Chief Chouneau

Who was Chief Chouneau?

William "Chief" Chouneau was a Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in one game for the Chicago White Sox in 1910. The 22-year-old right-hander was a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in northeastern Minnesota.

On October 9, 1910 Chouneau was the starting pitcher on the last day of the season. The opponent was a strong Detroit Tigers team that finished the year in third place. The White Sox were ahead 1–0 after five innings, but then Chouneau gave up two runs in the top of the sixth and was removed from the game with one out. Pitcher Wild Bill Donovan and the Tigers won the game, 2–1.

Chouneau gave up seven hits and no walks in his 5.1 innings pitched. He had one strikeout, an 0–1 record, and his ERA was 3.38. At the plate he was 0-for-1 with a walk and a hit by pitch, giving him an on-base percentage of .667.

His manager was future Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy. One of his teammates who would one day be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame was pitcher Ed Walsh.

Chouneau died in his hometown of Cloquet, Minnesota, at the age of 58.