Gene Cocreham, the son of a small-town Texas doctor, pursued a professional baseball career in his early 20s and eventually spent part of three seasons pitching in the big leagues. He took to baseball and was known as a standout outfielder for the local team in his teens and began playing semipro baseball in 1909, at the age of 24.

Gene played as a shortstop in nearby Flatonia, Texas, but being tall, he was encouraged to begin pitching and in 1910 he pitched for a semipro team in Brownsville, a bigger town on the northern bank of the Rio Grande.

He started his career in organized baseball in 1911 and in 1912 posted a record of 7-13 in 29 games for the Topeka Jayhawks of the Class A Western League.

The Texan was sold to the Braves by Topeka in July, but it was agreed that he would remain with Topeka until October. However, dealing with a potential shortage of pitchers, the Braves were insistent that Gene join the team before the end of the year.

Gene made his major-league debut when he started the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies in September. He gave up seven runs but had reached the major leagues in less than three years after beginning his professional career. It was his only game with the Braves in 1913.

In 1914, he worked primarily out of the bullpen for the Braves while serving as a spot starter in three games. Gene pitched the Braves to a 7-1 victory and a tie for first place with John McGraw’s New York Giants. He was handed a start four days later but was defeated by the Phillies, 10-3.

In his only year as a major-league regular, he posted a 3-4 record with a 4.84 ERA but did not pitch in the World Series.

http://www.fenwayparkdiaries.com

Gene Cocreham (pic)

After reading this story, you can support Fenway Park Diaries by clicking "Follow", which helps earn money from Facebook.