MLB: the legacy of losing caught up with George Turbeville

George Turbeville couldn’t catch a break once he began pitching in baseball unless you count the time he gave up Joe DiMaggio’s first MLB home run.

Fame or infamy. Does it matter which one gets you in the record books or gives people reason to remember you? George Turbeville is known in baseball circles as being the pitcher who surrendered Joe Dimaggio‘s first MLB home run. Upon digging deeper he may also be known for his losing ways.

Turbeville was quite the pitcher in high school and played a little American Legion ball after, good enough to catch the eye of legendary Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack. Turbeville was signed and sent directly to the major leagues, without having the benefit of minor league seasoning.

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His first year in the majors was brutal. Bouncing back and forth between starting games and coming in as a relief pitcher, Turbeville struggled to find the strike zone his first year. His performance was highlighted by the time he pitched 14 2/3 innings of a 0-0 game before surrendering a walk-off home run. He walked 13 that game and finished the year with a 68/20 BB/K ratio.

Turbeville finished with an 0-3 record and 7.63 ERA. The club was 2-17 in games he pitched. It didn’t matter, he was right back in there the following year. Again his lack of control and lack of a strikeout pitch hampered him.

He struck out just ten batters in 43 innings en route to a 2-5 record and 6.39 ERA, having walked a total of 32 his second year. Finally, he spent some time in the minor leagues trying to find a pitch to compliment the only one he had, his fastball.

The erratic pitching continued in his third year, walking 56 against 16 strikeouts. The remarkable number is the team’s win/loss record in Turbeville’s appearances. The Athletics were 1-30 in games he pitched.

Connie Mack had seen enough and Turbeville’s days of pitching in the big leagues were over. His three-year run saw his team go a combined 5-57 in games he appeared in a game. The Turbs’ overall BB/K ratio was 3/1 for his career.

Was his lack of pitching repertoire the reason Turbeville was unsuccessful or was he set up to fail by not having the proper coaching? Surely he could have benefited from pitching in the minors before being thrown in the gauntlet. One wonders if Turbeville was set up to fail with how he was used.

For what it’s worth George Turbeville was able to hang around for three years in MLB, something not a lot of people can say. He has DiMaggio to thank for one of the reasons he’s still talked about, unfortunately, the other is his association with losing.