Major League Baseball Player. He is considered to be the first full-blooded American Indian to play in the big leagues. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound right-hander pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1921 and 1922 after compiling a 21-7 record with Little Rock in the Southern Association in 1920. He was 5-3 with a 2.98 earned run average during his first season. Soon it became apparent he was a carouser and heavy drinker. Pirates manager Bill McKechnie decided to room him with another free spirit, shortstop Rabbit Maranville. One night while the skipper went to a movie, the roommates decided to do their drinking at the hotel. They also began catching pigeons from their 16th-story hotel window and stuffing them in McKechnie's closet. When he got back to the hotel, the manager was surprised to see the pair asleep. But he got an even bigger surprise when he opened his closet. Yellowhorse suffered an arm injury on July 5, 1921 and underwent surgery. The following season he was 3-1 with a 4.52 ERA and was injured again, some say as the result of a drunken fall. His big-league career was over. He pitched briefly for a time in the minor leagues, but no big-league team was willing to take a chance. From 1927 to 1945, he earned just enough to eat and drink. He was lost in his own tribe. His tribal brothers avoided him and talked about him in whispers. Suddenly in 1945 he quit drinking, apparently without any help. He retrieved his status with his tribe and he became an honored member. He found steady work, first with the Ponca City farm club (in the Class C Western Association as a groundskeeper) and for the Oklahoma Highway Department.
Major League Baseball Player. He is considered to be the first full-blooded American Indian to play in the big leagues. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound right-hander pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1921 and 1922 after compiling a 21-7 record with Little Rock in the Southern Association in 1920. He was 5-3 with a 2.98 earned run average during his first season. Soon it became apparent he was a carouser and heavy drinker. Pirates manager Bill McKechnie decided to room him with another free spirit, shortstop Rabbit Maranville. One night while the skipper went to a movie, the roommates decided to do their drinking at the hotel. They also began catching pigeons from their 16th-story hotel window and stuffing them in McKechnie's closet. When he got back to the hotel, the manager was surprised to see the pair asleep. But he got an even bigger surprise when he opened his closet. Yellowhorse suffered an arm injury on July 5, 1921 and underwent surgery. The following season he was 3-1 with a 4.52 ERA and was injured again, some say as the result of a drunken fall. His big-league career was over. He pitched briefly for a time in the minor leagues, but no big-league team was willing to take a chance. From 1927 to 1945, he earned just enough to eat and drink. He was lost in his own tribe. His tribal brothers avoided him and talked about him in whispers. Suddenly in 1945 he quit drinking, apparently without any help. He retrieved his status with his tribe and he became an honored member. He found steady work, first with the Ponca City farm club (in the Class C Western Association as a groundskeeper) and for the Oklahoma Highway Department.
Bio by: Ron Coons
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