’s path stalled for a few years following a brawl back home in Arkansas. He was coaching a girls’ high school basketball team, got into a dispute with a referee and, according to local stories, wound up with a fractured skull.
“He wouldn’t fly with us,” Branca said. “It made his head hurt. He always took the train.”
The Pirates traded Roe, infielder Billy Cox and reserve Gene Mauch to Brooklyn for former star outfielder Dixie Walker and two other players after the 1947 season.
Roe retired after going 3-4 in 1954 and later owned a grocery store in West Plains. He often attended the Dodgers’ adult baseball camps at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla.
A piece in communities.canada.com cited a quote from Author Roger Kahn’s ‘The Boys of Summer” gaving details of how Roe allegedly loaded up;
To ‘load one,’ Roe wiped his large left hand across his brow and surreptiously spat on the meaty part of the thumb. The broad base of the hand was his shield. Then, pretending to hitch his belt, he transferred moisture to his index and middle fingers. Finally, he gripped the ball on a smooth spot — away from the seams — and threw. The pitch consistently broke down.
Occasionally a suspicious home plate umpire would demand to inspect the ball. The michevious Roe would then roll the ball along the grass to home plate. He was never caught.
In later years, Roe claimed he threw far fewer of the pitches than opponents suspected. But his reputation was enough to make hitters uncomfortable.
Preacher Roe will be missed by former Brooklyn Dodger fans.
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