Lawrence Herbert French (November 1, 1907 – February 9, 1987) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–1934), Chicago Cubs (1935–1941) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1941). A knuckleball specialist, French batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He was born in Visalia, California.
One author has described French as the best pitcher not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In a 14-season career, French posted a 197–171 record with 1187 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA in 3152.0 innings pitched, including 40 shutouts and 198 complete games.
French joined the United States Navy after the Dodgers and became a career sailor, retiring in 1969 with the rank of Captain. He died in San Diego, California, at age 79.
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