Carl Hubbell (June 22, 1903 - November 21, 1988) was a left-handed screwball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Giants in the National League from 1928 to 1943. Hubbell was born in Carthage, Missouri. Nicknamed "King Carl" by the fans and "The Meal Ticket" by his teammates, Hubbell's first major-league victory was a 4-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Making a late entry to the majors at age 25, Hubbell would go 10-6 in his first season, and would pitch his entire career for the Giants. With a slow delivery of his devastating screwball, Hubbell recorded five consecutive 20-win seasons for the Giants (1933-37), and helped his team to three NL pennants and the 1933 World Series title. In the 1933 Series, he won two complete game victories, including an 11-inning 2-1 triumph in Game Four (the run was unearned). In six career Series starts, he was 4-2 with 32 strikeouts and a low 1.79 earned run average.
In the 1934 All-Star game played at the Polo Grounds, Hubbell set a record by striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in succession: five batters destined for Cooperstown. In 1984, the 50th anniversary of this legendary performance, the National League pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combined to fan six batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record (future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett by Valenzuela; Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis by Gooden). Hubbell himself was on hand for the 1984 All-Star Game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park to throw out the first pitch (a screwball of course).
Hubbell finished his career with a 253-154 record, 1678 strikeouts, 724 walks, 36 shutouts and a 2.97 ERA, in 3590 innings pitched.
After his retirement, Hubbell served as director of the Giants' minor league organization and director of player development for 35 years. The last 10 years of his life were spent as a Giants scout.
Carl Hubbell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
He died due to injuries sustained in an auto accident in Scottsdale, Arizona at 85 years of age. Hubbell is interred in Meeker-Newhope Cemetery in Meeker, Oklahoma.
In 1999, he ranked number 45 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
