Player Profile: Van Lingle Mungo

Van Lingle Mungo was born in Pageland, South Carolina, on June 8th, 1911. His father was Van, and his mother was Martha. His middle name was his mother’s maiden name. His father was a cotton grower and retailer. He himself had been a pitcher in the Sally League in the early years of the 20th century. His father gave him his big break in 1926. Van, 15 at the time, pitched the Pageland town team to victory in its most important game of the year. Having beaten every town team in the area, there was only one left to beat Cheraw. Cheraw’s star pitcher was one Buck “Bobo” Newsom. Newsom would have a 24-year career in the majors from 1929 to 1953. Van had one sibling, a sister, Lucille, born in 1908. As an adult, she would work in the family’s store as a saleswoman. At stake in the game were 13 bales of cotton.

Van graduated from Pageland High School in 1928 and began his pro career the following year at Fayetteville in the Class-D Eastern Carolina Association. He went 10-9. Late in the season, he pitched one game for Charlotte in the Class-C Sally League.

Mungo spent 1930 with Winston-Salem in the Class-C Piedmont League. He went 11-11 there and impressed Brooklyn scout Nap Rucker. Brooklyn bought his contract from the team and he was assigned to Hartford Senators in the Eastern League. He proceeded to have a 15-5 record, lead the league in strikeouts with 151 K’s in 191 innings and post the third-best ERA at 2.12. He was called up to Brooklyn at the end of the year and went 3-1. In his debut, he shut out the Braves on three hits. The only shoes that fit him belonged to Dazzy Vance, the Brooklyn ace who was at age 40 and approaching the end of his career. Mungo literally and figuratively stepped into his shoes.

Mungo was the only quality pitcher on some very bad Brooklyn teams. After his cup of coffee in 1930, he would win in double figures for the next five seasons. His high was 18 wins in 34 and 36. Every year when spring training started, he would promise he was going to win 20 games. His first full year, 1932, would be the only time over the next several years that the Dodgers would win more than they lost. He went 13-11, and the Dodgers finished 3rd for first-year manager Max Carey.

From 33-36, he would go 16-15. 18-16, 16-10, and 18-19. His personal life changed one day when he met Eloise Clamp of South Carolina in a chance encounter. She was a teacher who was teaching in Mount Croghan. She was on her way to the post office in Pageland when Mungo drove by and noticed her. They stopped the car, and he got out and met her. They fell in love, but her father, who worked for the post office, did not approve of his daughter marrying a celebrity. They married in secret on December 10, 1932. They would have three children, Pamela, Van Jr., and Ernest. Ernest played outfield in the minors for a few years in the 60s. His wife would teach for 28 years and would remain devoted to her husband despite the fact that over the years, as legend has it, many women caught the eye of Mungo.

Mungo was named to the All-Star team in 34, but his outing did not go well. He gave up six runs and was tagged with the loss. It was also the year that Bill Terry asked if Brooklyn was still in the league. Stengel was now managing the Dodgers, and they had made it their mission to derail the Giants, who were in a tight race with the Cardinals. The Giants would finish with two games against the Dodgers. Mungo started the first game of the series and pitched a complete game 5-1 win. The Cardinals passed the Giants and won the pennant. Years later, Mungo would look back and say that game was the highlight of his career.

After the season he had, Mungo felt he deserved a raise. He held out and finally reported at the end of February. The figure he finally settled for was between 10 and 13 thousand dollars. He won 16 that year. He might have reached 20, except for an injury he sustained when hit on the finger by a line drive. He would not make a start for eight weeks during July and August. He did make five relief appearances. Mungo was also very good with the bat. He finished the season with a .290 average.

After the 1935 season, Mungo would drive back to Pageland with his battery mate, Al Lopez. Lopez would drop him off on his way home to Florida. Mungo credited a lot of his success to Lopez. 1935 would be their last trip together. Lopez was traded during the winter to the Braves. The new Brooklyn catcher was Babe “Blimp” Phelps. Mungo did not think very highly of Phelps, who would find himself consistently at the top of the leaderboard in passed balls.

As we all know, there was no love lost between the Giants and the Dodgers. In the second game of the 1935 season, tempers flared again. Mungo was pitching at the Polo Grounds, and he sent a pitch in the general direction of Dick Bartlett’s head. The next hitter, Rowdy Richards, bunted. Mungo ran to cover first, but first baseman, Buddy Hassett made an unassisted putout. During the play, Mungo bumped the smaller Bartlett and sent him flying. A fight ensued, and both players were ejected and fined 25 dollars. The next day, and the Dodgers were pretty bad at this point; Mungo came in the game as a reliever in the 5th inning. The Dodgers rallied to take a 6-5 lead into the 9th. It took two outs before the Giants mounted a rally but rally, they did. Up to the plate strode Hank Lieber, who was coming off of a season where he hit .331 with 22 homers. Mungo induced him to pop up to short left field. LF Freddie Lindstrom was poised to make the catch, as was SS Jimmy Jordan. They collided, the ball hit the ground as did both players, and two runs scored, giving the Giants the win and Mungo his second loss of the year.

This was only the beginning. By early June, the Dodgers were giving Mungo little or no support. After two June losses took his record to 6-8, five of those by one run, he demanded to be traded. A sportswriter, Eddie Zeltner, smelled a good story and arranged for airfare out of town, in this case, Pittsburgh. Mungo, who was never one to turn down a favor, left the team on June 10th, much to the consternation of manager Casey Stengel. He rejoined the team three days later in Cincinnati and was fined 600 dollars. After that, Brooklyn Eagle reporter, Tommy Holmes, said, ” He is likely to become the center of a number of wild reports every time somebody sees him or thinks they see him drink a glass of beer.”

On June 25th, Mungo pitched a masterpiece and lost. He struck out a record seven consecutive batters, 11 in all, and the Dodgers lost to the Reds, 5-4. He would do that a total of 6 times in 1936, striking out 10 hitters. He led the league in games started with 37 and also led in strikeouts, 238. Brooklyn still finished with a 67-87 record. 18 of those wins are credited to Mungo.

1937 brought Brooklyn a new manager, Burleigh Grimes. Mungo once again was not happy with his contract, but it is estimated that he signed for about 15,000. Mungo was indeed the best pitcher on the Dodgers, but his temper would often overshadow his talent. After a slow start, he was turning his season around. He took a streak of four straight wins into Boston on May 16th. The third of those wins had come in Brooklyn on May 6th against Pittsburgh. During the game, the dirigible, Hindenburg, flew over Ebbets Field, but fans took little notice. The Arm was pitching. Later that day, at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the Hindenburg burst into flames and crashed.

So on May 16th, the Dodgers were locked in a tight game with the Bees. Teammate, Tom Winsett snuffed out any chances of five straight when he singled in the top of the 11th inning. The hitter smashed what looked like a single to right, but Winslett completely lost track of the ball and was forced at second, snuffing out any chance of scoring. The Bees scored the winning run in their half, and Mungo completely lost it. He was ranting and raving and questioning Winslett’s ancestry. Normally players cool down pretty quickly. Not Mungo, he walked several blocks to the telegraph office, fuming all the way, and sent his wife the following message: ” Pack up your bags and come to Brooklyn, honey, if Winslett can play in the big leagues, it’s a cinch you can too.”

Mungo was chosen to play in his third All-Star game. But he had pulled a muscle in his side on July 4th.

Mungo, who had suffered through an illness of his son earlier in the year was toughing it out with his aching side. Bill Terry was managing the All-Star team that year. Grimes instructed Terry to not use him in the game. In today’s game, he would not have been allowed to pitch. The Dodgers sent Babe Hamberger, the team’s road secretary and a close friend of Mungo’s, along to make sure he did not misbehave. The game was in Washington. Dizzy Dean and Mungo were arguably the best pitchers in the NL at that time. After that day, neither would pitch effectively in the majors again. Dean started and was hit in the toe by a line drive off of the bat of Earl Averill. Trying to come back too early, he changed his delivery and hurt his arm. Despite being asked to not use Mungo, Terry brought him in any way, and he aggravated his side injury and developed a sore arm. To compound the situation, Grimes started him right after the All-Star game and he went four ineffective innings.

His arm did not get better, and he also had tonsilitis. So, he missed time in July and August. Grimes did not believe he had a sore arm and suspended him. He pitched in pain the rest of his time with the Dodgers, and his blazing fastball was rarely seen again. Van had had his differences with Grimes and led the Dodgers in fines. Before the 1938 season and before the extent of his arm injury was known, a number of teams had expressed interest in trading for him. New executive vice president, Larry McPhail, convinced that Mungo would return to form, turned down an offer of four players and 75,000 dollars from the Cubs. Chicago eventually got Dizzy Dean from the Cardinals for 175,000 dollars. Mungo came into 1938 with renewed determination to return to form.

On the eve of the season, Mungo had a sobering moment. A man of many moods, he displayed a kinder side. Young Jackie Bruger, a 6-year-old who idolized Mungo, had suffered severe burns after falling into a bonfire. He had been hospitalized for five months. After 13 transfusions, his survival was in question. But his pal Mun was there. He gave the optimistic boy an autographed ball and cheered him up. Mungo was emotionally shaken up after the meeting. He said, ” I think I have troubles, but look at that family.”

By the end of April, it was obvious that his arm was hurting. He lost his first three decisions. On May 11th he got his first win of the season. A vintage Mungo performance as he struck out 9 and threw a 7-0 shutout. But it was pretty much his last gasp. He finished 4-11. Larry McPhail, like many GMs of the day, did not believe his arm was the reason for the lack of performance and swore he would cut his salary. He confronted Mungo, as was his style, and did indeed lower his salary for 1939 from 15,000 to five. Mungo’s pitching coach, Otto Miller, felt he did not use his fastball enough in 38. But again, like most coaches and managers of the day, they did not recognize his dead arm.

Mungo would never record 9 Ks in a game again. He stayed with Brooklyn through the 1941 season but kept getting progressively worse. On December 4th, 1941, he was traded to the AAA Minneapolis Millers for Joe Hatten. But he was not yet finished in the majors. He spent the 42 and 43 seasons with the Giants after being purchased from Minneapolis in July of 42. He went 4-9 over those two seasons. He spent 1944 in the military. Then in 1945, at the age of 34, he returned to pitch one more year for the Giants. He had a good season, going 14-7 with a 3.20 ERA. He started 26 games, and pitched 183 innings but only struck out 101 hitters. He had seven complete games and two shutouts. But his MLB career was over. He finished with a 120-115 lifetime mark.

He played in the minors for two years and got suspended for the season in 1946. Then was a player-manager in 1947. He did not pitch but hit .362 with three homers in 32 games. After leaving the game, he returned home to Pageland, where he owned a movie theater. He opened the Ball theater to people of color. To accomplish this and abide by the rules of segregation in place at that time, he had a balcony built in the back of the theater. The other theater in town did not allow blacks. He also ran a cotton gin and managed the retail store opened by his father.

One of his other businesses was a trucking concern, but it was not properly insured, and when one of his drivers had an accident, the resulting lawsuits caused the company to close down. Like many players, Mungo would be reunited with old teammates from time to time. In 1965 he participated in an old-timer’s game at Shea Stadium. The Mets, in only their fourth year of existence, had few old-timers of their own, so they would invite old Dodgers and Giants to participate. Mungo, wearing the Dodger blue, served up a homer to Bobby Thompson. Johnny Mize, the next hitter, was sent sprawling when Mungo aimed one at his head. Mize stated, ” that’s just the way he pitched. ”

Mungo was elected to the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974. His businesses foundered as the movie theater burned down in 1957, and the cotton gin fell victim to the changing economy. But he remained the pride of Pageland. If you drive through Chesterfield County, you may well find yourself on Van Lingle Mungo Boulevard. Mungo passed away on Feb 12, 1985, from a heart attack at age 73. His daughter, Pamela, died of breast cancer in 1982. His son Van died of lung cancer in 2002. His wife, Eloise, also passed in 2002.

Mungo was definitely one of the most colorful and enigmatic characters in the game. He had great successes and many failures. His excesses were legendary, and his behavior at times very erratic. But his talent throwing a baseball was never in question.