Sac History Happenings: In History's Spotlight: Walter "Duster" Mails

Sac History Happenings

News and developments in Sacramento and California history

December 30, 2012

In History's Spotlight: Walter "Duster" Mails

Born: Oct. 1, 1894
Died: July 5, 1974

Known for: Left-handed Walter "Duster" Mails, a Christian Brothers High School graduate, helped pitch the Cleveland Indians to their 1920 World Series win.

Background: Mails was born in the town of San Quentin, where his mother was postmaster. He attended St. Mary's College before reaching the major leagues with the Brooklyn Robins (later the Dodgers) in 1915. Mails was sent back to the minors in 1916. He acquired the nickname "Duster" because of his frequent brush-back pitches. Eventually playing for the Sacramento Senators (later the Solons), he was sold to the Cleveland Indians at the end of the 1920 season. Three years later, he was back in the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks. After his career, Mails did promotional work for the San Francisco Seals, then for the Giants . He eventually became director of the club's speakers' bureau.

A highlight: A true eccentric, Mails once asked an umpire to throw him out of a game so he could meet his date. The umpire refused. He would also run around minor league ballparks with a megaphone announcing lineups and giving play-by-play.

-- Anthony Sorci

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California and Sacramento have a long, rich, vibrant history. And our region is blessed with an abundance of historical resources maintained by museums, libraries, archives and societies. This blog aims to alert readers to the latest developments in local/state historical education and research.

Send tips concerning upcoming exhibits, tours, lectures and meetings, as well as new books, magazine articles and online collections to the blog's contributors.

The Contributors:

Michael Dolgushkin

Michael Dolgushkin is Manuscript Librarian at the California State Library History Section. He is co-author of San Francisco's California Street Cable Cars and is a frequent contributor to the California State Library Foundation Bulletin. Contact him at mdolgushkin@library.ca.gov.

Amanda Graham is a Certified Archivist working in the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Public Library. She earned a BS in History from Southern Oregon University and a MS in Information Studies with an emphasis in archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Contact her at agraham@saclibrary.org.

Pete Basofin is Director of Editorial Research at The Sacramento Bee. He previously worked at The St. Petersburg Times and Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune. Contact him at pbasofin@sacbee.com.

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