Mel Harder

Mel Harder
Pitcher / Manager
Born: (1909-10-15)October 15, 1909
Beemer, Nebraska, U.S.
Died: October 20, 2002(2002-10-20) (aged 93)
Chardon, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 24, 1928, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
September 7, 1947, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Win–loss record223–186
Earned run average3.80
Strikeouts1,160
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player
As manager
Career highlights and awards

Melvin Leroy Harder (October 15, 1909 – October 20, 2002), nicknamed "Chief", was an American right-handed starting pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball, who played his entire career with the Cleveland Indians. He spent 36 seasons overall with the Indians, as a player from 1928 to 1947 and as one of the game's most highly regarded pitching coaches from 1948 to 1963. He set franchise records for wins (223), games started (433) and innings pitched (342613) which were later broken by Bob Feller, and he still holds the club record of 582 career games pitched. He was among the American League's career leaders in wins (9th), games (8th) and starts (10th) when he retired. He was also an excellent fielder, leading AL pitchers in putouts four times, then a record.


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