Purtell returned to the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in 28 games, 16 at third base, and compiled a .171 batting average. Minor leagues After playing in the major leagues, Purtell continued to play in the minor leagues through the 1928 season, including stints with the Vernon Tigers of the Pacific Coast League in 1915, the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1917, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1918 and 1919, the Toledo Iron Men of the American Association in 1918, the Akron Buckeyes of the International League in 1920, the Vancouver Beavers of the Pacific Coast International League as player-manager in 1921, the Columbia Comers of the South Atlantic League in 1926, and the Hagerstown Hubs of the Blue Ridge League as a player-manager in 1928. In 1918, he was the starting third baseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 1918 Maple Leafs have been rated as one of the top fifty minor league teams of all time. The team compiled an 88–39 record, and Purtell hit .311 in 101 games. Later years After retiring from baseball, Purtell worked as a grip in a motion picture studio in 1920, a bartender at a club in 1930, and later a landscape engineer. In the late 1950s, he moved to Bradenton, Florida. Purtell died in 1962 at age 76 at a rest home in Bradenton. He was buried at Mansion Memorial Park in Ellenton, Florida. References External links SABR biography of Purtell by Bill Nowlin 1886 births 1962 deaths Major League Baseball third basemen Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Detroit Tigers players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Columbus Senators players Decatur Commodores players Jersey City Skeeters players Venice Tigers players Vernon Tigers players Montreal Royals players Toledo Iron Men players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Akron Buckeyes players Vancouver Beavers players Columbia Comers players Hagerstown Hubs players Minor league baseball managers