Guy Terrell"Mississippi Mudcat" Bush
^{born: 08-23-1901, died: 07-02-1985}

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In the 10 seasons Woody English played for the Chicago, Guy Bush was an important part of the bullpen in 8 season. They played together from 1927 to 1934 when Bush was traded to Pittsburgh. Bush was fundamental in the Cubs winning the 1929 and 1932 National League Pennants. But as good as he was in some years, he was really bad in others. It seems like following a good year, he would slump the next.

Born in Aberdeen, Mississippi, Bush played in the major leagues from 1923 to 1938 and again in 1945. The six-foot tall pitcher played for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds in his seventeen-year professional baseball career.

Bush was originally drafted and signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1919 for $1,000. Bush made his major league debut for the Cubs on September 17, 1923. In his only game of the season, Bush came in the ninth inning and gave up one hit while striking out two. He returned with the Cubs the following season as a dual-duty starter and reliever. Bush pitched to a 2-5 record in sixteen games, half of which he started. He threw four complete games and finished four others. In 80-2/3 innings of work, he gave up 91 hits and 36 earned runs, and struck out 36 batters. In the following few seasons, Bush started to take a larger role as a reliever. Bush led the league in saves in 1925, with four, and again in 1929 when he had eight. He also led the league in relief wins that season and the following season.

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After finishing the 1926 campaign fourth in the league with a 2.86 earned run average in a primarily relief setting, ending up with a 13 - 9 record. Bush started more games than he relieved the in 1927. Despite giving up 79 walks while only striking out 62 batters, he had a 10-10 record on the year, with a 3.03 ERA. Bush started 22 of his 36 games, including one particular marathon game on May 14, 1927, in which Bush and Boston Braves starter Charlie Robertson duked out a pitching duel for 18 innings. Bush won the game after Robertson tired up and surredered five runs in the 18th inning. In the National League since then, only Carl Hubbell in 1933 and Vern Law in 1955 have matched Bush's marathon performance. Bush's ERA was 3.83 the in 1928, and he posted a 15-6 record in 42 games, 24 of which he started.

Bush followed up with a career year in 1929 and the Cubs won the National League Pennant for the first time since 1918. He finished the year on top of the league in saves and games pitched, and fourth in the league for wins. Also that year, Bush ranked twelfth in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting. Even more impressive, Bush had a streak of eleven straight wins until it was broken by a relief loss on August 12 against the Braves. Bush was a large contributor to the team's pennant-winning season, in which they finished on top of the NL with a 98-54 record. Bush was most dominant in the 1929 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics. Bush pitched two games in the series, starting one and relieving another. Bush started Game 3 and pitched a complete game, surrendering only one run on nine hits. Despite the Cubs' loss of the Series in five games, Bush pitched a total of eleven innings with 4 strikeouts and gave up just one run.

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Bush had a disappointing season in 1930. In 225 innings of work, Bush posted a 15-10 record with a 6.20 ERA, one of the worst in the league that season. He gave up 291 hits, fifth highest in the league, and led the league in earned runs allowed with 155 and wild pitches with 12.

Bush had an improved season in 1931, thanks to performances such as a September 13 one-hitter against the Braves. He finished the year with a 16-8 record and a 4.49 ERA, in 180.3 innings of work. The following year, the Cubs again won the pennant behind Bush's 19-11 record and 3.20 ERA. That year, Bush finished the year third in the league for wins and 23rd in the NL MVP voting. The Cubs were pinned up against the New York Yankees in the 1932 World Series. Bush did not fair well this time around in the World Series. As the starting pitcher for the Cubs in Game 1, Bush gave up eight runs on three hits, and walked five in just five innings of work, en route to a 12-6 Yankees win. Bush started Game 4, and lasted less than an inning. He hit Babe Ruth and gave up two hits and one earned run and was plucked from the pitching mound. For the series, Bush finished with a 0-1 record and 14.29 ERA, and gave up nine earned runs in less than six innings of work.

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In 1933, Bush did not let his performantce in the World Series affect his overall numbers, finishing the year with his first 20-game winning season. He finished second in the league in wins and ninth in the league with a 2.75 ERA. Bush followed up with another solid season in 1934, his last with the Cubs. He had a 18-10 record and 3.83 ERA. But on November 22, 1934, just a little over a month after the season, Bush was traded along side with outfielder Babe Herman and Jim Weaver to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed pitcher Larry French and future Hall of Famer Freddie Lindstrom, also then playing outfield after spending most of his career at third base. Bush left the Cubs after twelve years with the team and finished as one of the club's winningest pitchers with a record of 152-101.

With the Pirates in 1935, he had an average year. He started 25 games and pitched in 41 total for an 11-11 record and 4.32 ERA. He place his name into the record books on May 25, when the Pirates played the Braves in one of Babe Ruth's final games. Ruth put on a performance, collecting four hits including three home runs and knocking in six runners. The first home run shot came off of pitcher Red Lucas, while the last two came off of Bush. The last home run was Ruth's career home run #714, and was a mammoth of a shot. It was the first home run to clear the right field grandstands at Forbes Field and was reportedly measured as a 600 feet bomb. Despite Ruth's goliath performance, Waite Hoyt, who came in relief for Bush, won the game after he held on to a 11-7 Pirates win.

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The Pirates sent the 34-year old Bush to the bullpen for the 1936 season. The transition did not go well with Bush as he gave up 49 hits in just 34.7 innings of work, and posted a 5.97 ERA. Midway through the season, on July 20, 1936, the Pirates released Bush. He was subsequently signed by the Boston Bees where he was used primarily as a starter and his stats improved. Despite pitching with below a 3.60 ERA in both 1936 and 1937 with a record for the Bees of 12-20, the St. Louis Cardinals bought Bush from the Bees in February prior to the start of the 1938 season. On May 7, after coming in relief in six games, only pitching 6 innings, and giving up 3 earned runs, Bush was released by the Cardinals.

Bush's career seemed to be over, however, he did come back to the majors seven years later, at age 43. Since many teams were affected by players leaving to fight in World War II, ex-players like Bush, Babe Herman and Hod Lisenbee were signed as replacements. The Reds signed Bush prior to the 1945 season, and used him as a closer. Despite picking up one save in four relief appearances, he gave up 4 earned runs and the Reds released him on June 2, 1945. Bush's major league career was finished, this time for good.

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The Mississippi Mudcat finished his career with a 176-136 pitching record and a 3.86 ERA over 2722 innings and 542 games--308 as a starter, 234 in relief. Guy Bush died at age 83 on July 2, 1985 of cardiac arrest after working in his garden in Shannon, Mississippi.