Philadelphia Baseball History and Events on January 23
January 23, 2024: The Phillies agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard on a one-year contract to add pitching depth for the upcoming season; Allard had both major- and minor-league experience and was expected to compete for a rotation or bullpen spot.
Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays on January 23
Red Donahue (born 1873): A right-handed pitcher who played with the Phillies from 1898-1901. Donahue won 72 games with the Phillies and 165 overall in a 13-year career. Donahue became a hotel owner in Philadelphia Afterrr his playing days but passed away at the age of 40 due to effects of paralysis.
Bobby Burke (born 1907): A left-handed pitcher who spent nine seasons in the majors with the Washington Senators. After a year out of baseball, he attempted to return in 1937 with the Phillies, faced four batters and allowed an earned run without getting a batter out, thus ending his career.
Randy Gumpert (born 1918): A pitcher whose career spanned multiple teams and years. He began his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936 and pitched for them through 1938. He then spent a few years in the Yankees minor league organization and returned to the majors in 1946 after serving three years in the military.
Brandon Duckworth (born 1976): Famous for his fan group “The Duck Pond” at Veterans Stadium, Duckworth pitched for the Phillies from 2001-2003. After being drafted by the Blue Jays in the 30th round of the 1995 Draft, he did not sign and was drafted by Arizona in the 65th round of the ’96 Draft. Duckworth later transitioned into coaching and scouting roles after his playing days.
A DEEPER DIVE… Randy Gumpert: A Baseball Lifer
Randy Gumpert was born January 23, 1918 in Monocacy Station (Berks County), Pennsylvania, a rural area about fifty miles northwest of Philadelphia. He grew up on his family’s seven-acre farm and attended Birdsboro High School, where his pitching talent first drew attention. When he was sixteen, his father wrote a letter to legendary Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack, encouraging him to give his son a tryout. Mack was intrigued and invited Gumpert to throw batting practice at Shibe Park during the summers of 1934 and 1935, giving the young right-hander an early taste of big-league culture well before he graduated. In 1936, just two weeks after finishing high school, Gumpert signed a contract with the Athletics and made his major league debut at age 18. His first game was against the Chicago White Sox on June 13, in which he delivered a complete-game two-hit victory, an impressive start for such a young pitcher.
Early Career and Wartime
Though he debuted in 1936 and showed promise, Gumpert did not immediately become a fixture in the Athletics’ rotation. He spent much of 1937 and 1938 in the minor leagues while the Athletics worked on his pitching mechanics, even experimenting with changes to his delivery that contributed to arm trouble. In July 1939 he was released by the A’s and picked up by the New York Yankees’ organization. Gumpert worked his way through the Yankees’ farm system until 1942, compiling experience with teams like the Newark Bears, Little Rock Travelers, and Kansas City Blues. His career, like those of many ballplayers of his generation, was interrupted by World War II. From 1943 to 1945 he served in the United States Coast Guard, where he also played baseball to entertain his fellow servicemen.
Post-War Success and Yankees Tenure
When the war ended, Gumpert wrote to Yankees director of minor league operations George Weiss, letting him know he had kept his arm in shape. Weiss responded with an invitation to spring training, and Gumpert impressed enough to make the major league club in 1946. That season proved to be the best of his big-league career. He posted an 11-3 record with a sparkling 2.31 earned run average over 132 innings, splitting time between starting and relief work. Gumpert’s efforts helped the Yankees secure the American League pennant. Injuries limited his effectiveness in 1947, but the Yankees went on to win the World Series over the Brooklyn Dodgers, and though Gumpert did not pitch in the Fall Classic, he earned a ring and a winner’s share of the purse.
Middle Career and White Sox
By mid-1948 Gumpert’s role with the Yankees had diminished and he was sold to the Chicago White Sox on July 25. With the White Sox he became a regular in the starting rotation. The 1949 season stood out as a personal milestone, with career highs in wins (13), innings pitched (234), complete games (18), and shutouts (3). He also led the American League in home runs allowed (22) that year. Though he split time between starting and relieving in 1950, his performance dipped before rebounding in 1951. That year he earned his only All-Star selection, although he did not pitch in the game itself. On May 1, 1951, Gumpert became part of baseball lore when he surrendered Mickey Mantle’s first major-league home run at Comiskey Park, a moment he would later happily commemorate for fans signing autographs.
Final Playing Years
After the 1951 season the White Sox traded Gumpert, along with outfielder Don Lenhardt, to the Boston Red Sox. He appeared in ten games for Boston before being dealt to the Washington Senators on June 10, 1952. With Washington he split time between starting and relieving, and his final major league appearance came on September 23, 1952 ironically in a game against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park. Over his big-league career, spanning ten seasons and 261 games, he compiled a 51-59 record with a 4.17 ERA, and amassed 352 strikeouts in 1,052 innings pitched.
Minor League and Transition to Leadership
Gumpert wasn’t ready to hang up his glove after 1952. He continued pitching in the minor leagues through 1955, including stints with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League and the Charleston Senators of the American Association. After his playing career ended, he transitioned into managing and coaching. He led teams like the Bradford Yankees, the Kearney Yankees, and the St. Petersburg Saints in the minors, and even served briefly on the New York Yankees’ major league coaching staff in 1957.
Scouting and Later Life
Gumpert found a long-term home in scouting. Beginning in 1961 he worked as a Yankees scout, signing players such as pitcher Doc Medich. In the mid-1970s he joined the newly formed Major League Scouting Bureau, where he remained a key figure until his retirement in 1993. His contributions to the game earned him induction into several halls of fame, including the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Berks County Sports Hall of Fame, the Reading Phillies Hall of Fame, and the Major League Scouting Hall of Fame. He lived most of his life in the farmhouse where he grew up, tending to his garden and participating in community events well into his eighties. Gumpert passed away on November 25, 2008 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania at the age of 90.
AN EVEN DEEPER DIVE: An account of Mantle’s first Home Run
On May 1, 1951 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox met on Mother’s Day in a game that would become a memorable milestone in baseball history. Rookie outfielder Mickey Mantle, batting leadoff for the Yankees, had struggled early in the season but was beginning to show the power the game would come to know so well. In the sixth inning, veteran right-hander Randy Gumpert came on in relief for the White Sox. Mantle, just 19 years old, took Gumpert’s changeup and drove it deep into the centerfield bullpen, a towering drive that cleared the fence and registered as the first home run of what would become a Hall of Fame career. The blast, measured well over 400 feet, turned an 8-3 game in the Yankees’ favor and marked the very first of Mantle’s 536 Major League home runs. According to later accounts, the ball was retrieved by Yankees catcher Charley Silvera in the bullpen, and Mantle would inscribe it with the details: “My first H.R. in the Majors, May 1, 1951, 4:50 p.m. Chicago, 6th inning off Randy Gumpert.” In the decades that followed, Gumpert — who had faced some of baseball’s all-time greats — would often add the notation “Surrendered Mantle’s 1st HR” to autograph inscriptions when asked by collectors. The moment remains a snapshot of baseball lore, linking a future legend’s first big swing with one of the game’s enduring journeyman pitchers.
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