Al Benton

Infobox MLB retired
name=Al Benton
position=Pitcher


bgcolor1=#bd5d29
bgcolor2=#003366
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=March 18, 1911
city-state|Noble|Oklahoma
deathdate=death date and age|1968|4|14|1911|3|18
city-state|Lynwood|California
debutdate= April 18
debutyear= 1934
debutteam= Philadelphia Athletics
finaldate=September 21
finalyear=1952
finalteam= Boston Red Sox
stat1label=Pitching record
stat1value=98-88
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.66
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=697
teams=
* Philadelphia Athletics (1934-1935)
* Detroit Tigers (1938-1942, 1945-1948)
* Cleveland Indians (1949-1950)
* Boston Red Sox (1952)
highlights=
*World Series champion: 1945
*2-time American League All-Star

John Alton Benton (March 18, 1911 - April 14, 1968) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played with the Philadelphia Athletics (1934-35), Detroit Tigers (1938-42, 1945-48), Cleveland Indians (1949-50) and Boston Red Sox (1952).

In 1940, Benton led the American League with 17 saves. In 1941 he went 15-6 with a 2.97 ERA (No. 2 in the AL) in 38 games. He completed seven of 14 starts and got seven saves. Despite his 7-13 mark a year later, his ERA was 2.90 with career-highs in starts (30) and innings pitched (226.2).

Benton was chosen for the American League All Star team in both 1941 and 1942 and then missed the 1943 and 1944 seasons while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Benton was discharged from the Navy in November 1944 and had his best year in 1945. He compiled a record of 13-8, a career-low 2.02 ERA, five shutouts, and 12 complete games in 191.2 innings. In a remarkable testament to the Tigers' pitching in 1945, Hal Newhouser and Benton were No. 1 and No. 2 in ERA among AL pitchers. Newhouser's Adjusted ERA+ in 1945 was 195 and Benton's was 175. The Adjusted ERA+ figures posted by Newhouser and Benton in 1945 rank as the 1st and 5th best seasons all time for a Detroit Tigers pitcher with at least 150 innings pitched. ("See Detroit Tigers team records")

Benton pitched in relief in three games in the 1945 World Series and gave up only one earned run for a 1.93 World Series ERA.

The rest of his career he worked basically as a setup man or as an emergency starter.

A two-time All-Star (1941-42), Benton compiled a career 98-88 record with 697 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA in 1688.1 innings. He died in a 1968 motel explosion in Lynwood, California, at the age of 57.

Facts

*Benton is the only pitcher to face both Babe Ruth (in 1934) and Mickey Mantle (in 1952) (Bobo Newsom active - but never actually faced Mantle)
*He is the only player ever to have two sacrifice bunts in the same inning (against the Indians, August 6, 1941)

ee also

* 1945 Detroit Tigers season
* List of Major League Baseball saves champions
* Boston Red Sox all-time roster

External links

*Al Benton at:
** [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/B/Benton_Al.stm Baseball Library]
** [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bentoal01.shtml Baseball Reference]