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Frank Anthony Pytlak (July 30, 1908 – May 8, 1977) born in Buffalo, New York was an American professional baseball player.〔(Frankie Pytlak at Baseball Reference )〕 He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1932–40) and Boston Red Sox (1941 and 1945–46). He was known as a line drive hitter and an excellent defensive catcher.〔(''Where Are They Now?'', by William Hickey, Baseball Digest, May 1965, Vol. 24, No. 4, ISSN 0005-609X )〕 ==Playing career== Pytlak made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians on April 22, 1932, before being sent back down to the minor leagues with the Toledo Mud Hens.〔 In 1933 he was back with the Indians as a reserve catcher, playing behind Roy Spencer.〔 From 1934 to 1936, Pytlak played mostly as a reserve although, he did lead Indians catchers in games caught in the 1934 season.〔 He became the Indians starting catcher in 1937, posting a .315 batting average in 125 games.〔(1937 Cleveland Indians at Baseball Reference )〕 On August 20, , as part of a publicity stunt by the Come to Cleveland Committee, Pytlak, along with Indians' rookie catcher, Hank Helf, successfully caught baseballs dropped from Cleveland's Terminal Tower by Indians' third baseman Ken Keltner.〔(''When Baseballs Fell From On High, Henry Helf Rose To The Occasion'', by Bruce Anderson, Sports Illustrated, March 11, 1985 )〕 The drop broke the 555-foot, 30-year-old record set by Washington Senator catcher Gabby Street at the Washington Monument. The baseballs were estimated to have been traveling at 138 miles per hour when caught.〔 Pytlak was the Indians' catcher on October 2, 1938, when Bob Feller set a modern major league record of 18 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers.〔(October 2, 1938 Tigers Indians box score at Baseball Reference )〕 Between September 10, 1938 and September 18, 1940, Pytlak handled 571 consecutive chances for the Indians without an error, erasing the previous major league mark of 452 set by Gabby Hartnett of the Chicago Cubs.〔(Frankie Pytlak at Baseball in Wartime )〕 A rivalry between Pytlak and Rollie Hemsley for the Indians starting catcher's role erupted during spring training in 1939, with Pytlak threatening to quit the team if he wasn't named the team's number one catcher. Pytlak was also resentful of Hemsley when, the latter became known as Bob Feller's personal catcher during the 1938 season. When Pytlak suffered an injury in the 1939 season, Hemsley replaced him as the Indians' starting catcher, and played well enough to keep Pytlak from regaining the number one position. Even so, Indians' pitcher Johnny Allen refused to pitch unless Pytlak was the catcher.〔(''Rollie Hemsley Left His Imprint on Baseball'', by Hal Lebovitz, Baseball Digest, November 1972, Vol. 31, No. 11, ISSN 0005-609X )〕 Pytlak was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1941 where he became the starting catcher, replacing Gene Desautels. He was expecting to be drafted in 1942, so he contacted Mickey Cochrane at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center outside Chicago, where Cochrane ran a baseball team for the United States Navy. He joined the athletic division there on April 17, 1942 and spent the summer playing for the Great Lakes team and batted .319 in 40 games.〔 He also played for the Military All-Stars at Cleveland on July 7, 1942.〔 Early in 1943, Pytlak was transferred to the navy recruiting station in Buffalo, where he served for the remainder of the war.〔 By the time World War II had ended in 1945, Pytlak was 37 years old. He rejoined the Red Sox and played nine games before the season finished.〔(1945 Boston Red Sox season at Baseball Reference )〕 The following year he was used sparingly, appearing in only four games and was released in August 1946.〔(1946 Boston Red Sox season at Baseball Reference )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Frankie Pytlak」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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