Stan Coveleski (Kowalewski) (July 13, 1889 - March 20, 1984) was a Major League Baseball player during the 1910s and 1920s. He was a starting pitcher. Coveleski was known for throwing the spitball, and he was one of the 17 pitchers allowed to continue throwing the pitch when it was outlawed in 1920. Coveleski made his debut in 1912 for the Philadelphia Athletics, pitching in five games that season. In 1916 he returned to the Majors as a member of the Cleveland Indians and enjoyed a string of very successful seasons. He won over 20 games each season from 1918 until 1921 and was the star of the 1920 World Series, in which he pitched three complete game victories.
Cleveland traded Coveleski to the Washington Senators after a subpar 1924 season in which he posted a 4.04 ERA. Coveleski rebounded to post his final 20 win season the following year. He retired after the 1928 season.
In a 14-year career, he was 215-142, with a 2.89 ERA in 450 games, 385 of them starts. 224 of those, he completed, and 38 for shutouts. He struck out 981 in 3082 innings pitched.
Coveleski was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and on June 10, 1976 into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame. He is one of the Top 100 winning pitchers of all time. The minor league baseball stadium in South Bend, Indiana, is named in his honor.
