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Recalling the many pitchers who toiled for the Philadelphia Athletics over the years, Connie Mack judged that “Chief” Bender was his “greatest one-game pitcher” and his “greatest money pitcher.” This article chronicles Bender’s baseball career—focusing primarily on his years with the A’s—and relates some personal information about this Hall of Fame pitcher.
First Years
Charles Albert “Chief” Bender was born on May 5th, 1883 at the White Earth Chippewa Indian Reservation, Brainerd, Minnesota. He was one of 13 children born to Mary Razor (Indian name: Pay shaw de o quay), who was of half Ojibwa (Chippewa) parentage, and Albert Bliss Bender, a homesteader-farmer of German-American descent.
Bender attended the Lincoln Institution, a school for Indians and whites in Philadelphia, from ages 8 to 12, and then returned briefly to Minnesota. From 1898-1901, he was a student at he Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania playing baseball for the legendary Glen “Pop” Warner. A natural athlete, Bender also participated in football, basketball and track.
In 1902, Bender attended Dickinson College (also in Carlisle) where he played baseball and football. That summer, Bender pitched for the semi-pro Harrisburg Athletic Club—earning $100.00 a month—and was discovered by Philadelphia Athletics’ scout Jesse Frisinger. Connie Mack then signed Bender to a contract with the Philadelphia Athletics for $1,800 a year, the start of a 12-year relationship with the club.
Early Career with the Philadelphia A’s
Beginning his Major League career in 1903, Bender pitched his first game for the Athletics in Boston on April 20th in relief of Eddie Plank. The A’s picked up 10 runs in the last three innings of the game against the Red Sox with Bender on the mound, giving the A’s a 10-7 win and the “Chief” his first professional victory. Bender claimed his first complete game win on April 27th, beating the New York Highlanders (later Yankees) 6-0 at Columbia Park in Philadelphia.
Although Bender lacked abundant stamina and was plagued by poor health during several seasons, Mack never hesitated to pitch him in “must win” games both as a starter and a reliever. In 1905, for example, the A’s needed to win two games against Washington to clinch the American League (AL) pennant. Bender won the first game 8-0 and came on as a reliever in the second game to hold on to a 9-7 victory.
The 1905 AL pennant gave Bender his first opportunity to pitch in the World Series. Starting the second game against John McGraw’s New York Giants, Bender delivered a masterful 4-hit, 3-0 shutout in what would turn out to be the A’s only victory in the series. Matched against Christy Mathewson in game five, Bender lost a tough 2-0 decision, and the A’s lost to the Giants four games to one.
The Glory Years of 1910-13
“Chief” Bender’s greatest year occurred in 1910 when he led the AL in winning percentage (.821) with an impressive 23-5 record and a 1.58 ERA. His victories included a no-hitter (his only one) against the Cleveland Indians. Back in the World Series with the A’s that year, Bender had a 1-1 record. He won the opening game against the Chicago Cubs 4-1 but lost the fourth game on a score of 4-3. Fortunately, the Athletics won the Series in five games, bringing Philadelphia its first World Championship.
The 1910 World Series Champs
The 1911 World Series Champs
Two more AL pennants followed for the A’s in 1911 and 1913. Bender went 17-5 and 21-10, respectively, in those years and led the AL in winning percentage in 1911 (.773). The 1911 World Series was a return engagement between the Athletics and the Giants. Bender again tangled with Mathewson in the first game, and the Giants hurler still worked his magic, downing the A’s 2-1. However, the “Chief” came back to beat Mathewson in the fourth game, winning a 4-2 decision. Bender also won the sixth game, beating Red Ames on a 13-2 score and giving the Athletics their second World Championship along with some highly satisfying revenge against the Giants.
The 1913 World Series saw a rematch between the A’s and the Giants. Bender again had the distinction of starting the first game for the Athletics, and he delivered with a 6-4 victory over the Giants pitcher Rube Marquard. The “Chief” also pitched the fifth game of the Series, winning a 6-5 decision at Shibe Park that helped bring the A’s their third World Championship.
The Unpleasantness of 1914
Bender compiled a strong 17-3 record in 1914, leading the AL for the third time in winning percentage (.850) and putting together a 14-game winning streak during the season. The A’s again won the AL pennant, but the season was marred by efforts of the new Federal League to sign A’s players, including Bender, by offering them larger paychecks.
The A’s opponents in the 1914 World Series were the “Miracle” Boston Braves, a team that went from last place in mid-July to win the National League title. The A’s players took the Braves lightly—too lightly as it turned out. Mack sent Bender to scout the Braves in September when they played a series with the Giants. Encountering the “Chief” near his own ballpark, Mack said in surprise, “I thought you were supposed to be in New York.” Bender replied, “Oh, I didn’t see any need for scouting that bush league outfit.”
Having allegedly already signed a contract to play for the Federal League the next year (as did other A’s players), Bender started the first game of the World Series as he had in 1910-11 & 1913. He was chased in the sixth inning trailing 6-1, the first time Bender did not finish a World Series game. As he watched Bender walk to the dugout from the pitching mound, Mack couldn’t help but mutter, “Pretty good hitting for a bush league outfit.”
The A’s lost the Series in four straight games. After Bender and Plank had lost the first two games of the Series, Mack announced that he would use only his young pitchers in the remaining games. Presumably, Mack was concerned about the divided loyalties of those players who purportedly had already signed contracts with the Federal League. There were also rumors that members of the A’s—the team heavily favored to take the Series—were being paid not to win by gamblers who had placed large bets on the underdog Braves. Although none of these accusations were ever confirmed, suspicions linger that “corrupt play” tainted the 1914 World Series.
After the Series, Mack announced that Bender and other A’s players had been given their unconditional release from the team. The “Chief’s” playing career with the A’s was over.
Subsequent Baseball Career
Pitching for a last-place club, Bender was ineffective with the Federal League’s Baltimore Terrapins in 1915. He compiled a 4-16 record and was released by the team during the first week of September.
Clubs in the American and National Leagues bid for players made available by the demise of the Federal League after the 1915 season. Bender was picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies for the 1916-17 campaigns. In 1916, his pitching prowess continued well below previous levels and Bender finished with a 7-7 record. Showing signs of his former brilliance, Bender climbed to an 8-2 mark in 1917 but was released by the Phillies at the end of the season.
“Chief” Bender pitched only once in the Major Leagues after the 1917 season. In 1925, while working as a player-coach for the Chicago White Sox, Bender worked the ninth inning in a game against the Red Sox—the club he had beaten for his first Major League victory back in 1903. He gave up two tallies on a walk and a home run but was able to retire the side in his last appearance in the “Big Show.”
“Chief” Bender finished his Major League career with 212 wins against 127 loses, 1,711 strikeouts, and a 2.46 ERA.
After working in a shipyard in 1918 to support the war effort, Bender managed the Richmond, VA team in the Virginia League in 1919 and pitched 29 victories against only 2 defeats. Subsequently, he pitched and managed at New Haven, CT (Eastern League) in 1920-21, Reading, PA (International League) in 1922, Baltimore, MD (International League) in 1923, and Johnstown, PA (Mid-Atlantic League) in 1927. He coached and played briefly with the Chicago White Sox in 1925-26, and coached with the US Naval Academy in 1928 and the New York Giants in 1931.
Bender managed the Eastern team of the independent House of David League during the 1930s. In addition, he managed Erie, PA (Continental League) in 1932, Wilmington, DE (Inter-State League) in 1940, Newport News, VA (Virginia League) in 1941, and Savannah (Southern Association League) in 1946. Bender scouted for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945 and 1947-50. He then was a coach with the A’s until his death in 1954.
Hall of Fame Admission and Death
At its initial meeting on September 28, 1953, the Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Veterans elected “Chief” Bender and five other “old-timers” to the Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place in Cooperstown, NY on August 9, 1954, when the “Chief’s” plaque was unveiled as a new addition to the Hall. Although informed of his selection, Bender did not live to see his formal admission to the Hall of Fame. “Chief” Bender died at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia on Saturday, May 22, 1954, after a long illness. Under treatment for cancer at the hospital, he suffered a heart attack just prior to his death.
Personal Information
“Chief” Bender married Marie Clements of Detroit on October 3, 1904. He had met her when the Athletics visited Detroit in 1903 during a series of games against “western” teams. They had no children and she died in 1961.
During his playing days, “Chief” Bender registered at 6’2” tall and weighed 185 pounds. He had brown eyes, black hair, and both threw and batted right-handed.
In addition to his baseball career, Bender had many other interests. He was an excellent marksman with a shotgun and toured for a time as a representative of the Winchester Arms Company. He was good enough to be ranked among the top ten trap shooters in the country. In a 1915 tour sponsored by the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company, Bender hit a total of 1,658 targets out of 1,800 thrown—a .9211 average.
Beyond baseball, Bender’s first love was fishing, and he was an expert at fly and bait casting. In addition, he was highly regarded as a billiards player and was known as a good golfer. “Chief” Bender was also an accomplished painter, with his landscapes commanding respectable prices in the marketplace.
In the off-season, Bender was a dealer in diamonds and other precious stones. He provided jewelry for many baseball players and kept a store in Conshohocken, PA. He also ran the “Chief Bender Sporting Goods Company” located at 1306 Arch Street in the mid-teens. A 1915 advertisement in the Philadelphia Public Ledger indicates that Bender’s store dealt in “high-grade athletic goods.” Later in life, Bender worked in the men’s department at Gimbels in downtown Philadelphia. At the time of his death, “Chief” Bender and his wife lived at 5431 North Twelfth Street in Philadelphia.
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