Del Gainer

Who was Del Gainer?

Dellos Clinton Gainer, nicknamed "Sheriff," was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played 10 seasons in the Major Leagues. In his 10 seasons, Gainer won two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox and was teammates at different times with Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, and Rogers Hornsby.

Born in Montrose, West Virginia, Del Gainer played for the Detroit Tigers from 1909 to 1914. In his first full season, Gainer hit .302 in 70 games. The 1911 Tigers opened the season with a phenomenal 21–2 record, as Gainer was credited with making an impact. However, a mid-season wrist injury took Gainer out of the lineup. Though the Tigers were 63–32 on August 1, Gainer had to watch from the bench as the Tigers suffered their first losing month of the season, going 11–16 in the month of August and ending up 13½ games behind the Athletics at season's end.

In 1912, Gainer struggled at bat, hitting .240 in 52 games. In 1913, Gainer got the job as the Tigers starting first baseman, hitting .267 in 105 games. After only 1 game in 1914, the Tigers placed Gainer on waivers—which gave Gainer his shot at back-to-back World Series championships with the Red Sox.