:Homer Peel

{{Short description|American baseball player (1902–1997)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Homer Peel

|image=HomerPeelGoudeycard.jpg

|caption=Homer Peel 1934 Goudey baseball card

|position=Outfielder

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1902|10|10}}

|birth_place=Port Sullivan, Texas

|death_date={{death date and age|1997|4|8|1902|10|10}}

|death_place=Shreveport, Louisiana

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 13

|debutyear=1927

|debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=June 25

|finalyear=1934

|finalteam=New York Giants

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.238

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=2

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=44

|teams=

• St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1927}})
• Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1929}})
• St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1930}})
• New York Giants ({{mlby|1933}}–{{mlby|1934}})

|highlights=

• World Series champion ({{wsy|1933}})

}}

Homer Hefner Peel (October 10, 1902 – April 8, 1997) was an American professional baseball player and manager during the first half of the 20th century. His career lasted for a quarter century (1923–42; 1946–50), including 21 years as an outfielder and four years as a non-playing manager. Peel appeared in 186 Major League Baseball games over five seasons (1927; 1929–30; 1933–34) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants. The native of Port Sullivan, Milam County, Texas, threw and batted right-handed, stood {{convert|5|ft|9|in}} tall and weighed {{convert|170|lb}}. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.{{cite web|url=http://baseballinwartime.com/those_who_served/those_who_served_atoz.htm|title=Baseball in Wartime – Those Who Served from A to Z|website=baseballinwartime.com|accessdate=July 10, 2016}}

Peel batted only .238 with an even 100 hits, two home runs and 44 RBI during his Major League career. But he was a member of the 1933 World Series champion Giants, appearing in two games of the 1933 World Series. He was a defensive replacement in center field for Kiddo Davis in Game 2, and singled as a pinch hitter for Freddie Fitzsimmons in Game 3 off Earl Whitehill of the Washington Senators.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1933/B10050WS11933.htm|title=Washington Senators 4, New York Giants 0|date=October 5, 1933|website=retrosheet.org|accessdate=July 10, 2016}}

In addition, Peel was one of the top players in minor league baseball during the 1920s and 1930s{{sabrbio|cc674b65|John F. Green|July 10, 2016}} He hit over .300 for more than a dozen seasons and was known as "the Ty Cobb of the Texas League", where hit batted .325 lifetime. He also managed the Fort Worth Cats, Oklahoma City Indians and Shreveport Sports in the Texas circuit.

Peel died on April 8, 1997 in Shreveport, Louisiana, at age 94.{{Cite news |last=Ferrell |first=Scott |date=1997-04-09 |title=Captains Report |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-captains-report/161490679/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=The Times |page=23 |publication-place=Shreveport, Louisiana |via=Newspapers.com |quote=The Captains observed a moment of silence before Tuesday's game in memory of Homer Peel, who died earlier in the day. Peel, 94...}}