Chuck Hostetler - Hostetler Reaches The Majors at Age 40

Hostetler Reaches The Majors At Age 40

World War II had decimated the rosters of most major league baseball teams. Players who had been passed over suddenly were in demand. So it was that Detroit Tigers contacted Hostetler in 1943. Hostetler noted that when the Tigers contacted him, "I was really a surprised rookie."

Hostetler hit .350 during spring training at Evansville, Indiana. Hostetler's hot hitting and a leg injury to center fielder Roger Cramer, won Hostetler a spot on the Tigers' 1944 major league roster. Born in 1903, he was 40 years old when he played his first major league game, making him the oldest rookie in the history of the game.

Hostetler's debut in April 1944 drew attention from the press. He reported his age as 38 (he was actually 40). The wire services ran several articles about Hostetler's unusual achievement. One article noted: "Chuck is a rookie at 38, something unheard of even in wartime baseball." Another article noted: "A 38-year-old rookie who's been out of organized baseball for seven years is making the Detroit Tigers believe that life begins at 40 -- or 38 at least. Yet another referred to Hostetler as a player "snatched out of a factory two years ago to add depth to a garden depleted by the war."

When the regular season got underway, Hostetler took full advantage of the opportunity and was the hottest hitter in baseball that spring. As of May 3, 1944, the Associated Press reported that "the over-age recruit has 12 hits in 26 tries for a fat .462 average." On May 2, he collected three hits, including a triple, to lead the Tigers to a 4–3 win over the St. Louis Browns.

Three weeks into the season, Hostetler was still leading the league with a .444 batting average and had become the talk of the baseball world. Baseball writer Chip Royal referred to Hostetler as "a 38-year-old veteran from the sandlots with a terrific wallop at the plate."

Detroit manager Steve O'Neill noted that Hostetler was not much of a pull hitter, "but he's hustling all the time. That's why Chuck is keeping some pretty good men on the bench." By June 27, 1944, Hostetler's average had dipped to .318, but he was still fifth in the American League in batting average. For the season, Hostetler played 90 games, hit for a .298 batting average, scored 42 runs, collected 20 RBIs, 21 walks, four stolen bases, nine doubles, two triples, and a .350 on base percentage.