Player notes: Newhouser, who was known as Prince Hal, was one of the dominant pitchers of the 1940s. His greatness has often been discounted because he rose to prominence during the World War II years, when the competition at the Major League level was diluted due to many players going off to fight in the war. (Newhouser himself was 4-F due to a heart condition.) He continued to be one of the best pitchers of the era after all players had returned from military service in 1946, however, and there is no denying that he was indeed an outstanding pitcher.

Newhouser was the only pitcher to win back-to-back MVPs, and is the only pitcher to have his uniform number retired by the Tigers. He was often matched up against the great Bob Feller in pitching duels in the late '40s. He beat Feller on the final day of the 1948 season to force the Indians into a playoff with the Red Sox, but perhaps his most important victory was a complete game victory over the Cubs in Game 7 of the 1945 World Series, giving the Tigers the championship.

He was an intense competitor who pitched 212 complete games (56% of his starts). Joe Ginsberg, who caught for the Tigers from 1948 to 1952, noted, "You couldn't get the ball away from him - he hated to be pulled from a game." Prince Hal is indeed on of the all-time great competitors, who deserves his plaque in the Hall of Fame.