The Seattle Indians picked up their first win of the 1924 season, beating the Angels 9-5 thanks to the hitting of "Henry" known as Ted "Baldy" Baldwin and the pitching of Bill Plummer. I'm sure he'll end up with more nick-names as the season moves along. Plummer, father of a Johnny Bench backup and one-time Mariner manager, had two full seasons of PCL ball in 1924 and 1925, both marred by a consistently sore arm. Otherwise records indicate he played for either Portland in 1921, or Seattle, 1923-27, from the ages of 17 to 25. Apparently, Plummer would marry the sister of Indian teammate Red Baldwin, who would be the uncle of the future Piniella predecessor. Bill Plummer would pitch his last game on August 16, 1927, being pulled in the sixth inning for a tired arm against the San Francisco Seals. 1927 would also be the year Ted Baldwin got his cup of coffee with the Phillies, the highlight of an athletic career that saw him start by playing college baseball at Swarthmore and end up playing baseball for Portland of the New England League. Red Baldwin never got a cup of coffee. His career consisted of spending at least15 years catching in the minors. One of the things I've found when researching old-time players is that they often played semi-pro ball or some type of amateur organized baseball into their 40s. Especially those who were capable of playing in the high minors to major league levels. This often missing history is usually hinted at in small press papers or community records, with notifications of games played at summer festivals or in some local league that lasts maybe a year.
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