Luke Hamlin

Who was Luke Hamlin?

Luke Daniel Hamlin, nicknamed "Hot Potato," was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for 9 years with the Detroit Tigers, Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Athletics.

Born in Ferris Center, Michigan, Hamlin won the nickname "Hot Potato" because of his tendency to juggle the ball while getting ready to pitch. He pitched two years with the Tigers, going 3–3 in 23 games for the Bengals.

After two years out of the major leagues, Hamlin returned in 1937 with the Dodgers, where he played five seasons from 1937 to 1941. His best year was 1939 when he went 20–13 and had 10 complete games in 269-2/3 innings pitched. Hamlin's 20 wins was 4th best in the National League, his WHIP was 1.146, and he also finished #10 in the National League Most Valuable Player voting in 1939. He had another strong year in 1940 with a 3.06 earned run average for an Adjusted ERA+ of 131. He was also #1 in the National League in 1940 with a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.68.

Hamlin's performance declined after 1940, as his ERA jumped from 3.06 to 4.24 in 1941. Dodgers manager Leo Durocher lost faith in "Hot Potato," who had blown a number of leads over the 1941 season.