anniversary time
Several of the Magnolia State’s brightest big league stars have debut anniversaries to celebrate this year. Claude Passeau, one of the state’s great pitchers, debuted in 1935. Boo Ferriss broke in with the Boston Red Sox 80 years ago, throwing a shutout in his first game on April 29, 1945. Don Blasingame, the Corinth Comet, debuted 70 years ago. Chet Lemon, one of the best defensive center fielders of all-time, played his first MLB game in 1975. Paul Maholm, a recent Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee, broke in 20 years back and Jacob Lindgren — whose promising career was marred by injury — 10 years ago. But the spotlight here is on Buddy Myer, the Ellisville native and Mississippi state alum, who launched his 17-year career 100 years ago. A middle infielder, he played in just four games for the old Washington Senators in 1925 but got the first two of his 2,131 career hits, the record for Mississippi natives in the majors. He made the team’s roster for the ’25 World Series and got two more hits in the loss to Pittsburgh. He went 6-for-20 in the ’33 World Series, also with the Senators. Myer won a batting title in 1935 and hit .303 for his career; only Negro Leagues star Cool Papa Bell (.325) holds a better average among Mississippians. Myer scored 1,174 runs, hit 130 triples, stole 157 bases and posted a 48.4 WAR (fourth-best among Mississippi-born players) in 1,923 games. Remarkably, he walked (965 times) more than twice as many times as he struck out (428). Indeed, it was a very different game a hundred years ago. Myer — a two-time All-Star who got MVP votes in four seasons — played it very well.