Jake Freeze
{{Short description|American baseball player (1900–1983)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jake Freeze
|image=Jake_Freeze.png
|caption=Freeze, {{circa}} 1925
|position=Pitcher
|birth_date={{Birth date|1900|4|25}}
|birth_place=Huntington, Arkansas, U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|1983|4|9|1900|4|25}}
|death_place=San Angelo, Texas, U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=July 1
|debutyear=1925
|debutteam=Chicago White Sox
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=July 2
|finalyear=1925
|finalteam=Chicago White Sox
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=Games played
|stat1value=2
|stat2label=Earned run average
|stat2value=2.45
|stat3label=Strikeouts
|stat3value=1
|teams=
- Chicago White Sox ({{Baseball year|1925}})
}}
Carl Alexander "Jake" Freeze (April 25, 1900 – April 9, 1983) was a professional baseball pitcher who appeared in two games for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1925. Listed at {{convert|5|ft|8|in}} and {{convert|150|lb|kg}}, he threw and batted right-handed.
Career
From 1923 through 1925, Freeze played college baseball for the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. In May 1923, with future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ted Lyons as a teammate, Freeze was the winning pitcher in a 5–3 victory over the Texas Longhorns that gave Baylor the Southwest Conference championship.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33384242/baylor_victory_brings_baseball/ |title=Baylor Victory Brings Baseball Championship to Waco |first=Jinx |last=Tucker |newspaper=Waco News-Tribune |location=Waco, Texas |page=6 |date=May 23, 1923 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} In 1925, Freeze reportedly received offers from four major league teams;{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33381817/freeze_gets_four_major_league_offers/ |title=Freeze gets four major league offers |newspaper=The Austin American |location=Austin, Texas |page=7 |date=February 10, 1925 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} he joined the Chicago White Sox in June that year.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33381868/baseball_briefs/ |title=Baseball Briefs |agency=AP |newspaper=The Dispatch |location=Moline, Illinois |page=12 |date=June 25, 1925 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}
Both of Freeze's major league appearances were for the White Sox in road games against the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park. On July 1, 1925, he pitched one inning, retiring all three batters he faced. The next day, he pitched {{frac|2|2|3}} innings, allowing five hits and seven runs (one earned) while striking out one and walking three. During that game, he struck out in his only major league at bat as a hitter. Notable members of the White Sox at that time included Ted Lyons, Freeze's former teammate at Baylor, and other future Hall of Famers Red Faber, Harry Hooper, Ray Schalk, and player-manager Eddie Collins.
The White Sox released Freeze in mid-July 1925 to the minor league Little Rock Travelers of the Southern Association.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33381938/looking_thru_the_sport_spy_glass/ |title=Looking Thru The Sport Spy Glass (column) |first=Bill |last=Smith |newspaper=The Austin American |location=Austin, Texas |page=7 |date=July 14, 1925 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} While there are contemporary news accounts of him pitching for the Travelers—he had a losing record,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382429/looking_through_the_sport_spyglass/ |title=Looking Through the Sport Spyglass (column) |first=Bill |last=Smith |newspaper=The Austin American |location=Austin, Texas |page=9 |date=January 7, 1926 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} but did pitch a two-hitter{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382084/barons_fall_in_old_rut/ |title=Barons Fall in Old Rut |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |location=Montgomery, Alabama |page=6 |date=July 21, 1925 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}—Freeze's 1925 minor league statistics are absent from Baseball-Reference.com.
The Chicago Cubs organization acquired Freeze in May 1926.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382278/freeze_to_join_cubs/ |title=Freeze to Join Cubs |agency=AP |newspaper=The Austin American |location=Austin, Texas |page=9 |date=May 28, 1926 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} He played for the minor league Waco Cubs in the Texas League through the 1928 season, recording an overall record of 24–30 with 6.18 ERA. In 1929, Freeze's final year in professional baseball, he initially spent time with the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League, who returned him to Waco,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382588/sports_forum_column/ |title=Sports Forum (column) |newspaper=The Brownsville Herald |location=Brownsville, Texas |page=11 |date=May 2, 1929 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} who then released him.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382634/jake_freeze_given_release_by_waco_cubs/ |title=Jake Freeze Given Release by Waco Cubs |agency=AP |newspaper=The Austin American |location=Austin, Texas |page=12 |date=May 7, 1929 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} Freeze went on to pitch in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (also known as the Three–I League) for the Terre Haute Tots, where he had a 12–15 record with 4.38 ERA. Freeze had a .263 batting average in the minor leagues from 1926 to 1929.
Contemporary news reports mention Freeze pitching for the Abilene Oilers, a semi-pro team based in Abilene, Texas, in 1933.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382802/abilene_oilers_going_after_sheep_herder/ |title=Abilene Oilers Going After Sheep Herder Nine Sunday |newspaper=Abilene Reporter-News |location=Abilene, Texas |page=2 |date=April 4, 1933 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} He later became an income tax specialist in San Angelo, Texas.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33382948/chousin_around_column/ |title=Chousin' Around (column) |first=Harry |last=Holt |newspaper=Abilene Reporter-News |location=Abilene, Texas |page=33 |date=June 15, 1949 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} Freeze was inducted to the Baylor Bears Hall of Fame in December 1979.{{cite web |url=https://baylorbears.com/sports/2018/5/16/ot-hall-alpha-html.aspx#F |title=Hall of Fame - Alphabetical List |website=baylorbears.com |accessdate=June 30, 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33383032/thinkin_out_loud_column/ |title=Thinkin' Out Loud (column) |first=Edward |last=Fadal |newspaper=The Waco Citizen |location=Waco, Texas |page=8 |date=December 7, 1979 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} He died on April 9, 1983, after a lengthy illness.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33383482/freeze_dies/ |title=Freeze dies |newspaper=Star-Gazette |location=Elmira, New York |page=11 |date=April 10, 1983 |accessdate=June 30, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{baseballstats|mlb=114413|br=f/freezja01|brm=freeze001car|retro=F/Pfreej102}}
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/arkbaseball/9153391545/ Photo of Freeze with the Little Rock Travelers] via Flickr
- {{findagrave|49779487}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeze, Jake}}
Category:Major League Baseball pitchers
Category:Baseball players from Arkansas
Category:Baylor Bears baseball players
Category:Baylor University alumni
Category:Chicago White Sox players
Category:Little Rock Travelers players
Category:Terre Haute Tots players