Mel Parnell
Melvin Lloyd Parnell (born
June 13,
1922 in
New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former
Major League Baseball left-handed
starting pitcher.
Parnell spent his entire 10-year career with the
Boston Red Sox (1947-1956) and compiled a 123-75 record with 732
strikeouts, a 3.50
earned run average, 113
complete games, 20
shutouts, and 1752.2
innings pitched in 289 games (232 as a starter). He is the third best ever lefty pitcher in
Fenway Park with more than 25 decisions at 71-30 .703.
Parnell enjoyed his best season in 1949 when he went 25-7 leading the league in wins, ERA (2.77), complete games (27) and innings (295.1). He was the starting pitcher for the
American League in that's year
All-Star Game and was selected again in 1951.
After two 18-win seasons in 1950 and 1951, and a 12-12 record in 1952, Parnell went 21-8 in 1953 with a 3.06 ERA and a career-high 136 strikeouts. He pitched a
no-hitter on July 14,
1956 against the
Chicago White Sox at Fenway winning 4-0. The no-hitter was the first for a Red Sox pitcher since
Howard Ehmke in
1923. After this Parnell went only 4-4 before a torn muscle in his pitching arm forced him to end his career early. In the 1960s, Parnell worked as a broadcaster for the Red Sox.
Parnell still holds the club career mark for left-handed pitchers in games started, innings and victories. Overall, Boston's other 100-plus winners include
Roger Clemens (192),
Cy Young (192),
Tim Wakefield (130),
Luis Tiant (122),
Pedro Martinez (117),
Smokey Joe Wood (116),
Bob Stanley (115),
Joe Dobson (106) and
Lefty Grove (105).
Mel Parnell was selected to the
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in
1997.
"Little soft pop-up...Petrocelli will take it...he does! The ball game is over! The Red Sox win! And there's a mob on this field! They're coming out of the stands from all over!" - Mel Parnell, calling the last out of the final game of the Red Sox regular season at Fenway Park,
October 1,
1967, against the
Minnesota Twins. The Sox had to wait to hear if they clinched the
American League pennant or if they were to go to
Detroit for a one-game playoff. The
Detroit Tigers lost to the
California Angels, and the Red Sox went on to the
1967 World Series against the
St. Louis Cardinals.
*Mel Parnell at:
**
Baseball Library**
Baseball Reference
