Click on picture to enlarge Preacher Roe attended and pitched for Harding College in Arkansas and averaged 18 strikeouts per/game. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched in the minor leagues from 1939-1943. Roe was waved to Pittsburgh in 1944 and was the Pirates' Opening Day pitcher. He threw a two-hitter but lost 2-0. He led the NL with 148 strikeouts in 1945. Traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948, he became one of the most successful pitchers in the league. Preacher Roe was known as the southpaw philosopher, relied on his intelligence, and his admitted spitball. From 1949-1953, Roe was 15-6, 19-11, 22-3, 11-2, 11-3. His 22-3 record, .880 pct in 1951 is the best winning percentage in National League's history. Preacher Roe pitched in two Dodgers World Series. Edwin 'Preacher' Roe left baseball at the end of the 1954 season, owned and operated, 'Preacher Roe's Supermarket' in West Plains, Missouri. Preacher Roe career: 127-84, .602 pct, ERA 3.43, 17 shutouts in 333 games, 956 K's in 1914 innings. baseballhistorian.com archives Baseball History |