HUBBELL, CARL

born June 22, 1903, Carthage, Mo., U.S. died Nov. 21, 1988, Scottsdale, Ariz. in full Carl Owen Hubbell, byname Hub, King Carl, or The Meal Ticket American professional baseball (left-handed) pitcher, who popularized the screwball pitch. In this pitch, the ball, which is thrown with the same arm motion as a fastball, has reverse spin against the natural curve and, when thrown by a left-hander, breaks sharply away and down from right-handed batters. Two of Hubbell's elder brothers were professional baseball pitchers, and they and his father trained him. From high school Hubbell went to the minor leagues (192325) and in 1925 joined the American League Detroit Tigers, who did not allow screwball pitches and sold his contract to the National League New York Giants in 1928. With the Giants, Hubbell led the league in games won (1933 , 1936 , 1937 ) and won 20 games or more in 1934 and 1935. In 1933 he pitched 46 consecutive runless innings, and he won 24 consecutive games (193637). In the 1934 All-Star game, Hubbell struck out in succession Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin. In his 16-year career he had 253 wins, 154 losses, and an earned run average of 2.97; in World Series competition, he won four games and lost two. Following his retirement as a player in 1943, Hubbell first directed the Giants' farm system and then became a scout. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.