Bridges, Thomas Jefferson Davis (1906–1968)

Named for both United States President Thomas Jefferson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Tommy Bridges played baseball at UT and graduated in 1929. He began his professional career with the Wheeling Stogies of the Class C Middle Atlantic League. His blazing fastball and nasty curveball caused the Detroit Tigers to call him up. He made his debut as a Tiger on August 13, 1930, in a relief appearance against the Bronx Bombers, in which he got Babe Ruth to ground out and struck out Lou Gehrig. (In 1934 he threw the pitch that Ruth hit for his seven hundredth home run.)

He played for the Tigers until called to active military duty in 1943 at age 37. He returned to the Tigers in 1945, recording a lone win. He was released by the Tigers in 1946 and played for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. The no-hitter that had eluded him in four trips to the World Series, two world championships, and six All-Star games came against the San Francisco Seals on April 20, 1947, at age 40. He served as a coach and scout for the Reds in 1951 and scouted for the Tigers from 1958 to 1960. He concluded his big league career with the New York Mets as a scout from 1963 to 1968. Bridges was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1971.

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  • Title Bridges, Thomas Jefferson Davis (1906–1968)
  • Author
  • Keywords Bridges, Thomas Jefferson Davis (1906–1968)
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date July 20, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update July 19, 2023