Greenville, Texas : A pitcher who lost his right leg in his prime

In the summer of 2007, I visited Greenville, Texas. This is the small city where a pitcher named Monty Stratton lived after his retirement from baseball until his death at age 70.

Stratton was born and raised on a farm in Wagner, a town near Greenville. While working on the farm and pitching for a local baseball team, he caught the eye of a scout and joined the Chicago White Sox. He became one of the leading right-handed pitchers in the American League. However, in 1938, at the young age of 26, he retired from major league baseball.

During the off-season, Stratton returned to the farm and fell while rabbit hunting, shooting himself in the right leg with a hunting rifle. His right leg had to be amputated. Dejected, Stratton was encouraged by his wife Ethel, practiced hard with a prosthetic leg, and made a brilliant comeback as a pitcher in the minor leagues. ...Stratton's turbulent life has even been made into a movie. "The Stratton Story" (1949), starring James Stewart.

After arriving in Greenville, I decided to go to the nearby town of Wagner first, thinking that the farm where Stratton was born and raised might still be there. It was a rural town with farms and houses scattered here and there over a wide area. I drove around the town, but couldn't find Stratton's farm. So I decided to go and ask at each farm and house.

"I'm a big MLB fan from Tokyo. I'm looking for the farm where Monty Stratton was born and raised. Do you know where it is?" None of the farms or houses seemed wary of me, and they were happy to open their doors and listen to my questions. But no one knew the answer to my question. In fact, no one even knew who Monty Stratton was. Still, most of the farms and houses said, "It's amazing that you came all the way from Japan to look for the farm where Monty Stratton was born and raised. I hope you can find it." At one house, they invited me in and even treated me to coffee and cookies. The owner used to work for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Kobe and was nostalgic for Japan. So, the husband, wife and I ended up chatting for about an hour. It was all just small talk that had nothing to do with Stratton, but it was a lot of fun. I was surprised and happy to find someone who had worked in Japan in a place like this.

Giving up on the idea that the farm where Stratton was born and raised must no longer exist, I returned to Greenville and decided to go to a museum that exhibited Stratton's memorabilia. I had found out that such a museum existed before I left Japan. It wasn't a museum dedicated to Stratton. It was a comprehensive museum that exhibited the history of Greenville and famous people associated with Greenville.

There was a huge bronze statue in the square in front of the entrance. It was a bronze statue of Audie Murphy. I know about Audie Murphy. I’ve seen some of his movies. But young people in Japan don’t know him. Do young people in USA know him?

Murphy was a hero who received many medals during World War II. After the war, he became a movie actor and starred in several Hollywood movies. Murphy was born and raised in a town near Greenville, and it seems he once lived in Greenville. By the way, the bronze statue in front of the museum's entrance is of Murphy in military uniform holding a gun.

A bronze statue of Audie Murphy in front of the museum

When I went inside the museum, the Audie Murphy exhibit corner was the most prominent. However, there was also a small exhibit corner for Stratton. There were photos of Stratton, uniforms, gloves, etc. As I was looking intently, a male staff member called out to me. He looked to be in his late 70s. "You seem to be interested in Stratton." "Yes. Ever since I saw “The Stratton Story”, I've been wanting to come to Greenville someday. Stratton was a very handsome man. Even more handsome than James Stewart in the movie." "His wife Ethel was beautiful, too. She passed away four months ago." "What, she was still alive four months ago! I guess I came too late. If I had come earlier, I might have been able to meet Ethel." "Well, it's never too late in life. You came, so that's good."

It's true, it's never too late in life. But I wanted to meet Ethel. I wanted to ask Ethel all about Monty Stratton.

( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)