Frank Luce

When the Pittsburgh Pirates began their 1924 spring training in Paso Robles, California, their starting outfield was firmly established. Max Carey, a future Hall of Famer, anchored the center field position, Carson Bigbee held down left field, and Clyde Barnhart roamed in right. But the two backup positions were up for grabs. Three young players emerged as contenders. Walter Mueller had served as a backup outfielder for the Pirates during the previous two seasons, gaining valuable experience with the club. Hazen “Kiki” Cuyler, who would later become a Hall of Famer, played 40 games for the team in 1923 and showed great promise. The third contender was Frank Luce. Despite having only two years of Organized Baseball and just nine major league games under his belt, Luce impressed coaches with his determination and skill during training. Although Luce made a strong bid, he ultimately did not make the team. The remainder of his professional career was spent in the minor leagues.

Frank Edward Luce was born on December 6, 1896, in Spencer, Ohio, a small town 31 miles west of Akron. His parents were Frederick E. Luce, a native of Spencer, born in 1872, and Martha E. Smith, originally from Pennsylvania, born in 1879. They were married in 1896. At age 11, his family relocated to Akron, where Frank graduated from high school and later attended business college. He played sports for both schools.

After graduating from high school, Luce’s name started appearing on the sports pages of the Akron Beacon Journal. From 1915 through 1918, he played football, basketball, baseball, and bowled in Akron’s industrial-sponsored amateur leagues. Luce enlisted in the Army on August 28, 1918, but was discharged less than three months when World War I ended. In 1919, he resumed his excellent work on the diamonds of the industrial league. The 1920 census shows Luce living with his divorced mother and younger sister in Akron and working as a truck driver for a lunch company. On March 26, 1921, he married Rella Mary Wagnor (née Neil), who had a five-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.

In May 1921, Luce signed a contract with the Greensboro (North Carolina) Patriots of the Class C Piedmont league, but not seeing any opportunity for advancement, he left and returned to Akron. He joined the Miller Rubber team and led them to the Industrial baseball championship of Ohio while leading the league in batting. Also of note: Only two batsmen have ever hit the ball over the long right field fence of Akron’s International League Park; one was Babe Ruth, and the other was Frank Luce. 1

In 1922, the Flint Vehicles of the Class B Michigan-Ontario League signed Luce. Bill Powell, along with his brother Otto, had recently purchased the Flint club. Bill, a former major league pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, had noticed Luce when he was managing a team in Akron’s amateur leagues. The Flint Journal said at the time of the signing, “Frank Luce of Akron is signed by the Vehicles. He is an outfielder, throws right and bats left-handed. It is said by Ohioans to be a wonderful player in all respects. He is 5 ft 11 in, weighs 180 pounds. He is 23 years old. They say he is a hawk on fly balls, a speed boy on the paths and carries a ‘shot gun’ up his right sleeve. As a hitter, the Powells believe he will plunk the ball up here at a .360 gate.”2

Early on, Luce was popular with the fans, reporters and management. “Hank Luce of Akron, has … been doing good work … made especially impressive showing with the willow. … (He) clout(s) the ball hard.”3 For reasons unknown while in Flint, Luce was always referred to as “Hank.” He started the season in right field but was soon switched to left, replacing a promising but inexperienced young player named Art Rooney, later the owner of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers. Luce finished the season leading the team with a .334 batting average, a .564 slugging percentage and 157 hits, and led the league in triples with 24 in 124 games.

In the spring of 1923, Flint considered selling Luce to a higher league. Both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team in the Class AA International League, showed interest, but Flint ultimately decided to keep him, offering a contract that included a raise. Luce balked at the deal, citing his wife Rella’s ongoing illness with tuberculosis. He had promised to stay by her side. Flint offered additional support, including moving his wife to Flint and paying for her care, or allowing him biweekly trips to Akron, but Luce still refused.4 On May 15, 1923, Rella passed away, and Luce reported to Flint two weeks later.

Luce had another great year. He led the league with a .382 batting average and had a slugging percentage of .602 in 117 games. At the end of the season, Pittsburgh purchased Luce’s contract. The purchase price was not disclosed, but it was understood that Pittsburgh would pay $5,000 upfront and another $5,000 if he made the team.5

Luce made his major league debut on September 17 against the Boston Braves as a fourth-inning pinch-hitter for Carson Bigbee. Facing left-hander Rube Marquard,  Luce scratched out an infield single, after which he was immediately picked off first base. He remained in the game, playing left field and finished the day going one-for-three with two strikeouts.

Luce got his first start and played the final game of his major league career on October 7, 1923, against the Cincinnati Reds.  He had his best game, going three-for-four, with a walk, stolen base, runs scored, and an RBI in the Pirates’ 7-5 victory. Thereafter, he played in several post-season exhibition games and earned praise from national reporters.6

Getting into nine games for the Pirates overall, Luce batted an eye-catching (six singles in 12 at-bats) .500. One of his base hits was a line drive off Forbes Field’s distant left field wall. Stationed in the outfield during five contests, Frank handled the four flyballs sent his way without a miscue.

During the offseason, Luce kept in shape by exercising, playing indoor baseball, and ice skating while holding down a prominent position at Akron’s power and light plant. In the Pirates’ spring training camp of 1924, Luce performed well and looked like a sure bet to make the team.7 But in late April, Luce was released outright back to Flint. The Pirates decided that Luce was still lacking experience. The club’s decision was also influenced by the need to retain Kiki Cuyler. The Pirates had had Cuyler under contract for the past three years and either had to retain him for the coming season or release him.8

Back in Flint, Luce batted .299 and hit 23 home runs. Flint made the playoffs but lost in the first round. Hours after the final out, Luce was on a train headed to Milwaukee to play for the Brewers of the Class AA American Association.9

Luce played the final week of the 1924 season10 and five more seasons with Milwaukee. His batting average was above .320 each season except in 1929, when it dipped to .296. In Milwaukee, he was known as “Powerhouse” Luce, and while there hit two historic home runs. One almost cleared the top of the scoreboard in right field at Milwaukee’s Borchert Field. The other was hit over the right field boards in St. Paul. Luce was very popular. Although he now weighed over 200 pounds, he was still fast afoot and was an integral part of some of Milwaukee’s best teams.11 In the 65-year history of the minor league Brewers, Luce ranks sixth in most home runs, seventh in triples, and 15th in doubles.

During his time in Milwaukee, Luce was sued for breach of promise by Mrs. Katherine Hartness, of St. Paul. The nature of their relationship was disputed. Luce said that he met Hartness on a Brewers’ trip to St. Paul three years earlier. She said that he proposed to her then. He said he did not, and that the relationship was casual.12 The disposition of the litigation is unknown – but whatever the outcome, Katherine Hartness never became Mrs. Frank Luce.

On November 29, 1929, Luce was released to the Nashville Volunteers of the Class A Southern Association.13 Luce played 94 games for the Volunteers in 1930 and batted .280. During the off-season Nashville traded him to another Southern Association team, the New Orleans Pelicans, for a catcher named Don Anderson.14 In an interview, Luce said: “I couldn’t play in the Nashville Park, we were sent up to hit with instructions to try and pull the ball over the short rightfield wall.  … But I wasn’t a natural rightfield hitter and trying to hit there all the time cramped my batting a whole lot.”15

After the first few games, Pelicans manager Larry Gilbert was very happy with Luce’s performance. In his first 14 at-bats, Luce had five hits, including a triple and four RBIs. He batted .357.16 The manager was also pleasantly surprised by his new outfielder’s splendid fielding.17 Luce maintained his torrid pace through the first 10 days in May, getting 31 hits in 85 at-bats18, but things quickly turned sour. He managed to get only three more hits in his next 37 at-bats and was released June 8, 1931. His final batting average was .279 with only one home run, three doubles, three triples, and 22 RBIs. Luce was acquired by the Peoria (Illinois) Tractors of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (III) League and played 51 games, batting only .227 before retiring.

After his playing days, Luce returned to Milwaukee and worked as a floor manager at Schuster’s department store. He also remarried, taking Inez Joost, a Wisconsin native who was a salesclerk at the store, as his second bride. During his time in Milwaukee, Frank tried to play in the Milwaukee amateur leagues but was thwarted by trouble with his eyesight. Luce served as chairman of the Schuster Athletic Association, a group that sponsored sports activities around the community, and was also involved in the American Legion. At the time of his death he was the sergeant-at-arms at a local post.19

Frank Luce passed away on February 3, 1942, succumbing to a heart attack. He was 45 and survived by his second wife. Following funeral services, his remains were buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Bill Lamb and fact-checked by Jeff Findley.

Sources

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author used Ancestry.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Baseball Hall of Fame Library Player File, Google Maps, Retrosheet.org and Stats Crew.

Notes

1 Edward F. Balinger, “Luce Aims to Win,” Pittsburgh Sunday Post, February 3, 1924: 23.

2 Harry Dayton, “Six More Players Signed,” Flint Daily Journal, March 3, 1922: 22.

3 Arthur Wedge, “Powell Gets Help,” Flint (Michigan) Daily Journal, April 14, 1922: 16.

4 Jack Gibons, “’Hank’ Luce makes Brillant Showing with Flint,” Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, Aprill 11, 1923: 19.

5 “Hank Luce Sold to Pittsburgh,” Flint Daily Journal, September 15, 1923: 12.

6 Harry Dayton, “Just a Little Dope,” Flint Daily Journal (Second Edition), October 11, 1923: 16.

7 Harry Dayton, “Just Dope,” Flint Sunday Journal, March 23, 1924: 30.

8 Harry Dayton, “Hank Luce Is Released to Flint,” Flint Sunday Journal, April 27, 1924: 33.

9 “Lester Bell’s Batting,” Milwaukee Journal, September 24, 1924: 20.

10 “Another New Brewer Recruit,” Milwaukee Journal, September 20, 1924: 6.

11 “Frank Luce, Old Brewer Dies, After Heart Attack,” Milwaukee Journal, February 3, 1942: 6.

12 “Milwaukee Ball Player Sued on Promise to Wed,” La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune and Leader-Press, October 11, 1927: 6.

13 George Zielke, “From the Press Box,” La Cross Tribune and Leader-Press, November 17, 1929: 14.

14 “Nashville Sends Luce to Birds for Anderson,” Chattanooga (Tennessee) Sunday Times, February 1, 1931: 21.

15 Charles L. Dyfour, “Outfielder Luce Hopes to Hit .350,” New Orleans Item, March 10, 1931: 14.

16 “Pel Batting,” New Orleans Item, April 17, 1931: 14.

17 Charles L. Dyfour, “Hitting of Luce Gives Greatest thrill to Larry,” New Orleans Item, April 17, 1931: 14.

18 “Pel Bat Averages,” New Orleans Item, May 12, 1931: 33.

19 Stovey McGlynn, “The Sports Parade,” Milwaukee Sentinel, February 4, 1942: 24.