# Roy Castleton

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{{Short description|American baseball player (1885–1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Roy Castleton
|position=[Pitcher](/source/Pitcher)
|image=Roy Castleton 1906.jpeg
|width=150px
|caption=Castleton, circa 1906
|bats=Right
|throws=Left
|birth_date={{Birth date|1885|7|26}}
|birth_place=[Salt Lake City, Utah](/source/Salt_Lake_City%2C_Utah)
|death_date={{death date and age|1967|6|24|1885|7|26}}
|death_place=[Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles)
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 16
|debutyear=1907
|debutteam=New York Highlanders
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=May 29
|finalyear=1910
|finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[Win–loss record](/source/Win%E2%80%93loss_record_(pitching))
|stat1value=3–4
|stat2label=[Strikeout](/source/Strikeout)s
|stat2value=13
|stat3label=[Earned run average](/source/Earned_run_average)
|stat3value=2.68
|teams=
*[New York Highlanders](/source/New_York_Highlanders) (1907)
*[Cincinnati Reds](/source/Cincinnati_Reds) (1909–10)
}}
'''Royal Eugene Castleton''' (July 26, 1885&nbsp;– June 24, 1967) was a relief pitcher for the [New York Highlanders](/source/New_York_Highlanders) and [Cincinnati Reds](/source/Cincinnati_Reds). The first native of the state of [Utah](/source/Utah) and the first [Mormon](/source/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints)<ref>{{cite web|title=Famous Mormons|url=http://famousmormons.net/baseball.html|publisher=FamousMormons.net|accessdate=16 May 2011}}</ref> to play in the major leagues,<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research ">{{cite web | url = http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&pid=2264&bid=1194 | title = Roy Castleton  | publisher = Society for American Baseball Research | accessdate = 2007-03-08}}</ref> Castleton made his debut with the Highlanders on April 16, 1907, and played his final game with the Reds on May 29, 1910.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/castlro01.shtml | title = Roy Castleton Statistics | publisher = Baseball-Reference | accessdate = 2007-03-07}}</ref>

Castleton's potential as a player was undermined by chronic health problems that ultimately forced him to retire. He is most often remembered for pitching a perfect game while playing for a team in the [Ohio–Pennsylvania League](/source/Ohio%E2%80%93Pennsylvania_League).<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

== Early years ==

Castleton was born in [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City), to parents who were born in England. After arriving in the United States, his grandfather, James Castleton, worked as a gardener for [Brigham Young](/source/Brigham_Young), eventually saving enough money to establish his own business.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> His father, Charles Castleton, was a successful carpenter, and young Roy enjoyed the amenities of a middle-class upbringing.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> A strong student who excelled at mathematics, Castleton gravitated toward a career in sports shortly after graduating from high school.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

== Minor league career ==
In 1904, Castleton signed on with the Salt Lake City ball club, which played in the Class B Pacific National League. In the 1904–1905 season, he pitched for another team based in [Ogden, Utah](/source/Ogden%2C_Utah), that was also poised to enter the league.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> Still a teenager, he nevertheless distinguished himself with a 16-inning loss.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

In 1906, Castleton moved east and joined the minor league [Youngstown Ohio Works](/source/Youngstown_Ohio_Works), a team based in the steel-production center of [Youngstown, Ohio](/source/Youngstown%2C_Ohio). The youngest player on a club of seasoned veterans, Castleton gained national exposure with a perfect game against rival [Akron](/source/Akron%2C_Ohio), shutting them out at 4–0.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> The local media compared the feat to [Cy Young](/source/Cy_Young)'s perfect game a year earlier, and Castleton quickly received offers from major league managers, including [Clark Griffith](/source/Clark_Griffith) of the New York Highlanders.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> Drafted by the Highlanders, Castleton played out the remainder of the season in Youngstown, ending with a 22–12 record and striking out 156 batters in 278 innings.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

== Major league career ==
After spring training in [Atlanta](/source/Atlanta), Castleton was one of five pitchers used in an opening game against the [Philadelphia Athletics](/source/Philadelphia_Athletics). After pitching a hitless inning, he was selected as starting pitcher for an exhibition game with Newark.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> Unfortunately, he performed poorly and was sent back to Atlanta for additional experience. Once there, Castleton pitched formidably in the Southern Association, winning 10 of 13 decisions for Atlanta, despite earlier inactivity due to a sore arm.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> At the close of the Southern Association's season, Castleton was called to rejoin the New York Highlanders, where he made two starts in the last week of the [American League](/source/American_League) season.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> In his first start, during a contest with the [St. Louis Browns](/source/St._Louis_Browns), Castleton allowed five hits, striking out two, and walking one. Despite New York's 3–1 loss to the Browns, the pitcher gained positive reviews.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> During his second start, in a match with the [Chicago White Sox](/source/Chicago_White_Sox), Castleton allowed six hits, striking out three and walking one.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

[[File:Royal Eugene Castleton(baseball).JPG|thumb|170px|A [baseball card](/source/baseball_card) of Castleton from 1910. The card was [printed in error](/source/error_card), as Castleton's name is misspelled.]]
Despite Castleton's solid pitching, manager Griffith chose to option Castleton to Atlanta for additional seasoning—a decision that had unexpectedly tragic implications for Castleton's career. After a strong start, Castleton suffered a bout with [typhoid fever](/source/typhoid_fever) that left him in uncertain health from that point on.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> His poor health contributed to an inconsistent record, which resulted in his eventual release to Cincinnati in 1909.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> In the only game of a scheduled doubleheader with Boston (the other games had been cancelled due to inclement weather), Castleton finished with four strikeouts and only one walk.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> Unfortunately, this was followed by a disastrous appearance in a July 25 bout with St. Louis.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> Continual health problems that evidently resulted from his 1908 illness impeded his performance, and he was forced to endure long periods of inactivity.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

== Later years ==
After playing his final game with Cincinnati on May 29, 1910, Castleton continued to pitch for two more seasons with minor league teams in the Pacific Coast League.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> Despite strong showings, Castleton opted to retire in 1912, as concerns about his damaged health mounted.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> While his later career was impeded by illness, Castleton was long remembered for his early performance in the Southern Association as well as his perfect game as a minor league pitcher.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

After retiring from baseball, Castleton returned to Salt Lake City, where he married Ester Adella Kjeldsen and established a lucrative practice as an accountant.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/> He eventually relocated with his wife to Los Angeles, where he died in 1967. His remains were returned to Salt Lake City for burial.<ref name="Society for American Baseball Research "/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castlro01.shtml Major League Baseball statistics]
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=castle002roy Minor League statistics]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castleton, Roy}}
Category:1885 births
Category:1967 deaths
Category:Major League Baseball pitchers
Category:Baseball players from Salt Lake City
Category:New York Highlanders players
Category:Cincinnati Reds players
Category:Baseball players from Youngstown, Ohio
Category:Latter Day Saints from Utah
Category:Youngstown Ohio Works players
Category:Atlanta Crackers players
Category:Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
Category:Vernon Tigers players
Category:Salt Lake City Skyscrapers players
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
Category:American people of English descent

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Roy Castleton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Castleton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Castleton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.