october july american professional baseball player coach scout executive played seasons major_league_baseball mlb catcher boston_red_sox brother major league pitcher seasons teammates following seasons minor league baseball appealed commissioner baseball free agent claiming held minors deserved promotion commissioner agreed granted free agency signed regarded best baseball 1930s early 1940s playing brother selected play american_league team inaugural held july games played catcher set longevity record stood years seven time star elected playing career coach senators later scout general manager detroit_tigers died july early life born october durham north_carolina alice grew acre dairy farm near north_carolina seven boys brothers enjoyed long careers baseball reached major leagues pitcher brother played outfielder minor league baseball attended played baseball basketball signed detroit_tigers american_league assigned play shortly afterward promoted posted batting average performance season earned american association star position season personally asked detroit owner organization plan place bring tigers told patient return columbus season concluded columbus catcher called major leagues cincinnati_reds instead tigers confused actually owned contract reds status organization told return columbus reading contract believed held minor leagues petitioned commissioner baseball grant hearing discovered columbus owner shopping contract receiving offers high equivalent formally presented paper protested claiming unaware commissioner completed investigation determined tigers reds minor leagues directed shop buyers teams effectively hid major league teams draft rights increase sale price common illegal practice era declared free agent allowing sign contract team chose tigers receiving offers major league clubs signed contract equivalent major leagues major league debut april spent season reserve catcher backing veteran batting average games manager catcher starting catcher seasons catch games batting average rose best american_league led league errors passed balls led league assists hit best american_league doubles runs batted ended season ranked thirteenth voting american_league valuable player award financially strained traded boston_red_sox exchange cash months later selected brother play american_league team inaugural held july american_league manager catch entire game american_league victory future team played cleveland indians weeks later july hit home run brother later hit home run boston pitcher marking time major league history brothers opposing teams hit home runs game ended year batting average career high runs batted led american_league errors led assists caught stealing despite seventh place finish ranked twelfth voting american_league valuable player award signed brother forming formidable battery half seasons ended year batting average led league fielding percentage finished second assists calling pitches brother pitched won loss record runner voting posted batting average year led league caught stealing good year leading league batting average beginning earn starting catcher berth american_league team star game ended season batting average career highs home runs base percentage led league finished second fielding percentage june hitting batting average traded washington senators brother pitcher outfielder broke records batting average doubles home runs runs batted batting average boston currently 15th club time list playing broken right hand ended year senators batted course season rebounded batting average led league caught stealing senators released brother august traded exchange went catch games sixth place year old shared catching duties improved won loss record finish year place traded time returned senators march earned reputation best baseball task catching senators starting pitching staff entirely pitchers threw difficult catch making catcher major league history accomplish feat led league passed balls named seventh star game senators ended season place team won american_league pennant shared catching duties senators started win regularly july broke american_league record games caught star game supposed played july cancelled april wartime travel restrictions stars officially named season place seven scheduled games played july raised funds final week season senators came half games winning american_league pennant ultimately clinched detroit_tigers retired player senators coach season returned play catcher games hitting batting average played final major league game september age post playing career legacy year career played games accumulating hits bats career batting average home runs runs batted impressive base percentage hit times career base percentage eighth time bats patient hitter logged strikeouts career bases balls ended career fielding percentage time star strong throwing arm led american_league times caught stealing twice assists retired having caught games american_league record stood surpassed currently ranks 12th time games played catcher continued coach senators joined detroit_tigers coach retiring field altogether served scout scouting director tigers general manager vice president tenure tigers executive team won world series championships won titles book bill james historical baseball abstract baseball historian ranked best catcher american_league career elected retired age years tigers organization married death children sons daughters family lived later michigan lived michigan remaining years life admitted nursing home michigan died july interred new garden cemetery north_carolina
Rick Ferrell