Virgil Trucks
Born: 4/26/1917 in Birmingham, AL, USA
Died: 3/23/2013 in Calera, AL, USA
MLB Debut: 1941-09-27 | Final Game: 1958-09-26
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 198 lbs
Full name: Virgil Oliver Trucks
Biography
Virgil Trucks was a talented pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1958. Born in 1917, Trucks made a name for himself during an era characterized by fierce competition and a transition in the game’s style, moving towards a more offensive approach in the post-World War II period. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 177 wins and 135 losses, posting a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.39. Known for his durability and ability to strike out batters, he recorded a total of 1,534 strikeouts and contributed 30 saves throughout his time in the league.
Trucks was selected as an All-Star twice, a testament to his skill and effectiveness on the mound. He was particularly noted for his resilience and capacity to perform in high-pressure situations, making him a valuable asset to his teams. His performances helped to shape the pitching landscape of his era, leaving a lasting legacy as a formidable competitor in the game. Virgil Trucks remains a significant figure in baseball history, remembered not only for his statistics but also for his contributions to the sport during a pivotal time in its evolution.
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Batting
| PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.667 | 1.000 |
Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.667 | 1.000 |
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
| Season | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | 135 | 517 | 328 | 124 | 33 | 30 | 2682.3 | 2416 | 1009 | 188 | 1088 | 1534 | 3.39 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9.00 | 0.0 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 14 | 8 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 167.7 | 147 | 51 | 74 | 91 | 2.74 | 2432.3 |
| 1943 | DET | AL | 16 | 10 | 33 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 202.7 | 170 | 64 | 52 | 118 | 2.84 | 3159.4 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1.69 | 0.0 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 14 | 9 | 32 | 29 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 236.7 | 217 | 85 | 75 | 161 | 3.23 | 1127.6 |
| 1947 | DET | AL | 10 | 12 | 36 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 180.7 | 186 | 91 | 79 | 108 | 4.53 | 1090.9 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 14 | 13 | 43 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 211.7 | 190 | 89 | 85 | 123 | 3.78 | 2938.8 |
| 1949 | DET | AL | 19 | 11 | 41 | 32 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 275.0 | 209 | 86 | 124 | 153 | 2.81 | 4129.4 |
| 1950 | DET | AL | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 48.3 | 45 | 19 | 21 | 25 | 3.54 | -207.7 |
| 1951 | DET | AL | 13 | 8 | 37 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 153.7 | 153 | 74 | 75 | 89 | 4.33 | 1570.8 |
| 1952 | DET | AL | 5 | 19 | 35 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 197.0 | 190 | 87 | 82 | 129 | 3.97 | 2436.4 |
| 1953 | CHW | AL | 15 | 6 | 24 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 176.3 | 151 | 56 | 67 | 102 | 2.86 | - |
| 1953 | SLA | AL | 5 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 88.0 | 83 | 30 | 32 | 47 | 3.07 | 1784.9 |
| 1954 | CHW | AL | 19 | 12 | 40 | 33 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 264.7 | 224 | 82 | 95 | 152 | 2.79 | - |
| 1955 | CHW | AL | 13 | 8 | 32 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 175.0 | 176 | 77 | 61 | 91 | 3.96 | - |
| 1956 | DET | AL | 6 | 5 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 120.0 | 104 | 51 | 63 | 43 | 3.83 | -3195.4 |
| 1957 | KC1 | AL | 9 | 7 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 116.0 | 106 | 39 | 62 | 55 | 3.03 | -2007.5 |
| 1958 | KC1 | AL | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22.0 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 2.05 | -264.4 |
| 1958 | NYY | AL | 2 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39.7 | 40 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 4.54 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 517 | 949 | 63 | 171 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 70 | 1 | 9 | 153 | 0.180 | 0.189 | 0.213 | 0.402 | -6148.1 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | DET | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 28 | 65 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.123 | -636.5 |
| 1943 | DET | AL | 33 | 72 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.181 | -468.5 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 32 | 95 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.179 | -670.4 |
| 1947 | DET | AL | 36 | 70 | 7 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.271 | -229.0 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 43 | 79 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0.165 | -673.6 |
| 1949 | DET | AL | 41 | 100 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0.120 | -1090.3 |
| 1950 | DET | AL | 7 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.150 | 0.0 |
| 1951 | DET | AL | 37 | 55 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.236 | -269.8 |
| 1952 | DET | AL | 35 | 64 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0.188 | -406.5 |
| 1953 | CHW | AL | 24 | 63 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.238 | -233.4 |
| 1953 | SLA | AL | 16 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.160 | -233.4 |
| 1954 | CHW | AL | 40 | 93 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0.183 | -761.8 |
| 1955 | CHW | AL | 32 | 64 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.125 | -708.4 |
| 1956 | DET | AL | 22 | 45 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.244 | 0.0 |
| 1957 | KC1 | AL | 48 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.143 | 0.0 |
| 1958 | KC1 | AL | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1958 | NYY | AL | 25 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | WS | DET | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.3 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3.38 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | WS | DET | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13.3 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3.38 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 517 | 82 | 156 | 420 | 27 | 14 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | DET | P | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942 | DET | P | 28 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 3 | 0 |
| 1943 | DET | P | 33 | 0 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945 | DET | P | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | DET | P | 32 | 0 | 11 | 33 | 3 | 1 |
| 1947 | DET | P | 36 | 0 | 13 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| 1948 | DET | P | 43 | 0 | 13 | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949 | DET | P | 41 | 0 | 13 | 33 | 2 | 2 |
| 1950 | DET | P | 7 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1951 | DET | P | 37 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 3 | 2 |
| 1952 | DET | P | 35 | 0 | 21 | 37 | 2 | 1 |
| 1953 | CHA | P | 24 | 0 | 11 | 29 | 0 | 2 |
| 1953 | SLA | P | 16 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 1 |
| 1954 | CHA | P | 40 | 33 | 10 | 48 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955 | CHA | P | 32 | 26 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956 | DET | P | 22 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
| 1957 | KC1 | P | 48 | 7 | 8 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | KC1 | P | 16 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | NYA | P | 25 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 517 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 19.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 81.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 30th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 22th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |