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Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher during the 1910s and 1920s who primarily threw the spitball. In 14 seasons in the American League (AL), Coveleski pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators and New York Yankees. In 450 career games, Coveleski pitched 3,082 innings and posted a win–loss record of 215–142, with 224 complete games, 38 shutouts, and a 2.89 earned run average (ERA). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, Coveleski began playing professional baseball in 1908, following in the footsteps of his brother, Harry Coveleski. He played mostly for the Lancaster Red Roses until he made his major league debut with the Athletics in 1912. Following three more seasons in the minor leagues, he stayed in the major leagues after signing with the Indians in 1916. During his nine seasons with the Indians, his accomplishments included winning three games during the 1920 World Series. After his time with the Indians ended, Coveleski spent three seasons with the Senators and one with the Yankees before retiring after the 1928 season. He retired to South Bend, Indiana, where he died in 1984. A starting pitcher, Coveleski specialized in throwing the spitball, a pitch where the ball is altered with a foreign substance such as chewing tobacco. It was legal when his career began and outlawed in 1920, but he was one of 17 pitchers permitted to continue throwing the pitch. ==Early years== Stanislaus Anthony Kowalewski was the youngest of five baseball-playing brothers in the coal-mining community of Shamokin, Pennsylvania.〔Kashatus, pp. 9–10.〕 His oldest brother Jacob died serving in the Spanish–American War; his other brothers Frank and John also played baseball, but never reached the major leagues. His older brother, Harry Coveleski, later won 20 games in a season on three occasions during his major league career. Like many his age in the Shamokin area, Coveleski began work as a "breaker boy" at a local colliery at the age of 12.〔 In return for 72 hours of labor per week, Coveleski received $3.75, or about five cents an hour.〔Kashatus, p. 9.〕 "There was nothing strange in those days about a twelve-year-old Polish kid working in the mines for 72 hours a week at a nickel an hour", he later recalled. "What was strange is that I ever got out of there".〔 Coveleski was rarely able to play baseball as a child due to his work schedule.〔 Nevertheless, he worked on his pitching skills during the evenings, when he threw stones at a tin can placed 50 feet away.〔Kashatus, p. 10.〕 When he was 18 years old, Coveleski's abilities caught the attention of the local semi-professional ball club, which invited him to pitch for them. "When it came to throwing a baseball, why it was easy to pitch", Coveleski recalled. "After all, the plate's a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at".〔 His baseball career in Shamokin was short-lived; after five games, Coveleski relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.〔 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「Stan Coveleski」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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