   john thomas allen (september 30, 1904 â march 29, 1959) was an american pitcher in major league baseball for the new york yankees, cleveland indians, st. louis browns, brooklyn dodgers, and new york giants. thumb|left|allen in 1934 born in lenoir, north carolina, allen reached the yankees in an unusual way. while working as a bellhop in a hotel, he was told to take some fans to the room of yankee scout paul krichell. allen told krichell that he was a pitcher, and the scout arranged a tryout. allen was an immediate success for the yankees, debuting in  with a 17â4 record and a 3.70 era for the world champions. he was less stellar in that year's world series, starting game 4 and leaving after giving up three runs off five hits in just two-thirds of an inning. he continued to post decent records for the yankees, but a sore arm and his constant demands for more money threatened his career. for these reasons, he was dealt to the indians before the  season. allen turned things around in cleveland, going 20â10 with a 3.44 era in 1936 and following that up by winning his first fifteen decisions of , one short of the record held by walter johnson. he lost his next start 1â0 on an unearned run, but his 15â1 mark that year set a winning percentage record that lasted until roy face bettered it with an 18â1 record in . in , he won his first twelve decisions and made his only all-star team. during the all-star break, he suffered an unknown injury, some claim he slipped on a bar of soap in the shower, and never did approach his earlier success again, finally retiring in  after six mediocre campaigns.
1904_births 1959_deaths American_League_All-Stars Asheville_Tourists_players Baseball_players_from_North_Carolina Brooklyn_Dodgers_players Cleveland_Indians_players Deaths_from_myocardial_infarction Fayetteville_Highlanders_players Greensboro_Patriots_players Greenville_Tobacconists_players Jersey_City_Skeeters_players Major_League_Baseball_pitchers New_York_Giants_(NL)_players New_York_Yankees_players People_from_Caldwell_County,_North_Carolina Raleigh_Capitals_players St._Louis_Browns_players Toronto_Maple_Leafs_(International_League)_players