carnett

Late Monday night, a man by the name of Mike Sandlock, age 100, died at his home in Cos Cob, Connecticut. Sandlock played for the Boston Braves in 1942 and 1944, for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945 and 1946, and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1953.

From April 23, 2014, until his death, Sandlock had been the oldest living man who had ever played in the major leagues. Now that he is gone, that distinction belongs to Eddie Carnett, age 99, who spent parts of three seasons in the majors. His last MLB team was the 1945 Cleveland Indians, for whom he played all three outfield positions. Carnett even pitched two scoreless innings for the 1945 Tribe.

Carnett’s last MLB appearance was on July 7, 1945, at League Park. The Indians lost to the Boston Red Sox, 8-6. Carnett was used as a pinch-hitter for the pitcher late in the game. He singled but did not score. Weeks later, Carnett was inducted into the U.S. Navy, thus ending his major league career. A resident of Lebanon, Missouri, Carnett will celebrate his 100th birthday on October 21 of this year.

I wrote about Carnett for IPL in 2012. Craig Cleve wrote a fuller account of Carnett’s life and career for SABR.

1 Comment

  • Jimbo says:

    Wow…that’s very interesting. I’ve passed through Lebanon, MO several times in my travels. Thanks for posting!