Editing Monty Stratton (section)

==Post-accident==
On November 27, 1938, Stratton was hunting rabbits on his family farm when he fell, accidentally discharging his [[shotgun]]. The pellets struck his right leg, damaging a main artery enough to require amputation the next day.<ref name="BD">{{cite journal| last=Sheldon| first=Harold| title=Finishing the Stratton Story| journal=Baseball Digest| volume=8| issue=9| pages=45–48|  date=September 1949| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1TIDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45| issn=0005-609X| accessdate=January 24, 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2014}}</ref> Fitted with a wooden leg, Stratton worked with the White Sox the next two years as a [[Coach (baseball)|coach]] and [[batting practice]] pitcher. In 1939, White Sox management sponsored a charity game in [[Comiskey Park]] against the [[Chicago Cubs]], the proceeds of which (about $28,000 equal to ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|28000|1939}}}} today) went to Stratton. He took the mound to demonstrate that he could still pitch, though he was unable to transfer his weight effectively to the artificial leg.<ref name=library/>

When [[World War II]] began, Stratton attempted to enlist but was rejected. Then he organized a [[Semi-professional sports|semi-professional]] baseball team at [[Greenville, Texas]] and constantly practiced coordination on the field. He spent much time experimenting and learning how to pitch despite the prosthetic leg, primarily pitching to his wife, Ethel (Milberger) Stratton, and against the side of a barn.

In 1946, Stratton pitched for the [[Sherman Twins]] of the [[East Texas League]] ([[Minor League Baseball|Class C]]) and compiled a record of 18–8, with a 4.17 [[earned run average]] (ERA).  In 1947, with the Waco Dons of the [[Big State League]] ([[Minor League Baseball|Class B]]), he went 7–7 with a 6.55 ERA.  A major challenge was moving nimbly enough on his [[prosthetic leg]] to field the [[Bunt (baseball)|bunts]] that were commonly sent his way by opponents.  After 1947, Stratton never appeared in more than four games in a season, though he joined multiple minor-league teams ranging from Class B to Class D in 1949, 1950, and 1953.<ref name=bbref>{{cite web| url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=stratt001mon| title=Monty Stratton (minors)| accessdate=September 18, 2014| publisher=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>