Pepper Martin

<p>Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin (February 29, 1904 – March 5, 1965) was an American professional <a href="/facts/Baseball/42bEQy1Y">baseball</a> player and minor league <a href="/facts/Manager_(baseball)/aemfd1ue">manager</a>. He was known as the "Wild Horse of the Osage" because of his daring, aggressive <a href="/facts/Baserunning/Dc9CsLFX">baserunning</a> abilities. Martin played in <a href="/facts/Major_League_Baseball/4WW9yef3">Major League Baseball</a> as a <a href="/facts/Third_baseman/L9g4kkjD">third baseman</a> and an <a href="/facts/Outfielder/qWnTCHX3">outfielder</a> for the <a href="/facts/St._Louis_Cardinals/rPQxQGwq">St. Louis Cardinals</a> during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was best known for his heroics during the <a href="/facts/1931_World_Series/U0z3Qovv">1931 World Series</a>, in which he was the catalyst in a Cardinals' upset victory over the <a href="/facts/Philadelphia_Athletics/ljYlmawj">Philadelphia Athletics</a>.
</p><p>Martin was an integral member of the Cardinals' teams of the 1930s that became known as the <a href="/facts/Gashouse_Gang/le2T5FXb">Gashouse Gang</a> for their roguish behavior and practical jokes. Early in his career, he was labeled by some contemporary press reports as the next <a href="/facts/Ty_Cobb/CSC0ywqd">Ty Cobb</a> because of his spirited, hustling style of play. However, because his headlong attitude on the playing field took a physical toll on his body, he never lived up to those initial expectations. After the end of his playing career, he continued his career in baseball as a successful minor league baseball manager. In 2017, Martin was inducted into the <a href="/facts/St._Louis_Cardinals_Hall_of_Fame_Museum/t0dAXRor">St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame</a>.
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Pepper Martin open-in-new

Pepper Martin