Chief Hogsett

Who was Chief Hogsett?

Elon Chester "Chief" Hogsett was a sub-marining left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played 11 seasons in the American League with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators.

Born on a farm outside Brownell, Kansas, Hogsett was raised in the home of an abusive alcoholic who married his stepmother; he left home when he was 14 years old. He pitched for the high school team in Brownell, where he developed his "submarine" pitching technique. He joined a professional team in Cushing, Oklahoma, and it was there that Hogsett was given the nickname "Chief." Hogsett had this to say about the nickname: "I roomed with a full-blooded Kiowa Indian and the nickname just kind of stuck. Am I really Indian? Well, I'm one-thirty-second Cherokee on my mother's side." During his major league career in Detroit, "Chief" Hogsett was greeted with "war whoops" by the fans at Navin Field when he took the mound.

Hogsett pitched primarily in relief, twice leading the league in games finished. He appeared in two World Series with the Tigers, in 1934 and 1935. In 330 career games, Hogsett threw 1,222 innings with 114 games started, 160 games finished, and 33 saves.