04/11/2020
CARL DOYLE - FACT OR FICTION?
Has anyone heard of Carl Doyle before now? He was what I call a “very successful baseball player”. He pitched in the major leagues for 4 seasons and pitched in the minor leagues for a few more years.
The reason I’m writing about him today is that at least one credible source says that Carl lived and played ball in Lee County as a youngster prior to making it to the big leagues. Does anyone know of Carl and his family and his growing up situation? My source states that Carl lived with a grandfather or uncle or some relative here in Lee County. My research shows that William Carl Doyle was born in Knoxville in 1912 and died there in 1951 at the age of 39. Can you help me make this connection to Lee County with Carl Doyle and his baseball success?
Carl would have been in high school in the late 20’s and may have played baseball in Lee County during that time up through the 1934 baseball season. He made his major league debut on August 5, 1935 with the Philadelphia Athletics at the age of 23 against the Washington Senators in Washington. He pitched the last 4 ⅓ innings in relief, giving up only 4 hits and 2 runs while striking out 3 in a 10-7 loss that day. My thinking is that he probably pitched in Lee County in his growing up years then maybe was signed to minor league contracts prior to making it to the major leagues in 1935. He would have been a contemporary of folks like Tye Harbor, Buford Rhea, Harold Kelly, P*e Wee Herndon and maybe Walker Cress.
For his minor league career with teams affiliated with the major league teams, Carl pitched for the Williamsport Grays in the New York Pennsylvania League, for the Memphis Chickasaws and Knoxville Smokies in the Southern Association and for Houston in the Texas League. He also pitched for the Rochester Red Wings in the highly rated International League. Carl won 9 games in two different seasons at Memphis and won 13 for them in 1939.
Carl Doyle was shifted in and out of the majors for 4 seasons. He started with Philadelphia, (1935 and 1936), was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for the 1939 season, then split the 1940 season with the Dodgers before a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals. His best season record-wise in the majors was that 1940 stint with the Cardinals when he posted a 3-3 record. Overall, Carl’s major league record was 6-14 with 3 teams over 4 seasons.
With limited hitting success in the majors, Carl collected 16 hits and 5 walks in 87 major league plate appearances. And he hit for the cycle in his career with 11 singles, 3 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run along with his 10 RBI’s. His home run came on August 25, 1940 in the 5th inning against Boston off Manny Salvo. Johnny Mize homered in the same game. Neither of Carl’s pitching or batting stats were hall of fame numbers but wouldn’t we all love it if we could have made it to the majors even if it were for a brief stint. Carl certainly did more than a brief stint; he made a difference for his team.
Carl Doyle’s claim to fame in my book is that while he may not have been the best ever to play in the majors, he certainly was amongst them. With the Cardinals he played with Johnny Mize and Enos Slaughter. For the Dodgers, he was a teammate of P*e Wee Reese. Carl was also a teammate of Jimmy Foxx of the Philadelphia A’s in 1935. That’s pretty high cotton as the great Dizzy Dean used to say. And, Carl certainly played for two of the greatest and most famous managers of all time in Leo Durocher and Connie Mack. We salute you Carl Doyle and certainly hope you got part of your baseball upbringing in Lee County.
