Allen Sothoron
A crafty spitballer who navigated the dead-ball era, later mentoring players as a coach and manager.
1893–1939 (age 46)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: April 27·The Lost Generation
Biography
Allen Sothoron carved out an eleven-year major league journey as a right-handed pitcher, mastering the then-legal spitball during the sport's dead-ball era. He took the mound for four different American League clubs, relying on guile and a tricky pitch to get batters out. After his playing days, Sothoron transitioned seamlessly into coaching and management, bringing his deep understanding of the game's intricacies to the dugout. His second act included a stint as a manager in the minor leagues, where he helped shape the next generation of talent. His career embodies the baseball lifer, a man who stayed in the game long after his final pitch.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Allen was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Allen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Allen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1939Died at 46
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
Key Achievements
- Pitched 11 seasons in the major leagues for four different teams.
- Posted a career-best 2.17 earned run average over 182 innings in 1917.
- Served as a player-manager for the minor league Toledo Mud Hens.
- Worked as a coach for the St. Louis Browns after his playing career.
Did You Know?
He was one of the pitchers allowed to continue throwing the spitball after it was banned in 1920.
He attended both Albright College and Juniata College in Pennsylvania.
His brother, Stan Sothoron, was a sportswriter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“A good spitball doesn't break; it just disappears right when the batter swings.”
