VINTAGE BASEBALL MEMORABILIA

Vintage Baseball Memorabilia

Virgil Trucks

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-11, 198lb (180cm, 89kg)
Born: April 26, 1917 in Birmingham, AL us
Died: March 23, 2013  in Calera, AL
Buried: Alabama National Cemetery, Montevallo, AL
High School: Tarrant City HS (Tarrant, AL)
Debut: September 27, 1941 (9,144th in major league history)
vs. CHW 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 SO, 0 BB, 2 ER
Last Game: September 26, 1958
vs. BAL 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 SO, 3 BB, 2 ER, L
Full Name: Virgil Oliver Trucks
Nicknames: Fire
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1941

Stan Musial
Phil Rizzuto
Bob Lemon
Vern Stephens
Dave Philley
Jim Hegan
Danny Murtaugh
Dick Wakefield
Virgil Trucks

Notable Events and Chronology for Virgil Trucks Career

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

August 24, 1938

1938 – Virgil Trucks strikes out his 418th batter – the highest season total in organized ball this century – for Andalusia in an Alabama-Florida League game.

August 2, 1942

At Detroit, the Tigers sweep a pair from the Red Sox, 8 – 4 and 6 – 2, to knock Boston out of 2nd place. Dizzy Trout wins the opener, helping himself with a 3-run home run. Virgil Trucks wins the nitecap, giving up a 9th-inning home run to Ted Williams. Along with Jim Tabor, CF Dom DiMaggio has a homer in the opener, then adds an unassisted double play in the nitecap.

September 8, 1946

In the minor leagues Bill Kennedy of Rocky Mount (Coastal Plain League) will be credited with 456 strikeouts, breaking the former mark of 418 set by Virgil Trucks in the Alabama-Florida League in 1938.

August 14, 1948

1948 – Rookie George Vico drives in seven runs to pace the Tigers to a 10 – 3 win over the Browns. Vico is one better than a cycle, collecting two doubles, a triple and homer to back Virgil Trucks’ sparkling one-hit relief effort over 6+ innings.

July 12, 1949

1949 All Star Game

June 1, 1951

6/1/1951: Vic Wertz led off the bottom of the second in Detroit with a shot off Allie Reynolds. Johnny Mize homered to lead off the Yankee fourth against Virgil Trucks. The game was rained out after 4 1/2 innings.

September 13, 1951

Mickey Mantle drives a Virgil Trucks pitch deep into the RF upper deck to start the Yankee scoring. Witnesses say that if Mantle had hit it more to CF, the ball would have traveled 600 feet

September 30, 1951

The Tigers drive over the slumping Tribe, 2 – 1, behind Virgil Trucks’ 13th win of the year.

May 15, 1952

Virgil Trucks no hits Senators

May 15, 1952

After pitching four no-hitters in the minors, 33-year-old Virgil “Fire” Trucks of Detroit pitches his first in the major leagues, a 1 – 0 blanking of the Senators. Vic Wertz’s dramatic two-out home run in the 9th off Bob Porterfield wins the game at Briggs Stadium. Trucks will throw a second no-hitter later this year.

July 22, 1952

1952 – Detroit’s Virgil Trucks gives up one hit in beating Washington, 1 – 0.

August 6, 1952

Satchel Paige becomes the oldest pitcher in major league history to pitch a complete game or shutout

August 25, 1952

Tiger Virgil Trucks throws the second of his two no-hitters this season

December 4, 1952

Virgil (No-Hit) Trucks Traded To Brownies In Big Six-Player Swap

September 1, 1953

Chicago’s Virgil Trucks surrenders a homer to Mickey Mantle in the 7th that proves to be the game-winner‚ as the White Sox lose to the Yankees‚ 3 – 2.

April 15, 1954

big league ball returns to Baltimore 

December 1, 1955

The Detroit Tigers bring back pitcher Virgil Trucks

December 3, 1956

The Detroit Tigers trade pitcher Virgil Trucks for a second time

September 14, 1958

Yankees win their 24th pennant, and 9th under Casey Stenge

April 27, 1973

Steve Busby fires Royals first no hitter in team history

June 12, 2007

Justin Verlander fired a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park in Detroit

October 3, 2015

Max Scherzer throws his second no-hitter of the season

Biography

​

In a 17-season career, Virgil “Fire” Trucks posted a 177-135 record with 1,534 strikeouts and a 3.39 ERA in 2,682.2 innings pitched. He was a fine pitcher with superb control who kept the ball down and coaxed groundballs. He missed nearly two full seasons while in action in World War II. Though he didn’t return to the Detroit Tigers until the last stages of the 1945 season, Trucks pitched and won Game Two of the World Series against the Cubs that fall.

While with the Tigers in 1952, this burly Southerner tossed a pair of no-hitters against the Senators and the Yankees, joining such luminaries as Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to accomplish this feat in a single season. Trucks also had four no-hitters in the minors and a near-miss with the White Sox in 1954. The control pitcher returned from military service in 1945 and appeared in the World Series against the Cubs, winning 4-1. He had appeared in only one game during the regular season. After a decade in Detroit, Trucks arrived in Chicago via St. Louis in 1954. Frank Lane sent Lou Kretlow and $95,000 to Bill Veeck for Trucks and Bob Elliot. Trucks recorded eight straight victories en route to his first and only twenty-victory season. Fading after 1955, he returned to the Tigers in 1956. He wound up his career with the Yankees as a spot starter and relief man in their pennant year of 1958.

Coaching
After retiring as a player Trucks joined the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the 1960 World Series with them against his old team the Yankees. He continued coaching with the Pirates then the Atlanta Braves and finally ending his MLB career with the Tigers in 1974.

Personal life
Trucks is the uncle of Butch Trucks, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Trucks’ great nephew, Derek, is also currently a member of the Allman Brothers Band and fronts his own band, The Derek Trucks Band. In addition, several of Trucks’ other relatives are accomplished musicians.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

Played For
Detroit Tigers (1941-1952)
St. Louis Browns (1953)
Chicago White Sox (1953-1955)
Detroit Tigers (1956)
Kansas City Athletics (1957-1958)
New York Yankees (1958)

All-Star Selections

No-Hit Fame
5/15/1952: For DET (A) vs. WAS (A), 1-0 at DET. 9 innings pitched.
8/25/1952: For DET (A) vs. NY (A), 1-0 at NYY. 9 innings pitched.

Post-Season Appearances
1945 World Series

All-Star Selections
1949 AL
1954 AL