1. Early Life and Personal Background
Byron Franklin Speece was born on January 6, 1897, in West Baden, Indiana. He later passed away on September 29, 1974, in Elgin, Oregon. He was married to Helen Grace (née Whittinghill) Speece. Together, they had two children, Byron Jr. and Wilma Irene.
2. Professional Baseball Career
Byron Speece's professional baseball career was marked by both his time in Major League Baseball and a much longer, successful tenure in the Minor Leagues.
2.1. Major League Career
Speece played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1930. During this period, he played for three different teams. He began his MLB career with the Washington Senators in 1924, a notable year during which he was part of the team that won the 1924 World Series championship. Following his time with the Senators, he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1925 and played for them through the first part of 1926. His final MLB team was the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he spent part of the 1930 season.
2.2. Minor League Career
Speece had an extensive and highly successful minor league career that spanned 20 years, during which he accumulated an impressive 241 wins as a pitcher.
He began his professional journey in 1922 with the Norfolk Elkhorns of the Nebraska State League. In his debut season, he posted a 14-9 record, contributing to the Elkhorns winning the league championship. His pitching prowess attracted the attention of Barney Burch, the manager of the Omaha Buffaloes.
In 1923, Speece pitched for the Omaha Buffaloes, achieving a 26-14 record over 49 games. On May 2 of that year, he set a then-Western League record for pitchers by hitting two home runs in a single game. His strong performance led to his sale to the Washington Senators for 15.00 K USD, as reported by Omaha newspapers.
After his initial MLB stint with the Cleveland Indians, Speece was sent to the Indianapolis Indians for the remainder of the 1926 season, where he compiled a 17-10 record. In 1927, he played for both the Indianapolis Indians and the Toledo Mud Hens, finishing with a 12-10 record. He returned to Indianapolis for the 1928 and 1929 seasons, recording 1-4 and 9-2 records respectively.
By 1930, although he briefly returned to the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies, he spent a significant portion of the season with the Newark Bears, where he had a 3-4 record. He remained with the Newark Bears for the entire 1931 season and the beginning of the 1932 season.
From 1932 through the 1938 season, Speece was a key pitcher for the Nashville Vols. His most successful year with the Vols came in 1936, when he achieved an outstanding 22-9 record.
From 1940 through the 1945 season, he played in the Pacific Coast League. During this period, he spent three years each with the Portland Beavers and the Seattle Rainiers. He was 48 years old during his final year of professional baseball, showcasing remarkable longevity in the sport.
3. Overall Career Statistics and Legacy
By the time Byron Speece retired from professional baseball, he had pitched in a total of 62 Major League games and 673 Minor League games. His long career, marked by significant success in the minor leagues and a World Series championship at the major league level, established him as a durable and impactful pitcher in the history of the sport.