Frank Shellenback

Frank Victor Shellenback (December 16, 1898 — August 17, 1969) was an American pitcher, pitching coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As a pitcher, he was famous as an expert spitballer when the pitch was still legal in organized baseball; however, because Shellenback, then 21, was on a minor league roster when the spitball was outlawed after the 1919 season, he was banned from throwing the pitch in the major leagues. As a result, Shellenbac... more

Frank Victor Shellenback (December 16, 1898 — August 17, 1969) was an American pitcher, pitching coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As a pitcher, he was famous as an expert spitballer when the pitch was still legal in organized baseball; however, because Shellenback, then 21, was on a minor league roster when the spitball was outlawed after the 1919 season, he was banned from throwing the pitch in the major leagues. As a result, Shellenback spent 19 years (1920-38) — the remainder of his active career — throwing the spitball legally in the Pacific Coast League, and winning 295 PCL games. Frank Shellenback was a native of Joplin, Missouri. He threw and batted right-handed, and stood 6'2" (188 cm) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg). He became a professional baseball player during World War I and was acquired by the Chicago White Sox at age 19 during the 1918 season. In 36 American League games during 1918-19, Shellenback won 11 games and lost 15, with an earned run average of 3... less