Joe Hatten

Who was Joe Hatten?

Joseph Hilarian Hatten was a Major League Baseball pitcher.

Hatten started in pro ball with Crookston in the old Northern League in 1937. Acquired by the Montreal Royals from the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association in the 1941–42 off-season, Hatten pitched for the Royals briefly in 1942 before entering the U.S. Navy. Upon his discharge four years later, he first saw service with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Possessing a "rubber arm", Hatten worked as both a starting pitcher and a reliever, even appearing in both ends of a double-header.

Hatten's first year in the big leagues in 1946 saw him post a 14–11 won-lost record with a 2.84 earned run average, eighth-best in the National League. He followed that season with a career-high 17 wins with eight losses and a 3.63 ERA. Hatten often had trouble controlling his pitches, as he allowed the second-most bases on balls in each of his first two seasons with the Dodgers, walking 110 batters in 1946 and 105 in 1947. He also led the National League in hit batsmen with 7 in 1946. In 1948 he threw 51 pitches in a 5-inning complete game shutout against Cincinnati, the fewest number of pitches for a complete game in major league history.