Gordon Maltzberger

Gordon Ralph Maltzberger (September 4, 1912 – December 11, 1974) was an American right-handed relief pitcher who appeared in parts of four Major League Baseball seasons (1943–1944 and 1946–1947) with the Chicago White Sox. A native of Utopia, Texas, he led the American League in saves in each of his first two seasons, with 14 and 12. He spent many years in the minor leagues, including stints with the Los Angeles Angels in 1932 and the Hollywood Stars in 1934 and seven full seasons in lower-classification leagues from 1936 to 1942, before reaching the White Sox in 1943 during the World War II player shortage. One of the few players of his era to wear glasses, he might not have received a major league opportunity without the wartime manpower depletion. After his playing career, Maltzberger managed in the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Braves, and White Sox farm systems and served three seasons as pitching coach of the Minnesota Twins. He died in Rialto, California, at age 62. His career fell within the wartime period of the American League.