Rex Cecil

Who was Rex Cecil?

Rex Ralston Cecil was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher, a native of Lindsay, Oklahoma, had a 14-year pro career, including 18 games pitched, 16 as a starter, in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox. Cecil batted left-handed, stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 195 pounds.

Cecil's early pro career was based on the West Coast, especially in the Western International and Pacific Coast leagues. In 1944, during the peak of the World War II manpower shortage, Cecil won 19 of 30 decisions, with a stellar 2.16 earned run average, for the PCL San Diego Padres and was acquired by the Red Sox.

Making his Major League debut on August 13, 1944, in relief against the eventual American League champion St. Louis Browns at Fenway Park, Cecil threw four scoreless innings and earned the victory when Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby Doerr hit a walk-off home run in the 13th inning. He then threw successive complete games as a starting pitcher, against the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, and split two decisions. During his rookie campaign for Boston, Cecil won four games, lost five and compiled a 5.11 earned run average.