The Canadian Apprenticeship of Jazz-Age Baseball Superstar Urban Shocker

Abstract

The pitcher Urban Shocker—who was once one of Babe Ruth’s most successful antagonists before be-coming his teammate on the legendary 1927 New York Yankees—underwent his formative baseball training inCanada. Today Urban Shocker is best known as a star pitcher with the St. Louis Browns and New York Yankees,but he also had important connections to Canada, which are no longer as well known. This article examines thefact that Shocker initially honed his impressive skills in Windsor, Ottawa, and Toronto.