Ulysses Simpson Grant "Lil" Stoner (February 28, 1899 – June 26, 1966), also known as Lil E. Stoner, was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played professional baseball for 14 seasons from 1919 to 1933, including nine years in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1922 and 1924–1929), Pittsburgh Pirates (1930) and Philadelphia Phillies (1931). He appeared in 229 major league games and compiled a 50–57 win–loss record and a 4.76 earned run average (ERA). Stoner was also known for his skill in baking and at growing and breeding irises. With the popularization of the word "stoner" in cannabis culture, he saw a resurgence of popularity. In a 2017 poll by Ranker, he was voted No. 9 on a list of "The Best Baseball Names of All Time". Early years Stoner was born in 1899 in Bowie, Texas. He grew up in a family of 17 children. His given name was "Ulysses Simpson Grant Stoner", a reference to the 18th President of the United States. His brothers, Benjamin Franklin Stoner, Theodore Roosevelt Stoner, and Washington Irving Stoner, were also named after famous Americans. Stoner acquired his nickname when a younger sister could not pronounce his given name, Ulysses, and instead began calling him "Lil". Stoner later recalled of the nickname, "It stuck as I grew up." In 1913, at age 14, he pitched for the South Side Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, in the Twilight League. He gained acclaim when, at age 14, and while still wearing short pants, he pitched a shutout game against a team of adults. His family later moved to Okmulgee, Oklahoma, where he played semi-professional baseball for the Empire Refining Company team. With Stoner pitching, Empire Refining won the Oklahoma championship in 1918 and 1919. Professional baseball Minor leagues Stoner began his professional baseball career in 1919 with the Oklahoma City Indians of the Western League. He compiled a 12–15 win–loss record in 1919 and remained with Oklahoma City for three seasons. He finished the 1921 season with the Okmulgee Drillers of the Western Association. The sharp breaking curve Stoner was known for combining "a terrific fast ball with exceptional control" and "a sharp breaking curve". Mark Koenig of the New York Yankees recalled that "Stoner had one of the best curve balls in the league." He was also called a "smokeball artist" for the speed with which he threw