LaMASTER, Noble Wayne – born Feb. 13, 1907, Speed; died Aug. 4, 1989, New Albany. Philadelphia (NL) 1937-1938, Brooklyn (NL) 1938. P. 71g, 295.1ip, 19-27, 5.82. Debuted April 19, 1937. 5-8, 170, BL, TL.

Stocky left-hander Wayne LaMaster pitched in the minor leagues for ten seasons before reaching the majors. A graduate of Jeffersonville High School, LaMaster played for Indiana semi-pro teams in Austin and Seymour before signing with Jackson (Cotton States) in 1927. In 1932 he led Charleston to the Middle Atlantic League pennant with a 17-6 record. His 177 strikeouts and 2.27 ERA led the league.

Drafted by the Phillies for 1937, LaMaster joined Philadelphia’s starting rotation as a 30-year-old rookie. His 19 losses that year were a league high, but his 15 victories led the Phillies. In May 1938 LaMaster suffered an arm injury and that August Philadelphia traded him to Brooklyn. He underwent surgery in the spring of 1939, but later that year came back to pitch for Montreal (International). He remained with Montreal through 1940 and appeared in four games for Durham (Piedmont) in 1941 before retiring.

LaMaster lived in Sellersburg during most of his baseball career. He later moved to Jeffersonville, where he worked for the Marhoefer Packing Company. LaMaster and his wife Dorothy shared a birthday, February 13, which was also their wedding date. In 1988 he was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame.