In today’s world of free agency in baseball, it is unusual for someone to remain as a player with the same team for 20 seasons.
However, Cleveland Indians pitcher Mel Harder did just that, playing for the Indians from 1928 to 1947.
Nicknamed “The Chief”, Harder won over 200 games and made the All-Star team four consecutive years with Cleveland.
After he retired from playing, Harder spent the next 16 seasons from 1948 to 1963 as a successful coach with the Indians.
We take a look at the life of Mel Harder – before, during, and after his major league baseball playing career.
Happy Birthday to the late Mel Harder, out of Beemer, Nebraska: 223-186, 3.80 ERA, 1,160 SO’s; Spent 36 seasons overall with @Indians as a player and coach; only man in @MLB history to have both a 20 year playing career and coaching career; 10-15-1909 to 10-20-2002 ( aged 93)… pic.twitter.com/kK45V9fDSl
— Larry in Missouri ( Leisure Suit Larry) (@LarryInMissouri) October 15, 2020
The Early Years Before Playing Major League Baseball (1909-1927)
Melvin Leroy Harder was born in Beemer, Nebraska on October 15, 1909.
Beemer is located in northeastern Nebraska, about 85 miles from Omaha, Nebraska.
Harder moved to Omaha when he was two years old.
He started playing baseball in kindergarten, although he did not pitch until he was 10 years old in a church league.
As he was growing up, Harder was a pitcher and a center fielder.
Harder attended Omaha Technical High School.
In high school, Harder played baseball, basketball, and football.
As a pitcher, HBarder’s primary pitch then was a sinker ball, which he ended up using throughout his baseball career.
When he was 17 years old, in 1927, Harder signed a contract with the minor league Omaha Buffaloes in the Class A Western League.
Pitching for Omaha, Harder posted a 4-7 record, with a 4.76 earned run average, in 1927.
Harder also pitched for the Dubuque Dubs in the Class D Mississippi Valley League in 1927.
With Dubuque, Harder compiled a 13-6 record.
The St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox, and the Cleveland Indians all scouted and made offers to sign Harder.
Ultimately, Harder signed with Cleveland and joined the Indians to begin his major league career for the 1928 season.
The Major League Baseball Playing Years (1928–1947)
1928-1937
At 18 years old, Harder was the youngest player (by two years) on the 1928 Indians roster.
Harder (at a height of six feet and one inch and a weight of 195 pounds) made his major league debut in a 6-2 Cleveland loss to the St. Louis Browns on April 24, 1928.
In relief, Harder pitched 3-2/3 innings and did not allow a run or a hit.
He had two strikeouts and allowed one walk.
For the 1928 season, Harder had a 0-2 record, with a 6.61 earned run average.
The Indians had a 62-92 record and finished in seventh place in the American League in 1928.
Harder started the 1929 season with the Indians, but during the season was sent to Cleveland’s-affiliated minor league team, the New Orleans Pelicans, in the Class A Southern Association.
He pitched well for New Orleans, posting a 7-2 record, with a 2.50 earned run average, in 1929.
It was to be Harder’s last minor league stint.
Cleveland recalled Harder to its major league roster late in the 1929 season.
On September 25, 1929, in a 9-7 Indians win over the Chicago White Sox, Harder earned his first major league victory, allowing no runs or hits in one inning of relief work.
Harder had a 1-0 record, with a 5.60 earned run average, in 1929.
Cleveland, with an 81-71 record, finished in third place in the American League in 1929.
In 1930, Harder became a full-time starting pitcher for the Indians, beginning a streak of 18 consecutive seasons in which Harder started at least 10 games.
On May 18, 1930, Harder earned his first major league victory as a starting pitcher, in a 7-4 Cleveland defeat of the Chicago White Sox.
Harder pitched a complete game, striking out six batters and allowing six hits and two walks.
Harder also was the winning pitcher in a 4-2 Indians victory over the White Sox on September 6, 1930.
He pitched a complete game and allowed eight hits.
In 1930, Harder compiled an 11-10 record, with a 4.21 earned run average.
With an 81-73 record, Cleveland finished in fourth place in the American League in 1930.
In a complete game performance on July 14, 1931, Harder was the winning pitcher, as the Indians defeated the New York Yankees 5-1.
Harder had three strikeouts and allowed eight hits and five walks.
On August 28, 1931, in a 13-1 Cleveland win over the St. Louis Browns, Harder was the winning pitcher.
He pitched a complete game, had two strikeouts, and allowed four hits and two walks.
Harder, in 1931, posted a 13-14 record, with a 4.36 earned run average.
Cleveland finished in fourth place in the American League in 1931, with a 78-76 record.
In an 8-1 Indians defeat of the New York Yankees on July 16, 1932, Harder was the winning pitcher in a complete game.
He had two strikeouts and allowed six hits and two walks.
On September 14, 1932, Harder pitched his first major league shutout, in a 9-0 Cleveland win over the Boston Red Sox.
He held Boston to seven hits, allowed one walk, and struck out five batters.
In 1932, Harder had a 15-13 record, with a 3.75 earned run average (10th in the American League).
He ranked fourth in the American League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.403).
Harder led the American League in 1932 in both putouts by a pitcher (18) and assists by a pitcher (65).
The Indians, with an 87-65 record, finished in fourth place in the American League in 1932.
Harder developed a curve ball to go with his sinker ball.
While he never had an overpowering fastball, Harder became effective at changing speeds and hitting different spots to stymie batters.
On June 2, 1933, Harder pitched a shutout, as Cleveland defeated the St. Louis Browns 1-0.
He allowed six hits and had four strikeouts.
Harder pitched another shutout on June 18, 1933, in a 4-0 Indians victory over the Boston Red Sox.
He struck out five batters and allowed eight hits.
On July 10, 1933, Harder pitched all 12 innings of a 3-2 Cleveland win over the Washington Senators.
Harder allowed 10 hits and two walks and had one strikeout.
Harder was the winning pitcher, in a 2-1 Indians defeat of the Boston Red Sox on August 18, 1933.
He pitched a complete game, holding Boston to only five hits, allowing two walks, and striking out four batters.
In 1933, Harder led the American League in earned run average, with a 2.95 earned run average.
Posting a 15-17 record, Harder ranked tied for fourth in the American League in shutouts (2) and fourth in the American League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.383) in 1933.
For the second consecutive year, in 1933, Harder led the American League in both putouts by a pitcher (22) and assists by a pitcher (87).
With a 75-76 record, Cleveland finished in fourth place in the American League in 1933.
Harder, a right-handed pitcher, was tied for the lead in the American League in shutouts in 1934, throwing six shutouts.
First, on May 29, 1934, Harder held the Chicago White Sox to six hits, in a 5-0 Indians win over Chicago.
He allowed two walks and had four strikeouts.
Second, Harder pitched a 3-0 shutout of the Washington Senators on June 19, 1934.
He allowed seven hits and three walks and had one strikeout.
Third, on July 14, 1934, Harder held the Senators to four hits, in a 2-0 Cleveland defeat of Washington.
Harder struck out three batters.
Fourth, Harder pitched a five-hit shutout of the Philadelphia Athletics on August 18, 1934.
In the 10-0 Indians victory, Harder had three strikeouts and allowed one walk.
Fifth, on September 2, 1934, Harder held the Detroit Tigers to two hits, as the Indians defeated the Tigers 1-0.
He allowed three walks and struck out three hitters.
Sixth, Harder pitched a 4-0 shutout of the Chicago White Sox on September 29, 1934.
He allowed six hits and two walks and had two strikeouts.
The September 29 shutout of the White Sox gave Harder 20 wins in 1934.
In addition to compiling a 20-12 record in 1934, Harder had an earned run average of 2.61 (second in the American League).
Harder ranked seventh in the American League in both fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (8.671) and fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.855), and tied for 10th in the American League in strikeouts (91), in 1934.
He ranked second in the American League in assists by a pitcher (61) in 1934
In 1934, Harder was named to the All-Star team.
Cleveland finished in third place in the American League, with an 85-69 record, in 1934.
On “Opening Day” in 1935 (on April 16, 1935), Harder pitched all 14 innings of a 2-1 Indians win over the St. Louis Browns.
Harder allowed eight hits and three walks and had six strikeouts.
Harder held the New York Yankees to three hits, in a 5-0 shutout of the Yankees on May 9, 1935; the game was five innings.
Harder struck out six batters and allowed one walk.
On June 16, 1935, Harder pitched a one-hit shutout of the Boston Red Sox, as Cleveland defeated Boston 4-0.
Harder allowed four walks and had one strikeout.
In a 10-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Athletics on September 18, 1935, Harder held Philadelphia to only four hits.
He struck out six batters.
Harder pitched another shutout on September 28, 1935, as the Indians defeated the St. Louis Browns 3-0.
He allowed seven hits and had two strikeouts.
For the 1935 season, Harder had a 22-11 record, with a 3.29 earned run average (fifth in the American League).
Harder led the American League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (1.66) in 1935.
He ranked tied for second in the American League in shutouts (4) and ninth in the American League in strikeouts (95).
In 1935, Harder also led the American League both in putouts by a pitcher (18) and in assists by a pitcher (81).
Harder again was named to the All-Star team in 1935.
Before & After: edit/colorization of #MLB All-Stars Mel Harder & Bill Walker (Cleveland Stadium – July 8, 1935) @UniWatch @PhilHecken #ASG pic.twitter.com/2lkv8cKQIY
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) July 8, 2018
In 1935, the Indians had an 82-71 record and finished in third place in the American League.
On June 6, 1936, Harder was the winning pitcher, in a 4-2 Cleveland win over the New York Yankees.
He pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and striking out four hitters.
Harder had another complete game victory, in a 2-1 Indians defeat of the Washington Senators on June 20, 1936.
He allowed five hits and four walks and had one strikeout.
During the 1936 season, Harder was bothered by shoulder bursitis.
Injuries were to adversely affect Harder for the rest of his career, and he was unable to match his two “20-win” seasons in 1934 and 1935.
In 1936, Harder compiled a 15-15 record, with a 5.17 earned run average.
He ranked sixth in the American League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.844).
Harder ranked tied for second in the American League in putouts by a pitcher in 1936 (13).
He again was named to the All-Star team in 1936.
With an 80-74 record, Cleveland finished in fifth place in the American League in 1936.
Harder held the Chicago White Sox to five hits, in a 7-2 complete game victory on April 28, 1937.
He had five strikeouts and allowed one walk.
On August 22, 1937, Harder again held the White Sox to five hits, in a 3-2 Indians win over Chicago.
In a complete game performance, Harder had three strikeouts and allowed one walk.
Harder, in 1937, had a 15-12 record, with a 4.28 earned run average.
1937 – Cleveland Indians Mel Harder, manager Steve O'Neill, and an 18 year old Bob Feller sitting on the dugout steps at Fenway Park pic.twitter.com/ch507CNONo
— CirclinTheBases (@CirclinTheBases) December 24, 2020
He ranked fifth in the American League in assists by a pitcher (48) in 1937.
For the fourth consecutive year, Harder was named to the All-Star team in 1937.
In 1937, with an 83-71 record, Cleveland finished in fourth place in the American League.
1938-1947
On July 25, 1938, Harder shut out the Boston Red Sox, in a 3-0 Indians win over Boston.
Harder allowed five hits and one walk and had four strikeouts.
Harder pitched a two-hit shutout of the Detroit Tigers on September 7, 1938, as Cleveland defeated Detroit 1-0.
Harder had five strikeouts and allowed three walks.
In 1938, Harder compiled a 17-10 record, with a 3.83 earned run average (ninth in the American League).
He ranked tied for fifth in the American League in shutouts (2), second in the American League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.325), and ninth in the American League in strikeouts (102), in 1938.
Harder led the American League in putouts by a pitcher (21) in 1938.
He ranked third in the American League in assists by a pitcher (49) and fifth in the American League in fielding percentage by a pitcher (.986).
The Indians had an 86-66 record and finished in third place in the American League in 1938.
Harder held the New York Yankees to four hits, in a 7-1 Cleveland defeat of the Yankees on August 6, 1939.
Pitching a complete game, Harder had two strikeouts and allowed four walks.
On August 16, 1939, Harder pitched a seven-hit shutout, in a 3-0 Indians win over the St. Louis Browns.
He allowed one walk and had four strikeouts.
Harder, in 1939, posted a 15-9 record, with a 3.50 earned run average (eighth in the American League).
Cleveland Indians pitchers Johnny Allen, Bob Feller, and Mel Harder during the 1939 season. pic.twitter.com/bJ9jYa7ej9
— SABR Pictorial (@SABRPictorial) September 16, 2020
He ranked sixth in the American League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.769) in 1939.
In 1939, Harder ranked tied for fourth in the American League in putouts by a pitcher (14).
With an 87-67 record, Cleveland finished in third place in the American League in 1939.
On August 5, 1940, Harder held the Chicago White Sox to five hits, pitching a complete game, as the Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox 10-1.
Harder had three strikeouts and allowed four walks.
Harder pitched another complete game, in an 8-1 Cleveland victory over the Boston Red Sox on September 12, 1940.
He allowed three hits and three walks and struck out five batters.
In 1940, Harder had a 12-11 record, with a 4.06 earned run average.
He ranked seventh in the American League in 1940 in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.85).
The Indians, with an 89-65 record, finished in second place in the American League in 1940, just one game behind the pennant-winning Detroit Tigers.
It was the closest Harder came to appearing in the World Series as a player.
On May 14, 1941, Harder pitched a complete game and held the New York Yankees to six hits, in a 4-1 Cleveland victory over New York.
Harder had one strikeout and allowed two walks.
In the May 14 win, Harder held future National Baseball Hall of Fame New York outfielder Joe DiMaggio hitless in three at bats.
DiMaggio had a batting average below .200 during his career against Harder.
“The toughest pitcher I ever faced was Mel Harder.”
In 1941, Harder developed bone chips in his elbow and did not pitch after July.
He had a 5-4 record, with a 5.24 earned run average, in 1941.
With a 75-79 record, the Indians finished tied for fourth place in the American League in 1941.
In 1942, Harder rebounded from his 1941 performance and pitched four shutouts (tied for second in the American League) – 2-0 over the St. Louis Browns on April 24, 1942 (Harder allowed four hits and three walks and had two strikeouts), 4-0 over the Boston Red Sox on July 19, 1942 (Harder allowed three hits and three walks and had four strikeouts), 2-0 over the Detroit Tigers on September 20, 1942 (Harder allowed two hits and six walks and had eight strikeouts), and 3-0 over the Tigers on September 26, 1942 (Harder allowed seven hits and two walks and had three strikeouts).
Harder posted a 13-14 record, with a 3.44 earned run average, in 1942.
Cleveland had a 75-79 record and finished in fourth place in the American League in 1942.
A wrist injury caused Harder to miss two months of the 1943 season.
On July 23, 1943, Harder pitched a four-hit shutout, in a 1-0 Cleveland win over the Philadelphia Athletics.
Harder struck out two batters and allowed one walk.
Harder, in 1943, had an 8-7 record, with a 3.06 earned run average.
In 1943, Cleveland had an 82-71 record and finished in third place in the American League.
Harder held the Philadelphia Athletics to three hits, in a 5-0 shutout of the Athletics on May 20, 1944.
He struck out three batters.
On August 18, 1944, Harder shut out the New York Yankees, in a 2-0 Indians victory.
He allowed seven hits and one walk and had five strikeouts.
Harder posted a 12-10 record, with a 3.71 earned run average, in 1944.
Cleveland finished tied for fifth place in the American League in 1944, with a 72-82 record.
While Harder played three more seasons with the Indians, the combined impact of injuries and age (Harder turned 36 in 1945) significantly affected his performance from 1945 to 1947.
However, Harder sometimes could still pitch a good game in these years.
On May 15, 1946, Harder pitched a six-hit shutout, in a 3-0 Cleveland victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
Mel Harder (left) and Steve Gromek threw a doubleheader shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics at League Park 75 years ago today (May 15, 1946). Harder won game one, a 3-0 six-hitter, and Gromek took game two on a four-hitter, 5-0. pic.twitter.com/InP0foso5Q
— League Park (@LeagueParkCle) May 15, 2021
Harder allowed two walks and had three strikeouts.
Harder’s final major league shutout was an 8-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on July 13, 1947.
He allowed nine hits and two walks and struck out three batters.
He compiled records of 3-7 in 1945 (with a 3.67 earned run average), 5-4 in 1946 (with a 3.41 earned run average), and 6-4 in 1947 (with a 4.50 earned run average).
The Indians had records of 73-72 in 1945 (finishing in fifth place in the American League), 68-86 in 1946 (finishing in sixth place in the American League), and 80-74 in 1947 (finishing in fourth place in the American League).
1947 was Harder’s last season as a major league baseball player.
The Years After Playing Major League Baseball (1948-2002)
Harder married Sandy Schmidt in 1932.
She died in 1986.
He had two daughters, Penny and Kathryn.
When he retired as a player, Harder became a coach.
Coaching after his playing career was over should have come as no surprise, as Harder had informally helped such Indians pitchers as National Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Bob Lemon while Harder played on the Indians.
For most of 1948, Harder was first base coach for the Indians, while also unofficially helping Cleveland’s pitching staff.
In 1949, Harder became the full-time pitching coach for the Indians.
Harder coached for the Indians from 1948 through 1963.
He was a coach for Cleveland during both its World Series-winning season in 1948 and its American League pennant-winning season in 1954.
National Baseball Hall of Fame Indians shortstop and manager Lou Boudreau said:
“Mel Harder’s greatest asset is knowing the individual. He would get inside a pitcher’s mind and body and draw the best out of them.”
In addition, National Baseball Hall of Fame Indians pitcher Early Wynn stated:
“Mel Harder made me a pitcher.”
Early Wynn was one of many outstanding pitchers, including also Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia, “Mudcat” Grant, Sam McDowell, and Tommy John, who Harder coached as a successful pitching coach for the Indians.
During two managerial changes for the Indians, Harder also managed Cleveland for three games in 1961 and 1962.
Harder had a perfect 3-0 record as a manager.
After his 16 seasons as a coach with Cleveland, Harder then coached with the New York Mets in 1964, the Chicago Cubs in 1965, the Cincinnati Reds from 1966 to 1968, and the Kansas City Royals in 1969.
Harder died on October 20, 2002, at the age of 93, in Chardon, Ohio.
In 1951, Harder was inducted in the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.
Harder’s uniform number when he was a player, number “18”, was retired by Cleveland in 1990.
As a player, Harder ranks in multiple statistical categories as one of the top pitchers in Cleveland Indians history.
Ran across this photo with Mel Harder and Carlos Baerga- great memories pic.twitter.com/KYnPZRVf2X
— Bob Rosen (@WahooBobRosen) May 23, 2021
He ranks second in Indians career wins (223), 35th in Indians career earned run average (3.80), sixth in Indians career shutouts (25), 27th in Indians career fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (2.94), and ninth in Indians career strikeouts (1,161).
If not for his various injuries beginning in 1936 (in particular in 1941 and 1943), Harder’s statistical numbers would be even higher.
Yet, the key statistic when it comes to Harder and the Indians is 36 – the total number of seasons Harder helped the Indians, first from 1928 to 1947 as a player and then from 1948 to 1963 as a coach.
It would be very hard to find any person who gave more years of his life to help Cleveland Indians baseball.
For his 36 seasons with the team, Mel Harder should be recognized as one of the greatest Cleveland Indians.
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