KITTY KHARACHTERS

HORACE MILTON "HOD" LISENBEE

Pitcher
Born: September 23, 1898, Clarksville, TN
Died: November 14, 1987, Clarksville, TN
BR TR 5'11 170 lbs.
Washington 1927-28 Boston (AL) 1929-32 Philadelphia (AL) 1936 Cincinnati 1945

One-year wonder Hod Lisenbee, 28, blanked the Red Sox 6–0 for the Senators in his first ML start. The 1927 "Murderers Row" Yankees suffered defeat 5 times at the hands of rookie hurler Hod Lisenbee. The Yankees had a 110-44 record that year, but Lisenbee seemed not to notice. He beat them in relief in April, beat them 6-1 on a 6-hitter in early May, and set them back 7-2 on a 4-hitter in late May. In July, he won again, and in August went 11 innings to triumph 3-2. The Yanks finally got to him on September 29, chasing him in the 1st inning as Babe Ruth socked his 58th home run. (The Babe hit Number 59 later that day, a grand slam.) Hod also gave up number 26 to the Babe earlier in the year. In his 1927 rookie year with Washington he was 18-9 with an AL-leading four shutouts. After that Lisenbee was a journeyman pitcher in both the majors and minors. On September 11th, 1936 Connie Mack of the A's once again got cheap and failed to take enough pitchers on a road trip. Hod Lisenbee, 37, paid the price, being forced to go the full nine innings despite allowing a record-tying 26 hits and losing 17-2.
Following his retirement in 1942, he came back in 1944 with Syracuse (International League) and pitched a no-hitter at the age of forty-five. The last player born in the 1800’s to play in the majors was Hod Lisenbee, born in 1898, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in the war year of 1945. He pitched 31 games for the Reds, mostly in relief. After the war, he continued to pitch in his native city of Clarksville, TN (Kitty League) until he was fifty. Hod fooled many a young batter in the Kitty with a unique windup style. He would windmill both the pitching hand and the gloved hand, often in opposite directions. He would then move into the pitch and follow through, catching the batter unaware, flatfooted, and off balance. While he was still pitching this move was declared illegal and constituting a balk.

He was manager and half owner of the Clarksville Colts club in 1946-48. During the ’48 season he bought the remaining half of the team, but it continued to have problems both at the gate and on the field. Lisenbee continued to live in Clarksville until his death in 1987. He was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1969.