A Cleveland Indian for his entire career, Mel Harder debuted for the Tribe in 1928, where he was used in relief in his first two seasons when he was on their main roster and not in the minors.
The Nebraskan would be part of the Indians' rotation for a decade, and the control pitcher would win the ERA Title in 1933 and was first in BB/9 in 1935. The four-time All-Star finished in the top ten in BB/9 eight times, WHIP six times, and ERA six times. Seven times he was in the top ten in SO/BB, which was very impressive, considering he had only one 100 Strikeout season. From 1932 to 1939, he never had fewer than 15 Wins in a year.
While Harder’s skills began to erode in the 1940s, he lasted until 1947. Although the Indians never made the playoffs while he was there, Harder is one of the best hurlers in franchise history. He retired with 223 Wins against 186 Losses.
Comments powered by CComment