Johnny Rigney

Who was Johnny Rigney?

John Dungan Rigney was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox. Listed at 6 ft 2 in, 190 pounds, Rigney batted and threw right-handed. A native of River Forest, Illinois, he was signed out of the University of St. Thomas.

Rigney was one of the Chicago White Sox top pitchers in the years prior to World War II. His most productive season came in 1939, when he won a career-high 15 games, including the first win for a pitcher during the first night game ever played at Comiskey Park. In 1940, he recorded 14 wins with a career-high 3.11 ERA, pitching an 11-inning, 1–0 shutout against the visitors New York Yankees. It was the first time since 1919 that the Yankees had been shut out in extra innings by one pitcher. After that, he won 13 games in 1941 and was 3–3 before joining the United States Navy in May 1942. After being discharged in 1945, he returned to Chicago, but his playing time was limited by arm injuries. He retired after the 1947 season.