As a youngster he was right handed but his father Maurice wanted Tommy Cousens to pitch left handed and that’s why his nickname became the “Baffling Southpaw.
Cousens, who grew up in Kennebunk and now lives in Waterboro, also was called the “Pitching Genius” and the “Miracle Man.” That last description probably was the result of one of the most unbelievable pitching feats ever. Cousens pitched four complete game victories in four days.
The four games in four days stint occurred while he was working and pitching for the Kittery Naval Yard and also pitching for a Kennebunk ballclub. On the final pitch of the fourth day, Cousens pulled a vertebrae in his back. Unable to move his arm for the only time in his lengthy career, he sought out a chiropractor. The chiropractor supposedly smiled when he saw Cousens come in saying, “You don’t have to tell me why you’re here I’ve been reading the sports pages.
Two weeks later Cousens was back on the mound.
Well known throughout Maine in the 1930s and 40s as a journeyman pitcher, coaches were constantly calling Cousens and offering him $25-$50 to pitch.
That was far more than he was making at the filling station he worked at.
Cousens, who began his baseball career as a teenager in the Kennebunk area, was signed in 1936 by the Boston Bees. Assigned to Beaver Falls, Pa., a Class B team, he played the outfield as well as pitched.
In fact, he was such a good hitter that a coach there wanted him to be a permanent outfielder.
Unable to make ends meet there, however, Cousens returned to Maine. Soon after his return, Cousens was signed by the Class B Portland Pilots. In 1945 he pitched the entire season without a joss. He later played for the Goodall-Sanford nine until 1949.