Wirt "Beecher" Twitchell
| Date and Place of Birth: | January 3, 1917, Phoenix, AZ |
| Date and Place of Death: | July 7, 1944 Saipan |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | First Base |
| Rank: | First Lieutenant |
| Military Unit: | Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion,105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | Pacific Theater of Operations |
Wirt B. "Beecher" Twitchell, Jr., grew up in the rapidly expanding
city of Phoenix, Arizona, and lettered in baseball and basketball at
Phoenix Union High, at the time, the largest high school west of the
Mississippi. Following graduation, he enrolled at the University of
Southern California, where he pitched for the Trojans in 1936 and 1937.
In 1938, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander signed with the Detroit
Tigers' organization along with his brother Dan, who was two years
younger than Beecher and a varsity catcher at the University of Arizona.
Both players were assigned to the Beaumont Exporters of the Class Al
Texas League. In mid-March Beecher pitched an exhibition game for the
Exporters against Texas A&M College, and was then assigned to the
Henderson Oilers of the Class C East Texas League, where he and Dan
formed the battery in an exhibition game against the Shreveport Sports
of the Texas League on March 29. When the regular season opened Beecher
and Dan found themselves with the Hobbs Boosters of the Class D West
Texas-New Mexico League. Dan only played five games for the Boosters
while Beecher made 22 appearances for the last-place team for a 6-9
record and 6.65 ERA.
The Twitchell brothers were out of Organized Baseball in 1939, but they
both signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization in 1940. Assigned by
the Dodgers to the Americus Pioneers of the Class D Georgia-Florida
League, Dan worked behind the plate while Beecher switched to the
outfield. After batting .224 over 45 games, Beecher was assigned to the
Newport Dodgers of the Class D Northeast Arkansas League, where he again
switched position, this time moving to first base, and batting .274. He
finished the season with the Johnstown Johnnies of the Class D Penn
State Association, where he batted .231 in 46 games and hit 12 home
runs.
On January 6, 1941, Beecher Twitchell entered military service with the
Army. While his younger brother was catching for the Santa Barbara
Saints of the California League, Beecher attained the rank of sergeant
and was serving with the 27th "New York" Infantry Division, stationed at
Fort Ord, near Monterey, California.
While serving his country, Sergeant Twitchell was concerned his mother,
Ethel, might lose her home in Phoenix, because she could not make the
mortgage payment. Prior to induction into the Army, he had helped
support his mother. Although his name was on the property deed, Home
Owners Loan Corporation, the mortgage company, obtained a court order to
evict Mrs. Twitchell. The sergeant appealed and the case went to the
Arizona Supreme Court. Since his name appeared on the title, the high
court ruled in a unanimous decision that foreclosure was prohibited by
the provisions of the Soldiers' and Sailor's Civil Relief Act of 1940.
[1]
In early February 1942, the 27th Infantry Division received orders for
overseas duty, arriving in the Hawaiian Islands the following month and
defending the outer islands from attack while preparing for combat. The
division landed at Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands on June 16,
1944, where it met fanatical resistance from the Japanese. Slowly the
division moved inland to the mountainous terrain of central Saipan,
where the Japanese had nowhere to retreat.
On the night of July 7, 1944, an overwhelming Japanese force charged
U.S. troops in one the largest suicidal banzai charges of the war. With
bloody hand-to-hand fighting in progress everywhere, forward positions
were soon overrun by the sheer weight of the enemy numbers.
Casualties quickly mounted and ammunition ran low. The onslaught lasted
15 hours, but despite a high number of American casualties, 4,300
Japanese were dead and the battle for Saipan was won. Newly promoted
First Lieutenant Twitchell was among those killed during the attack. Two
days later, Saipan was officially secured and Saipan became an important
base for further operations in the Marianas, and then for the invasion
of the Philippines in October 1944.
Beecher Twitchell is remembered at the Court of Honor, American Memorial
Park at Saipan, and is buried alongside his father in Phoenix at
Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery. Dan Twitchell, served as a mechanic with the Army Air Force during the war,
and did not return to professional baseball. He named his first son
after his brother.
Batting
|
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
|
| 1938 | Henderson | East Texas | C | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1938 | Hobbs | W. Texas-New Mexico | D | 22 | 43 | - | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | .209 |
| 1939 | ||||||||||||
| 1940 | Americus | Georgia-Florida | D | 45 | 174 | 26 | 39 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 26 | .224 |
| 1940 | Newport | N.E. Arkansas | D | 34 | 113 | 18 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | .274 |
| 1940 | Johnstown | Penn State Assoc | D | 46 | 173 | 32 | 40 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 27 | .231 |
Pitching
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
IP |
ER |
BB |
SO |
W |
L |
ERA |
| 1938 | Hobbs | W. Texas-New Mexico | D | 22 | 111 | 82 | 74 | 104 | 6 | 9 | 6.65 |
1936 USC baseball team (Beecher Twitchell is back row, fourth from left)
1937 USC baseball team (Beecher Twitchell is middle row, fourth from left)
Notes
1. Casa Grande Dispatch, February 20, 1942
Thanks to Daniel W. Twitchell, Jr., for help with this biography. Thanks also to Astrid van Erp for help with information for this biography.
Date Added May 14, 2012 Updated July 31, 2017
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