Oral Hildebrand

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Oral Clyde Hildebrand (April 7, 1907 – September 1977) was an American baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1940. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and New York Yankees.

Hildebrand was born in Indianapolis and went to Butler University, where he starred in basketball. He helped Butler win the 1929 national championship and served as captain in 1930. He began his pro career in 1930 with the Indianapolis Indians (a minor league team) before reaching the majors in 1931.

He broke into the Indians’ starting rotation in 1933, going 16–11, leading the American League with six shutouts, and earning a spot on the All-Star team. He pitched a one-hitter on April 26 that year. From 1934 to 1936 he remained a solid pitcher for Cleveland, compiling a 30–28 record. He also had public disagreements with manager Walter Johnson, which ended when Johnson was fired in 1935.

In 1937 Hildebrand was traded to the St. Louis Browns in a blockbuster deal. He struggled there for two seasons and was then traded to the Yankees. In 1939 he went 10–4 with a 3.06 ERA, helping New York win the American League pennant. He started Game 4 of the World Series and pitched four scoreless innings as the Yankees clinched the title.

Hildebrand moved back to the minor leagues in 1941 and retired from baseball in 1942. After baseball, he worked as a tool-and-die maker for the Link-Belt Division of FMC Corporation, retiring in 1972. He died in 1977 at age 70, survived by his wife Frances and five children, and he is buried at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.