'Big Elam' won 99 games in the majors

Cape Girardeau's most notable major league baseball player is Elam Vangilder, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-handed pitcher known as "Big Elam."

Vangilder, who began his major-league career in 1919 at age 23, is the St. Louis Browns' record-holder in games pitched. He played 11 years in the majors, pitching 367 games and posting a 99-102 record.

Vangilder, who died in Cape Girardeau in 1977 at the age of 81, pitched in 323 games during his nine-year stint with the Browns. He played two years with the Detroit Tigers to close his career.

Vangilder started playing locally for a Southeast Missouri independent team, the Jungle Giants, when he was 15. He also played for the Capahas, Cape's storied summer baseball team.

Vangilder also could handle the bat, hitting as high as .344 in 1922.

In 1922, when the Browns took the New York Yankees to the wire in the American League pennant chase, Vangilder appeared in 43 games, postng a 19-13 record with a 3.31 ERA.

Vangilder, who maintained his ties with the Capahas throughout his pro career, later played again for the Capahas after leaving professional baseball.