[1][2] Shocker, known as one of the last legal spitball pitchers, led the American League (AL)—and set the Browns' record—in 1921 with 27 wins, and won 20 games in four consecutive seasons from 1920 to 1923.

[3] Shocker was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Anna and William Shockcor[1] and relocated to Michigan some time later.

[4] As a prelude to his major league career, Shocker was demoted by the Yankees for seasoning and improvement, and he spent most of the 1916 season playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the International League, where he posted a 15–3 record and strung together 54 consecutive scoreless innings.

That winter, Miller Huggins engineered a trade of Shocker to the Browns, eventually returning to the Yankees in 1925.

On September 9, 1928, Shocker died in Denver as the result of heart failure exacerbated by the disease.