Major Leaguer Dutch Levsen: Iowa Time Machine September 28, 1923

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 28, 1923, Wyoming, Iowa’s Dutch Levsen made his major league debut. Emil Henry “Dutch” Levsen had traveled from a small Jones County community to the ranks of professional baseball, joining a sport that in the 1920s stood at the center of American popular culture.

Levsen was born in Wyoming on April 29, 1898, grew up in eastern Iowa, and attended Iowa State College, today Iowa State University. He pitched professionally for the Cedar Rapids Bunnies of the Mississippi Valley League in 1923, turning a strong season into a chance with Cleveland. Levsen won 19 of 23 decisions for Cedar Rapids, and his performance caught the attention of a Cleveland scout working for player-manager Tris Speaker.

Levsen made his major-league debut for the Cleveland Indians on September 28, 1923, in Detroit against the Tigers. Cleveland had already used four pitchers and trailed badly when Levsen entered the game. He pitched the final two innings, surrendered one hit, and came to the plate once, grounding out to third base. He also recorded three assists in the field, including the throw that retired legendary Tigers star Ty Cobb to end the eighth inning.

Levsen made two more scoreless relief appearances that season, including his first game before Cleveland fans on October 6. Levsen’s best-known achievement came three years later, when he pitched both games of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on August 28, 1926. Cleveland won 6–1 and 5–1, with Levsen throwing complete games in each contest. He is recognized as the last major-league pitcher to win both ends of a doubleheader on the same day. His career totals for Cleveland, the only major-league club he represented, included 80 games, 51 starts, a 21–26 record, and a 4.17 earned-run average between 1923 and 1928. #Iowa #OTD #History #Baseball #MLB