Jack Patterson
| Date and Place of Birth: | 1918 Zanesville, OH |
| Date and Place of Death: | November 2, 1944 Guadalcanal |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | Private First-Class |
| Military Unit: | Pioneer Company, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division, USMC |
| Area Served: | Pacific Theater of Operations |
An athletic field on Guadalcanal has been named in memory of
PFC Jack Patterson of this city who was killed in action with the marine
corps there on November 2, according to word received by his wife.
Zanesville Signal December 18, 1944
Jack H. Patterson, born in 1918, was a product of Zanesville’s Milk
Fund Baseball League. Patterson was pitching for the Merchants when he
was signed by Buzz Wetzel of the Cleveland Indians in August 1936, and
joined the Zanesville Greys of the Class C Middle-Atlantic League for
the last few weeks of the season. The 18-year-old right-hander made a
couple of brief appearances on the mound for the Greys, and joined the
Springfield Indians of the same league for spring training in 1937, when
Cleveland moved their affiliation to that city.
In April 1937, the Indians assigned Patterson to the Owensboro Oilers of
the Class D Kitty League, but after a couple of appearances he joined
the Troy Trojans of the Class D Alabama-Florida League where he pitched
12 innings for a 1-0 record before receiving his outright release in
June. Later that month the Zanesville Greys – now a Boston Bees’ farm
club – re-signed the youngster and he made 19 appearances for a 4-7
record and 6.15 ERA.
In the spring of 1938, Patterson rejected a contract offered to him by
the Boston Bees to play for the Erie Sailors of the Middle-Atlantic
League, and pitched, instead, for the semi-pro Armco Regulars of the
Zanesville City League. After a great start he was back in professional
baseball with the Huntington Bees of the Class D Mountain State League,
where he was 2-6 with a 4.27 ERA for 1938. Back with the Huntington club
in 1939, Patterson enjoyed his best season in organized baseball with a
team-leading 18 wins against 10 defeats, a 4.68 ERA, and 206 strikeouts
in 223 innings. He was signed by the Nashville Vols of the Class A1
Southern Association for 1940, but when they wanted to send him to
Greenwood in the Class C Cotton States League, he chose to return home
to Zanesville and played semi-pro baseball with the Hazel-Atlas Glassers
of the Central Baseball League. Patterson was back in organized baseball
in 1941, joining the Erie Sailors of the Middle-Atlantic League, and in
13 games he was 4-5 with a 4.60 ERA, before returning to the Hazel-Atlas
club in June.
Patterson enlisted with the Marine Corps on October 1, 1941, and took
basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was later at
Quantico, Virginia, and went overseas with the 22nd Marines, 6th Marine Division in
the fall of 1943, where he was involved in the campaigns of the
Carolinas, Gilbert, Marshall, Mariana, Pelelieu and Guam islands.
Reports at the time stated that Patterson was killed in action. In
reality, while
working on an athletic field on Guadalcanal he was accidentally killed
by a bulldozer on November 2, 1944. He was survived by his wife,
Dorothy, and their son Jimmy, who was three at the time of his father’s
death. In December 1944, the athletic field on Guadalcanal, consisting
of a baseball diamond and two softball diamonds, was named in his honor
by the men of his division.
Patterson’s body was returned to Zanesville in March 1949, and services
were held in the city for both he and his mother (who died March 23) on
March 26. Jack Patterson is buried in Memorial Park, Zanesville.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
IP |
ER |
BB |
SO |
W |
L |
ERA |
| 1936 | Zanesville | Mid-Atlantic | C | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1937 | Owensboro | Kitty | D | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1937 | Troy | Alabama-Florida | D | 5 | 12 | - | 17 | 7 | 0 | 1 | - |
| 1937 | Zanesville | Mid-Atlantic | C | 19 | 98 | 67 | 76 | 49 | 4 | 7 | 6.15 |
| 1938 | Huntington | Mountain State | D | 10 | 59 | 28 | 53 | 42 | 2 | 6 | 4.28 |
| 1939 | Huntington | Mountain State | D | 34 | 223 | 116 | 139 | 206 | 18 | 10 | 4.68 |
| 1940 | Played semi-pro baseball with the Hazel-Atlas Glassers | ||||||||||
| 1941 | Erie | Mid-Atlantic | C | 13 | 75 | 38 | 39 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 4.60 |
Date Added February 4, 2012 Updated July 21, 2016
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