Chuck Wolfe pitched in three games for the 1923 Philadelphia Athletics.
Charles Hunt Wolfe was born February 15, 1897, in Wolfsburg,
in south-central Pennsylvania, the youngest of six children of blacksmith
Albert Wolfe and Sarah Whetstone Wolfe. Albert and Sarah were both from
Pennsylvania and they started their family there, but their second and third
children were born in North Dakota before the Wolfes returned to Pennsylvania.
The 1900 census finds the Wolfes living in Mann’s Choice
Borough in Bedford County. Oldest child George is already a schoolteacher at
age 18; Glenn is 15, Annie 11, Grace 9, and Charley 3. 13-year-old Pearl has
been shipped off to be a servant for Sarah’s brother George Whetstone and his
family.
In the 1910 census the family lives on Market Street in
Napier Township, still in Bedford County. Albert is still a blacksmith at 57,
Sarah is 56, George is 27, still teaching and still living at home. Annie, now
shown as Anna, is 21, Grace is 19, and Charley is 13; Glenn and Pearl are both
married and living elsewhere.
Albert passed away in 1913. I didn’t find anything about Chuck
between the 1910 census and June 5, 1918, when he filled out his draft
registration card. He gives his name as Charley Hunt Wolfe, his address as
Schellsburg (in Bedford County), his employer as the State Highway Department,
near Schellsburg, his nearest relative as his mother, also of Schellsburg, and
his appearance as light brown eyes, light brown hair, medium height and medium
build.
In 1922, at age 25, Chuck was mentioned in the March 9 Sporting
News as being one of the pitchers at the Philadelphia Athletics’ training
camp. But the March 16 issue reported:
At this writing everybody on the roster had reported excepting Pitcher Ed Rommel, First Baseman Joe Hauser and Pitcher Wolfe. The last named has permission to finish his studies at college and will not report until June.
However, by late April Chuck was pitching for the House of
David barnstorming baseball team. The House of David was a religious sect from
Michigan, and it had a baseball team that traveled the country playing against
local teams. They were known for their long hair and beards; when they hired
ringers, such as Chuck Wolfe or an aging Grover Cleveland Alexander, sometimes
the players grew out their hair and sometimes they wore wigs.
The first mention of Chuck with the House of David that I
found was in the April 30, 1922, Evansville Courier:
The Evas defeated the House of David team yesterday in the first of two exhibition games, 4 to 2…
Wolfe, the House of David twirler, was in rare form and served up some mighty sweet curves for the local boys to glance over. This was the first real chance the Evas have had to hit curve pitching and they did well…
Chuck spent the year with the House of David. In the games
that I found where he was mentioned as pitching the team was 1-5 with two ties;
a 1924 article says that he won 42 and lost 9 for them, which seems unlikely.
On August 2, 1923, Chuck made his major league debut with
the Athletics. I found no mentions of his pitching for anyone earlier in the
season than that; it’s possible that he was being carried on the Philadelphia
roster but not being allowed to pitch in any league games. On this day, at home
against the Tigers, he relieved Rollie Naylor to begin the sixth, down 3-1. In
his first inning he retired Bob Jones, Ty Cobb, and Harry Heilmann around a
walk to Heinie Manush, but in the seventh he allowed three runs; the Athletics
scored four in the eighth and ninth and lost 6-5. Chuck singled in his only
plate appearance.
Chuck next pitched on the 13th, at home against
Cleveland in the second game of a doubleheader. He relieved starter Slim
Harriss with two out in the fourth, following a three-run homer by Tris Speaker
that put the Indians up 7-2. The first batter he faced, Joe Sewell, hit his
third and final home run of the season, but Chuck finished the game without
giving up another run and the Athletics made it close, losing 8-6. The next
day’s Cleveland Plain Dealer, in their story on the game, called Chuck
“an ambitious youngster who has been with the Quakers only a short time.”
On the 18th in Cleveland, Chuck pitched to one
batter, replacing Curly Ogden with two out in the bottom of the eighth and the
bases loaded and retiring Rube Lutzke for the final Indian out in a 16-3
Athletic loss. This was his final major league appearance, though he remained
on the Philadelphia roster and pitched for them in some exhibition games,
including August 21 vs. Milwaukee of the American Association and August 29 vs.
Worcester of the Eastern League. In his three official games he had a 3.72 ERA
in 9 2/3 innings, allowing six hits while walking eight and striking out one.
On October 8 Chuck was sold to the Portland Beavers of the
Pacific Coast League. The next day’s Oregon Journal described him as “a
six-footer,” and the January 15, 1924, Oregonian called him a “strapping
young fellow,” but the same paper on March 4 got it right, once they actually
saw him:
Wolfe is short and almost squat in appearance, due to the tremendous breadth of his shoulders and depth of chest.
He weighs 175 pounds normally and is five feet 7 inches tall, but few would guess him to be more than five feet five, so close to the ground is he built. He comes with a reputation for great speed, and he looks the part.
Chuck impressed in spring training, which was at Stockton,
California. From the March 14 Oregon Journal:
In speaking of the pitching squad, Turner declares that Charles Wolfe is the best looking pitcher of the new comers and concedes the former House of David hurler a place on the regular staff. Wolfe is a pitcher built along the lines of the late Gene Krapp, although somewhat bigger and heavier than “Rubber.”
(If you’re thinking, “Gee, I’d sure like to read a biography
of Gene ‘Rubber’ Krapp,” see here:
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Gene-Krapp/)
The March 24 Los Angeles Daily News ran a report on
the Portland team that touted two newcomers: Mickey Cochrane and Chuck. Chuck had
a rough time in an intrasquad game on April 5, allowing 12 runs in five
innings; the report in the next day’s Oregon Journal included the
following tidbit:
The weather was almost perfect, the sun shining down with midsummer intensity. The game was stopped in the fifth inning to permit the Ku Klux Klan to rehearse a ritual that they are going to stage at an initiation at Oak Park tonight.
Despite this performance, Chuck was still well thought of, the Portland News saying on the 9th that he “looks the class of the young right handers. He will no doubt be kept.”
The season had opened
the day before, but Chuck didn’t get into a game until the 15th,
when he pitched the last two innings of a 12-3 loss in Sacramento, giving up
the final run. It doesn’t sound like a particularly bad outing, but the Beavers
had seen enough of him, as seen in the May 14 Oregon Journal:
Pitcher Wolfe Is Sold to Bridgeport
President Klepper of the Portland Baseball club announced Tuesday night [13th] that Pitcher Charley Wolfe had been sold by Scout Tom Turner to Bridgeport, Conn., in the Eastern league. Klepper received a wire from Turner asking Wolfe to leave for the East at once, and the latter will pack his bag and begin the transcontinental journey this morning.
Wolfe, who came to the Beavers this season, was in one game for a few innings during the opening series in the South, but his showing was not up to expectations and he was left behind when the Beavers left for Seattle last week.
This was a step down, from AA to A. Chuck pitched for
Bridgeport the rest of the season. The June 28 Springfield Republican
mentioned that he had won four games in the previous week, but his record for
the season was 11-12, with a 3.55 ERA in 208 innings in 32 games. He was on the
Bridgeport reserve list the following off-season.
Chuck returned to Bridgeport for 1925, and was their opening
day starter, pitching a complete game but losing 2-1. He had a 2-1 record and
2.12 ERA in 34 innings in five games when, on May 13, as reported in the next
day’s Bridgeport Telegram, this happened:
CHUCK WOLFE HURT AS LOCALS TRIUMPH, 4-1
Fractures Kneecap While Attempting to Score in Fifth—Eddie Burke Features.
…Chuck Wolfe, who started on the mound for Bridgeport, fractured his knee in the fifth inning when he attempted to score from third base on a delayed double steal with Henzes. He had to be carried off the field and will be out of the game for several weeks. Wolfe was pitching steady ball, having held the visitors to five scattered hits. He did not allow a pass and had retired four men on strikes.
The prognosis was not so good on June 5:
Chuck Wolfe will be out of the hospital this week. His leg is still in a cast and will be so for three weeks. He will probably be on crutches for a month following this. It is certain that he will not play ball again this year.
It was certain, and he did not. Chuck returned to the team
for spring training 1926. The Bridgeport Telegram reported on March 16:
With Chuck Wolfe in none too good condition; Frank Wotell
not wanted; Joe Burns about all done; and Bob Caffrey nursing a bad injury
received in football, the prospects of the local team are exceedingly poor.
Chuck started the regular season with Bridgeport but, with a
5.21 ERA in 19 innings in six games, he was released on May 19. He hooked on
with the Manchester Blue Sox of the Class B New England League, where he
finished the season, going 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA in 202 innings in 29 games as
the Blue Sox won the league championship.
Chuck returned to Manchester in 1927. From the Lynn Daily
Item, April 14:
JEAN DUBUC IS STILL THE BLUE SOX CLUB PILOT
MANCHESTER, N.H., April 14, 1927.—Replying yesterday to reports from Worcester that he had been signed as manager of the East Douglas club of the Blackstone Valley League, Jean Dubuc made emphatic denial that he is to leave Manchester this season…
In the course of the conversation with Dubuc, he announced that Chuck Wolfe, star pitcher of the club last season and the ranking right-hander of the league, and Jake Wimer, veteran shortstop, have been sold to East Douglas. It was a cash proposition but no price was mentioned. Both will be placed on the voluntarily retired list, thereby remaining the property of the local club.
The Blackstone Valley League was a semi-pro league comprised
of textile mill teams, which explains how the Blue Sox would retain ownership
of Chuck and Jake while they played for another team, but does not explain why
they would be sending their best pitcher to play semi-pro ball. But since the
New England League season didn’t begin until mid-May, I suppose it was an
alternative to spring training for getting them into shape, plus the team made
a few bucks.
Chuck pitched for the Blue Sox on opening day, May 17, and threw
a three-hit shutout while striking out ten. He stayed with them all season,
though he and a teammate missed the Labor Day weekend due to having been loaned
to East Douglas. Chuck finished with a 15-10 record, same as in 1926, though
his ERA dropped from 3.56 to 2.61.
In 1928 Chuck returned to Manchester, but in mid-July he
somehow made his way to Lewiston of the same league. Between the two teams he
was 12-13 with a 2.70 ERA in 193 innings in 27 games.
Chuck was back with Lewiston for 1929. From the June 12 Boston
Herald:
Chuck Wolfe, married today [the 11th], made a honeymoon out of the game with Lowell and the Twins won, 6 to 2. Wolfe held the Millers scoreless until the ninth, fanned six and walked only one man.
Chuck’s bride was Anna Catharine (known as Catharine) Horne
of Bedford County; they were married in Lewiston. From the July 25 Springfield
Republican:
HURLERS SUSPENDED
Lewiston, Me., July 24—(AP) William (Windy) Diehl and Charles (Chuck) Wolfe, pitchers on the Lewiston-Auburn club of the New England League, have been suspended, according to a statement issued today by Manager Jesse Burkett. Burkett said the two hurlers would have to tell the reason for the suspension. Richard Hunnewell, president of the club, said the two men had ordered [sic] to go to New York for examination by physicians, but had refused to comment further.
I didn’t find anything more about this, and both players
were back in action by mid-August. Chuck had a 7-4 record and 4.05 ERA in 131
innings in 22 games.
In the 1930 census, taken April 24, Chuck and Catharine are
living in Schellsburg, Bedford County, in a rented house. Chuck is a
33-year-old ball player; Catharine is 35.
Chuck returned to Lewiston, where he was again part of the starting rotation. From the June 20 Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: "York last night obtained a new pitcher, Charley Wolfe, who came here from the New England League, which circuit gives signs of breaking up."
The New England League did break up, two days later, and
apparently nobody ever compiled the final statistics. I only found one game
that Chuck pitched for York, of the Class B New York-Pennsylvania League, in
relief on June 25. He didn’t appear in the NY-Penn stats, which means he didn’t
appear in ten games and didn’t pitch 45 innings. His Sporting News
obituary suggests that he went from there to the Johnstown Johnnies of the
Class C Middle Atlantic League, but I didn’t find any details on that. This
seems to have been the end of his professional baseball career, though in 1932
he was pitching for the Schellsburg town team, as reported in the June 3 Bedford
Gazette:
SCHELLSBURG NINE BEATS SCALP LEVEL TEAM
As a part of the Memorial Day celebration, the Schellsburg baseball club, showing a tremendous batting power, swamped the Scalp Level team to the tune of 15-4.
Chuck Wolfe, a former pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, held Scalp Level to 7 scattered hits, most of the 4 runs being scored on errors of which Schellsburg had 6.
The 1940 census shows Chuck, Catharine, and six-year-old son
Clive living in Schellsburg, in a house they own, valued at $1600. They lived
in the same house in 1935. Chuck has an eighth grade education, is a laborer
for a private estate, worked 18 hours in the last week of March, worked 32
weeks in 1939, for which he earned $470. Catharine is 45 and has two years of
college.
The 1950 census shows them living on Pitt Street in
Schellsburg, in the “last house before bank.” Chuck is 53 and unable to work,
Anna is 55 and keeping house, and Clive is 16.
On November 27, 1957, Chuck passed away in Schellsburg, at
age 60. His death certificate gives his occupation as school custodian, and the
cause of death as carcinoma of left lung, which had been diagnosed four months
previously. The Associated Press reported on his death on November 28, shown
here as it appeared in the Washington Evening Star a day later:
Ex-A’s Hurler Dies
BEDFORD, Pa., Nov. 29 (AP)—Charles H. Wolfe, 60, of nearby Schellsburg, died yesterday at his home. He pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1923 season.
His obituary from the December 11 Sporting News:
Charles H. (Chuck) Wolfe, 60, who was signed as a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics by Connie Mack in 1923, died at his home in Schellsburg, Pa., November 27.
Wolfe appeared in three games with no decisions for the A’s. He was sent to Portland, Ore., in 1924, but was released to Bridgeport and subsequently performed with Manchester, Lewiston-Auburn, York and Johnstown before ending his career in 1930. His wife and a son survive.
https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/W/Pwolfc101.htm
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wolfech01.shtml
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