Eddie Yuhas began his professional career in the Yankees system in 1942, a 17-year-old youngster clearly overmatched that first campaign.
Pitching for the Fond du Lac Panthers of the Wisconsin State League, he made 19 appearances, going 5-12 with a 4.30 ERA in 134 innings. He didn’t give up many hits – just 104 – but walks were his downfall, as he surrendered 123, or about one per frame, on average.
His nation called upon him in 1943 to serve in World War II, and he remained in the Army until 1946. Returning to the ballfield as a Cardinals farmhand in 1947, he spent most of 1948 and all of 1949 to 1951 in Triple A, as a starter.
The Redbirds finally gave him his chance at the big league level in 1952, using the 27-year-old rookie as part of a dominant bullpen duo alongside Al Brazle. Brazle, for his part, won 12 games and led the league with 16 saves, but he was a 38-year-old veteran, so success was expected.
Yuhas, fresh from the farm, went 12-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 54 games; his six saves were seventh in the National League, and his 54 appearances ranked third. He even made two starts, allowing just two runs in 7 1/3 innings for the win against Pittsburgh in his first try. Take two was much worse: He lasted just 1/3 of an inning against the Boston Braves, surrendering six earned runs.
But from that point on, he was the pinnacle of dominance – over his next 75 innings, he was 10-0 with a 1.68 ERA, with opponents batting just .227 against him. So great was his performance, he received Most Valuable Player support, sparse as it was (he finished 31st in the voting).
With fellow rookie Stu Miller (6-3, 2.05 ERA) dominating in the rotation and Stan Musial the perpetual anchor of the offense, Yuhas was poised to be part of a team built for excellence. But it wasn’t to be. He developed tendonitis in his shoulder the next year, made just two more appearances (posting an ERA of 18.00) and was gone from professional baseball for good.
And the Cardinals – well, by 1954, they had a losing record and didn’t finish above .500 again until 1957.
Fun facts: Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Eddie Yuhas are the only three players to receive MVP votes in all but one of their big league seasons. He also holds the major league record for most consecutive wins to end a career, with 10.
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