Byron Houck Biography
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- Born Aug. 28, 1891
Byron Simon Houck (August 28, 1891 – June 17, 1969) was an American professional baseball pitcher and cinematographer. He played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics, Brooklyn Tip-Tops, and St. Louis Browns from 1912 to 1914 and in 1918. After his baseball career, he worked on Buster Keaton's production team as a camera operator.
Houck was born in Prosper, Minnesota. He was the fifth of six children. His family moved to Portland, Oregon, when he was young. He attended Washington High School in Portland, and pitched for the school's baseball team all four years. In his senior year, he was voted president of the athletic association. Houck graduated from high school in 1910 and enrolled at the University of Oregon and played college baseball for the Oregon Ducks. He was a member of Kappa Sigma at Oregon.
Houck signed with the Spokane Indians of the Class B Northwestern League in July 1911. After the season, the Philadelphia Athletics selected Houck in the Rule 5 draft. He made his major league debut with the Athletics in 1912. He pitched to a 8–8 win–loss record with a 2.94 earned run average (ERA). He was a member of the 1913 World Series champions, pitching to a 14–6 record and a 4.14 ERA in 1913, but he did not appear in the series. In 1914, after making three appearances for the Athletics, he was released to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. Houck refused to report to Baltimore, and jumped to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the outlaw Federal League. He signed a three-year contract with Brooklyn paying him $3,500 per season ($94,686 in current dollar terms). He pitched to a 2–6 record with a 3.13 ERA for Brooklyn. In 1915, Brooklyn assigned him to the Colonial League, a minor league affiliated with the Federal League, and he played for the New Haven White Wings and Pawtucket Rovers. Brooklyn gave him his unconditional release after the 1915 season, and Houck accepted a payout of half of his salary for the 1916 season.
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