All-Time Indians: Al Milnar

It’s always a fun story when a local boy makes it big and Cleveland’s own Al Milnar had a short, but exceptional turn among the best at the highest level. Initially signed as an amateur free agent in 1933, the Indians sent Milnar to Zanesville at the age of 19. From there, with the exception of four appearances in 1936, he would toil in the minors for five seasons, going from his home state to New Orleans, Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

It was in 1938 that Milnar would finally get the call for good, joining a lackluster staff that saw arguably the worst season of Bob Feller‘s career and poor performances from the normally reliable Willis Hudlin and Mel Harder. This gave the rookie an opening in the bullpen and he earned a save in his first appearance of the season, eventually moving into the rotation in late August. While his overall numbers from the season don’t look great, he proved himself in his final three starts of the year, pitching 26 innings with a 3.81 ERA. While he would end the season back in the bullpen, this successful showcase would help him become a permanent member of the rotation in May of 1939.

After a few relief outings early that season, he would make his presence felt in the rotation immediately, throwing 20 innings in his first two starts and allowing just a single run. Feller was on his way to the best season of his young career while Harder was back to normal, but Hudlin continued on his way out and Johnny Allen hadn’t reached his full potential yet, allowing Milnar regular starts throughout the year. After a great start in May, he would have an extremely rough June, however, before holding a 2.32 ERA in 42.2 innings in August and completing five of six starts in September.

After pitching just 68.1 innings the year before, Milnar took on a full starter’s load with over 200 in 1939, something he would do for better or worse over the next two seasons as well. If it weren’t for Feller’s 24 wins, 246 strike outs and 2.86 ERA Milnar would likely have garnered more attention, but that would be the case for his entire Indians career. Even so, being the fourth man to go with Feller, Harder and Allen for as long as he was is an honor in itself.

As was the case in 1939, 1940 would again be the best season of Feller’s career, but it would also be the best ever for Milnar. He won his first game by allowing just two earned runs in eight innings, then went on to win ten of his next 12 with two saves thrown in between for good measure. In fact, he recorded a decision in 24 of his first 26 appearances that season, a testament to pitching deep into games and generally keeping his team in the action. Incredible, he pitched 9.2 innings in one of those no decisions, allowing just one run in a game the Indians eventually won 2-1.

While Feller was setting a new Indians record with 261 strike outs, Milnar did things with more finesse. The lefty was never a big K man, but he walked just 99 in 242.1 innings in 1940, the same he had walked in 33 less innings the season prior. Since he wasn’t incredibly proficient at keeping men off the bases otherwise or at striking them out, he had to take every advantage possible and it lead to an AL high four complete game shut outs in 1940 and his only All-Star selection.

Unfortunately, that control was not around forever. Milnar’s walk and hit rates would increase in 1941 as his strike out rate dropped. This worst possible of combinations helped raise his ERA by a full run although he still pitched well over 200 innings. His specialty in 1940, he would shut out the White Sox in his first start of the season, but wouldn’t pitch another one that season. While he would still pitch deep into many games, he would also have many more starts of less than five innings (7 total). This would push him from being the number 2 starter behind Feller to the bullpen by late July. He would rejoin the rotation in August, pitching three complete game wins in his final nine starts and throwing into extra innings in two more including 11.1 in one 12 inning loss.

This late season surge was enough to win Milnar a starting job to begin the 1942 season, although he wouldn’t keep it long. An ERA above 7.00 on May 4th would see his innings limited for the rest of the season, splitting time between spot starts and appearances out of the bullpen. Again his strike out rate would drop and walk rate increase as he threw just 157 innings. He did manage, however, to throw two more shut outs including a 14 inning affair against the Tigers that ended in a tie.

While he was only 28, this would mark the end of Milnar’s effective career. After an even worse start to 1943, he was sold to St. Louis, then again following Feller’s footsteps, he would join the Army for World War II. Milnar missed all of 1944 and 1945 in the armed forces, but unlike Feller, he was not missing out of prime seasons. It did, possibly, cost him a chance to right the ship, however, as when he did come back he had to not only deal with the rust of not pitching professionally in years, but his own inadequacies from his last seasons in the Majors.

All this would be too much to overcome and 1946 would be his final Major League season and he would throw just 14.2 innings at that. He would continue through 1947 in the minors, but eventually would leave baseball altogether and would move back to his home town of Cleveland where he remained until he died in 2005. In the end, he would play nearly all his games for the Indians and finish with a 55-55 record, indicative of his equal times of success and failure as one of the Indians top starters as they navigated from the 1930’s into the 1940’s.