Gilbert Henry Blanco (born December 15, 1945) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Blanco was signed by the New York Yankees in 1964. He pitched for the Yankees in 1965 and the Kansas City Athletics in 1966. In 28 Major League games, nine as a starting pitcher, had a career record of 3–5, an ERA of 4.45, with 35 strikeouts and 48 bases on balls in 58⅔ innings pitched.
Leonard Joseph Whitehouse (born September 10, 1957) is a retired Major League Baseball player who pitched in relief for the Texas Rangers in 1981 and for the Minnesota Twins from 1983 to 1985.
Whitehouse played two seasons of high school baseball at Burlington High School in his native Burlington, Vermont. After attending a tryout for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Maine, he was invited to participate in the Florida Instructional League in 1976. He signed a contract with the Texas Rangers on Christmas afternoon 1976 at Burlington International Airport.He finished his career with a 9-4 record with four saves and a 4.24 ERA in 97 appearances. Since 1967, Whitehouse is one of only two Vermont high school baseball players to make it into the Major Leagues. He was the pitcher when Reggie Jackson struck out for the 2,000th time in his career.After his playing career, Whitehouse's endeavors included serving as baseball coach for several Vermont high schools and assistant baseball coach at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont.
Walker James Cress (March 6, 1917 – April 21, 1996) was an American professional baseball player and scout. The right-handed pitcher appeared in 33 Major League Baseball games, 31 in relief, in 1948 and part of 1949 for the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Ben Hur, Virginia, and nicknamed "Foots", he was listed as 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and 205 pounds (93 kg).
Cress played baseball for Louisiana State University from 1938 to 1939. His professional playing career began in 1939 in the Boston Red Sox' farm system. He missed the 1943–1945 seasons in World War II military service, but the website Baseball in Wartime lists no service branch under his name. In 1946, Cress returned to baseball and won 19 of 22 decisions for the Lynn Red Sox of the Class B New England League. The next year, 1947, he won 15 of 20 decisions for the New Orleans Pelicans of the Double-A Southern Association.
Cress then was acquired by Cincinnati, setting the stage for his major-league career. He worked in 30 games for the 1948 Reds, with two assignments as a starting pitcher. He posted his only MLB complete game on October 1, 1948, during the season's final weekend. Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates at Crosley Field, he had held the Bucs to two hits and no runs over eight innings, and was nursing a 1–0 lead going into the ninth. But in the final frame, he surrendered four hits and two runs, and when the Reds could not respond in their half of the ninth, Cress was tagged with the loss, his only MLB decision.Cress then worked in three early-season games in 1949 and pitched two scoreless innings coming of the Reds' bullpen before returning to the minors for the rest of his career. As a big leaguer, he allowed 62 hits and 45 bases on balls in 62 total innings pitched, with 33 strikeouts and no saves. He won a combined 33 games for the Tulsa Oilers of the Double-A Texas League in 1949–50, and ended his minor-league career with 99 victories.
After his pitching career, Cress resided in Baton Rouge, LA, working as an electrician, and became a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, and San Francisco Giants. He later became the Director of Recreation for BREC, a recreational organization in East Baton Rouge Parish. Cress died at the age of 79 on April 21, 1996, in Baton Rouge.
Wilburn Rue Butland (March 22, 1918 – September 19, 1997) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 32 games in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox over four seasons between 1940 and 1947. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Butland batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He was listed as 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg).
In his four-season MLB career, Butland posted a 9–3 record with 62 strikeouts and a 3.88 earned run average in 1502⁄3 innings pitched. His lone full season in the majors was 1942, in which he appeared in 23 games, won seven, lost one, threw two shutouts and six complete games, and posted a sparkling 2.51 ERA. He handled 46 total chances (15 putouts, 31 assists) in his major league career without an error for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Butland's pro career lasted from 1936 through 1950, although he missed three seasons due to service in the United States Army during World War II. He died in Terre Haute at age 79 on September 19, 1997.
Richard Michael Hinton (born May 22, 1947) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of six seasons between 1971 and 1979, including three separate stints with the Chicago White Sox.
David William Palmer, Jr. (born October 19, 1957) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played in the Major Leagues in parts of ten seasons spanning 1978–1989, with the Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Detroit Tigers.
Stephen Richard Sundra (March 27, 1910 – March 23, 1952) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played during eight seasons for the New York Yankees (1936; 1938–1940), Washington Senators (1941–1942) and St. Louis Browns (1942–1944; 1946). He batted and threw right-handed.
James Harry Taylor (May 20, 1919 – November 5, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 90 games, 44 as a starter, in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946–48) and Boston Red Sox (1950–52). The native of East Glenn, Indiana, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).
Taylor's professional career lasted from 1938 through 1955, with five seasons (1941–45) missed due to United States Army service in World War II and another two (1953–54) out of organized baseball in the semipro ranks. He spent the entire 1947 campaign on the Dodgers' big-league roster, winning ten of 15 decisions with 20 starting assignments and two shutouts. It was an eventful season for Brooklyn that saw Jackie Robinson break the baseball color line in the Major Leagues, manager Leo Durocher's season-long suspension for "conduct detrimental to baseball", and the Dodgers win their seventh overall National League pennant.
Taylor was the Dodgers' starting pitcher in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series on October 3 at Ebbets Field. Matched against the New York Yankees' Bill Bevens, Taylor failed to record an out, facing four batters in the first inning and allowing two singles, a base on balls, a fielder's choice (the batter reaching on an error) and an unearned run before being relieved by Hal Gregg, who got out of the inning without further scoring. Bevens, meanwhile, threw 82⁄3 innings of no-hit baseball. But the Yankee hurler allowed ten bases on balls, and his no-hitter and game were ruined by pinch hitter Cookie Lavagetto's ninth-inning double, scoring the decisive two runs and enabling the Dodgers to win, 3–2.
Taylor returned to the minor leagues during the 1948 season, and spent almost all of the following two years at Triple-A. But in September 1950, his contract was purchased by the Red Sox, who were chasing the Yankees and Detroit Tigers in the American League pennant race. After one game in relief, he threw two complete game victories, September 25 against the Philadelphia Athletics (a two-hit shutout) and October 1 against the Yankees. But Boston fell short in the standings, finishing in third place, four games behind the Yankees.
In his 90 MLB games, Taylor worked 3572⁄3 innings pitched, and allowed 344 hits and 201 bases on balls. He recorded 127 strikeouts, 16 complete games and four saves.
He posted a .161 batting average (20-for-124) in his career. He fielded his position well, recording a .990 fielding percentage with only one error in 105 total chances.
John William Humphries (June 23, 1915 – June 24, 1965) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946. Born in Clifton Forge, Virginia, he played for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. Humphries played college baseball at North Carolina. When Humphries made his Major League debut with the Indians in 1938, he was thought to have the best fastball in the American League. He made 45 pitching appearances as a rookie in 1938 to lead the American League, beating out Bobo Newsom of the St. Louis Browns by one. Between July 13 and July 26, 1942, Humphries pitched ten or more innings in four consecutive starts. As of 2020, no other pitcher had ever pitched more than nine innings in more than three consecutive appearances.He died in 1965 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Newton Smith "Bucky" Jacobs (March 21, 1913 – June 15, 1990) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for three seasons. He played for the Washington Senators for 11 games during the 1937 Washington Senators season, then for 11 combined games in 1939 and 1940. He played college baseball at the University of Richmond.