1.
American League
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The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League, is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a league based in the Great Lakes states. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season,25 years after the formation of the National League. At the end of season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion. Through 2016, American League teams have won 64 of the 112 World Series played since 1903, the 2016 American League champions are the Cleveland Indians. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. Originally a minor league known as the Western League, the American League later developed into a major league after the American Association disbanded, in its early history, the Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson became the president of the league. Johnson led the Western League into major league status and soon became the president of the newly renamed American League, babe Ruth, noted as one of the most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball history, spent the majority of his career in the American League. The American League has one notable difference versus the National League, in 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and were renamed the St. Louis Browns. In 1902, The Cleveland Bluebirds were also renamed the Cleveland Broncos, in 1903, the Broncos were renamed the Cleveland Naps. In 1915, the Naps were renamed the Cleveland Indians, in 1903, the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York and were renamed the New York Highlanders. In 1913, the Highlanders were renamed the New York Yankees, in 1904, the Chicago White Stockings were renamed the Chicago White Sox. In 1908, the Boston Americans were renamed the Boston Red Sox, in 1954, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed as the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City and were renamed as the Kansas City Athletics, in 1961, the league expanded and added two teams as the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, expanding the league to 10 teams. The original Senators team moved to Minneapolis/St, Paul in 1961 and were renamed as the Minnesota Twins. The Angels team name changed to the California Angels in 1966, then to the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots were added to the American League, expanding the league to 12 teams. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1972, the Washington Senators relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and were renamed the Texas Rangers. In 1977, the league expanded to fourteen teams, when the Seattle Mariners, in 1998, the Tampa Bay Rays was added to the American League and at the same time, the Milwaukee Brewers were switched to the National League, leaving the American League with 14 teams
2.
Sportsman's Park
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Sportsmans Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in the central United States, in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street. The physical street address was 2911 North Grand Boulevard, in 1923, the stadium hosted St. Louiss first NFL team, the St. Louis All-Stars. Baseball was played on the Sportsmans Park site as early as 1867, the tract was acquired in 1866 by August Solari, who began staging games there the following year. It was the home of the St. Louis Brown Stockings in the National Association, originally called the Grand Avenue Ball Grounds. Some sources say the field was renamed Sportsmans Park in 1876, the local papers also still used the alternate name Grand Avenue Park until at least 1885. The first grandstand—one of three on the built in 1881. At that time, the diamond and the grandstands were on the southeast corner of the block, the park was leased by the then-major American Association entry, the St. Louis Brown Stockings, or Browns. The Browns were a strong team in the mid-1880s. When the National League absorbed the strongest of the old Association teams in 1892, soon they went looking for a new ballpark, finding a site just a few blocks northwest of the old one, and calling it New Sportsmans Park, which was later renamed Robison Field. They also changed colors from Brown to Cardinal Red, thus acquiring a new nickname. When the American League Browns moved from Milwaukee in 1902, they built a new version of Sportsmans Park and they initially placed the diamond and the main stand at the northwest corner of the block. This Sportsmans Park saw football history made and it became both the practice field and home field for Saint Louis University football teams, coached by the visionary Eddie Cochems, father of the forward pass. These included a 39–0 thrashing of Iowa before a crowd of 12,000, robinson launched an amazingly long pass in the game against the Jayhawks, which was variously reported to have traveled 67 or 87 yards in the air. College Football Hall of Fame coach David M. Nelson called the extraordinary, considering the size, shape and weight of the fat. Sports historian John Sayle Watterson agreed, in his book, College Football, History, Spectacle, Controversy, Watterson described Robinsons long pass as truly a breathtaking achievement. St. Louis finished with an 11–0 record in 1906, outscoring its opponents 407–11, the previous wooden grandstand was retained as left-field bleachers for a while, but was soon replaced with permanent bleachers. The Cardinals came back to their home in mid-1920, as tenants of the Browns, after abandoning the outdated
3.
St. Louis
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St. Louis is an independent city and major U. S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, on the border with Illinois. Prior to European settlement, the area was a regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, in 1764, following Frances defeat in the Seven Years War, the area was ceded to Spain and retroceded back to France in 1800. In 1803, the United States acquired the territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase, during the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River. In the 1870 Census, St. Louis was ranked as the 4th-largest city in the United States and it separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics, the economy of metro St. Louis relies on service, manufacturing, trade, transportation of goods, and tourism. This city has become known for its growing medical, pharmaceutical. St. Louis has 2 professional sports teams, the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball, the city is commonly identified with the 630-foot tall Gateway Arch in Downtown St. Louis. The area that would become St. Louis was a center of the Native American Mississippian culture and their major regional center was at Cahokia Mounds, active from 900 AD to 1500 AD. Due to numerous major earthworks within St. Louis boundaries, the city was nicknamed as the Mound City and these mounds were mostly demolished during the citys development. Historic Native American tribes in the area included the Siouan-speaking Osage people, whose territory extended west, European exploration of the area was first recorded in 1673, when French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette traveled through the Mississippi River valley. Five years later, La Salle claimed the region for France as part of La Louisiane. The earliest European settlements in the area were built in Illinois Country on the east side of the Mississippi River during the 1690s and early 1700s at Cahokia, Kaskaskia, migrants from the French villages on the opposite side of the Mississippi River founded Ste. In early 1764, after France lost the 7 Years War, Pierre Laclède, the early French families built the citys economy on the fur trade with the Osage, as well as with more distant tribes along the Missouri River. The Chouteau brothers gained a monopoly from Spain on the fur trade with Santa Fe, French colonists used African slaves as domestic servants and workers in the city. In 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, St. Louis was attacked by British forces, mostly Native American allies, the founding of St. Louis began in 1763. Pierre Laclede led an expedition to set up a fur-trading post farther up the Mississippi River, before then, Laclede had been a very successful merchant. For this reason, he and his trading partner Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent were offered monopolies for six years of the fur trading in that area
4.
Jimmy McAleer
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James Robert Loafer McAleer was an American center fielder, manager, and stockholder in Major League Baseball who assisted in establishing the American League. He spent most of his 13-season playing career with the Cleveland Spiders, and went on to manage the Cleveland Blues, St. Louis Browns, shortly before his retirement, he became a major shareholder in the Boston Red Sox. During his brief tenure as co-owner of the Red Sox, McAleer quarreled with longtime friend and colleague Ban Johnson, in the wake of this disagreement, he sold off his shares in the Red Sox and broke off his relationship with Major League Baseball. McAleers rift with Johnson, along with his retirement, damaged his professional reputation. Today, he is most often remembered for initiating the customary request that the President of the United States throw out the first ball of the season, McAleer was born in Youngstown, Ohio, an industrial center located near the border of western Pennsylvania. His father, Owen McAleer, died at an age, leaving McAleers mother, Mary. The family lived on the citys west side, where the McAleer children were raised to value the concept of formal education, McAleer attended local public schools and graduated from Rayen High School. In later years, all three of the McAleer brothers moved on to careers, and the oldest, Owen McAleer. A strapping six-foot 175-pound outfielder, McAleer won early recognition for his physical speed and he became involved with a Youngstown minor league baseball club in 1882, remaining with the team until 1884. In 1885, McAleer joined another minor league organization in Charleston, South Carolina and his skill as a center fielder was recognized in 1888, while he was playing for a club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although his primary focus was organized sports, McAleer was also drawn to the field of entertainment, during one season of his minor league career, he became part-owner of the DeHaven Comedy Company, a theatrical road troupe that was organized in Youngstown. His interest in show business remained a constant, and in later years McAleer developed a friendship with Broadway composer and performer George M. Cohan. On April 24,1889, McAleer broke into the Major Leagues in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1891, when Patsy Tebeau became manager of the Cleveland Spiders, the club became known for its aggressive tactics. Tebeau encouraged players to block and hold runners, while he openly challenged and harassed officials. In 1896, the Cleveland manager was jailed for attacking an umpire who decided it was too dark to continue a game, on June 27,1896, McAleer was among several Cleveland players to be fined by a Louisville judge for their role in the incident. Later that year, the clubs notoriety prompted other National League teams to propose a boycott of Cleveland, McAleers periodic displays of temper were in keeping with this rowdy environment. At the same time, McAleer proved a strong performer, a later newspaper account described him as an outstanding outfielder who was blessed with excellent speed. The article noted that McAleers skills as a sprinter helped him steal 51 bases in one year and 41 in another
5.
History of the St. Louis Browns
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This article covers the franchises history in St. Louis, which began when the team moved from Milwaukee after the 1901 season and ended with the teams move to Baltimore after the 1953 season. As of April 6,2017, there are only 14 living former St. Louis Browns players, in the late 19th century, the team existed as the Milwaukee Brewers in the Western League. For the 1900 season, the Western League was renamed to American League, Johnson had originally intended to move the Milwaukee Brewers to St. Louis. When he couldnt find an owner, he was forced to operate the team in Milwaukee for a lame-duck season in 1901. Hedges built a new park on the site of the old Browns former home, in their first St. Louis season, the Browns finished second. Although the Browns had only four winning seasons from 1902 to 1922, in 1909, the Browns rebuilt Sportsmans Park as the third concrete-and-steel park in the majors. During this time, the Browns were best known for their role in the race for the 1910 American League batting title. Ty Cobb took the last game of the season off, believing that his lead over Nap Lajoie, of the Cleveland Naps. Browns manager Jack OConnor had ordered rookie third baseman Red Corriden to play on the outfield grass and this all but conceded a hit for any ball Lajoie bunted. Lajoie bunted five straight times down the base line and made it to first easily. On his last at-bat, Lajoie reached base on an error – officially giving him a hitless at-bat, OConnor and coach Harry Howell tried to bribe the official scorer, a woman, to change the call to a hit – even offering to buy her a new wardrobe. Cobb won the title by just a few thousandths of a point over Lajoie. After news broke of the scandal, a writer for the St. Louis Post claimed, All St. Louis is up in arms over the spectacle, conceived in stupidity. The resulting outcry triggered an investigation by American League president Ban Johnson, at his insistence, Hedges fired OConnor and Howell, both men were informally banned from baseball for life. In 1916, Hedges sold the Browns to Philip DeCatesby Ball, Balls early tenure saw the clubs first real sustained period of success on the field, they were a contender for most of the early 1920s. This was fueled by Balls free spending to put a winner of the field, however, Ball made a series of blunders that would ultimately doom the franchise. Shortly after buying the team, he fired general manager Branch Rickey, four years later, Ball allowed the Cardinals to move out of dilapidated Robison Field and share Sportsmans Park with the Browns. Rickey and Cardinals owner Sam Breadon used the proceeds from the Robison Field sale to build baseballs first modern farm system and this effort eventually produced several star players that brought the Cardinals more drawing power than the Browns
6.
Baseball
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Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each, who take turns batting and fielding. A run is scored when a player advances around the bases, Players on the batting team take turns hitting against the pitcher of the fielding team, which tries to prevent runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways. A player on the team who reaches a base safely can later attempt to advance to subsequent bases during teammates turns batting. The teams switch between batting and fielding whenever the team records three outs. One turn batting for both teams, beginning with the team, constitutes an inning. A game is composed of nine innings, and the team with the number of runs at the end of the game wins. Baseball has no clock, although almost all games end in the ninth inning. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century and this game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the sport of the United States. Baseball is now popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, in the United States and Canada, professional Major League Baseball teams are divided into the National League and American League, each with three divisions, East, West, and Central. The major league champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series, the top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between the West League and East League. The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision, a French manuscript from 1344 contains an illustration of clerics playing a game, possibly la soule, with similarities to baseball. Other old French games such as thèque, la balle au bâton, consensus once held that todays baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders, popular in Great Britain and Ireland. Baseball Before We Knew It, A Search for the Roots of the Game, by David Block, suggests that the game originated in England, recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of other. It has long believed that cricket also descended from such games. The earliest known reference to baseball is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, David Block discovered that the first recorded game of Bass-Ball took place in 1749 in Surrey, and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. William Bray, an English lawyer, recorded a game of baseball on Easter Monday 1755 in Guildford and this early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants
7.
Road (sports)
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A road game or away game is a sports game where the specified team is not the host and must travel to another venue. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions, each team has a location where it practices during the season and where it hosts games. When a team is not the host, it must travel to games. Thus, when a team is not hosting a game, the team is described as the team, the visiting team, or the away team. The venue in which the game is played is described as the stadium or the road. The host team is said to be the home team, major sporting events, if not held at a neutral venue, are often over several legs at each teams home ground, so that neither team has an advantage over the other. Occasionally, the team may not have to travel very far at all to a road game. These matches often become local derbies, a few times a year, a road team may even be lucky enough to have the road game played at their own home stadium or arena. This is prevalent in college athletics where many schools will play in regional leagues or groundshare. The related term true road game has seen increasing use in U. S. college sports in the 21st century, while regular-season tournaments and other special events have been part of college sports from their creation, the 21st century has seen a proliferation of such events. These are typically held at sites, with some of them taking place outside the contiguous U. S. or even outside the country entirely. In turn, this has led to the use of true road game to refer to contests played at one home venue. In some association football leagues, particularly in Europe, the teams fans sit in their own section. Depending on the stadium, they will either sit in a designated section or be separated from the home fans by a cordon of police officers. However, in the leagues in England, supporters may be free to mix. When games are played at a site, for instance the FA Cup final in England which is always played at Wembley Stadium. This results in each team occupying one half of the stadium and this is different from other sports, particularly in North America, where very few fans travel to games played away from their home stadium. Home and away fans are not separated at these games
8.
1909 Detroit Tigers season
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The 1909 Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 96–56, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 World Series,4 games to 3. The season was their 9th since they were members of the American League in 1901. It was the third season in which they won the pennant. Center fielder Ty Cobb won the Triple Crown and pitcher George Mullin led the league in wins, catching duties were split between Boss Schmidt and Oscar Stanage. Schmidt hit.265 in 1908, but his average dropped to.209 in 1909. As a young man, Schmidt worked in the mines and was a skilled brawler who fought an exhibition match with the heavyweight champion. Schmidt also beat Ty Cobb in at least two fights, in the second fight, Schmidt knocked Cobb unconscious but admired Cobbs resiliency, and the two became friends until Schmidts death in 1932. Schmidt never wore shinguards and could force nails into the floor with his bare fists, Stanage played for the Tigers from 1909 to 1920, catching 1,074 games for Detroit—second only to Bill Freehan in team history. Stanage was a weak hitter but one of the best defensive catchers of the dead-ball era, known for his strong throwing arm, Stanage threw out more baserunners than any other catcher in the 1910s. Stanage still holds the American League record for most assists by a catcher, with 212 in 1911, Stanage was not as skilled with the glove, his 41 errors in 1911 was the most by a catcher for the 20th Century. First baseman Claude Rossman played for the Tigers from 1907 to 1909, in 1908, Rossman had the best year of his career with 33 doubles,219 total bases, and 48 extra base hits. On August 20,1909, the Tigers traded him to the St. Louis Browns for Tom Jones, Rossman had a peculiar emotional quirk where he sometimes froze and could not throw the ball when he became excited. Runners would lead off first to draw a throw from the pitcher and he was 28 when he played his last major league game and died at age 46 in a New York hospital for the insane where he had been a patient for several years. Second baseman Germany Schaefer was traded by the Tigers to the Washington Senators during the 1909 season for Jim Delahanty. Schaefer is remembered more for his antics than for his performance on the field, including trying to steal first base and, coming to bat in the rain with a raincoat and boots. In 1919, a little over a year after Schaefer played his last game, he died at age 42 of tuberculosis at the sanitarium in Saranac Lake, Jim Delahanty took over at second base from Germany Schaefer in 1909. He played all seven games of the 1909 World Series, batting.346 with 4 RBIs, donie Bush was Detroits starting shortstop for thirteen seasons from 1909 to 1921. His 52 sacrifice hits is the fourth highest single season total in league history
9.
1909 Philadelphia Athletics season
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The 1909 Philadelphia Athletics season involved the As finishing second in the American League with a record of 95 wins and 59 losses. The As also moved into the majors first concrete-and-steel ballpark, Shibe Park, in 1909, the As were wearing an elephant logo on their sweaters. Note, Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in Note, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. baseball-almanac. com
10.
1909 Cleveland Naps season
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The 1909 Cleveland Naps season was a season in American baseball. The team finished sixth in the American League with a record of 71–82, july 19,1909, Neal Ball of the Naps executed an unassisted triple play. He caught a line drive, touched second base and tagged the runner coming from first base, Note, Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in Note, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg
11.
Bill Bailey (pitcher)
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William F. Bailey was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Browns, Baltimore Terrapins, Chicago Whales, Detroit Tigers and he had a career record of 38–76 with a 3.57 earned run average. Despite his poor record, in the inaugural Federal League season of 1914, Bailey struck out more than one batter per inning. In the 1910–19 decade no other pitcher with at least 100 innings pitched even approached that level, nonetheless, Bailey had a losing record in that season. Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference
12.
Bill Dinneen
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Dinneen was the plate umpire for baseballs first All-Star Game. He played for the Washington Senators and Boston Braves, and the Boston Red Sox, Dinneen recorded three wins for the Red Sox over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903. Dinneen broke the record for most strikeouts in a World Series with 11, Dinneen was born in Syracuse, New York on April 5,1876. He led the AL in losses in 1902 with 21, and led the league in saves in 1903 and 1907. In his remarkable 1904 season for the Red Sox, as they repeated as AL champions, he started 37 games, completing one of them for a total of 335 2⁄3 innings pitched. On June 12, he won a 16-inning contest by a score of 2–1 over the Browns, the game went into the final inning tied 2–2 before a wild pitch by Chesbro gave a 3–2 victory, and the flag, to Boston. On September 27,1905, Dinneen pitched a 2–0 no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, Dinneen joined the AL umpiring staff on September 12,1909, just 17 days after his final pitching appearance with the Browns. He umpired in eight World Series, tying the AL record set by Tommy Connolly and he served as crew chief for the 1914,1926 and 1932 Series. He was also selected to work in the first All-Star game in 1933, calling balls, shore retired the runner as well as all 26 batters he faced. Dinneen had his own confrontation with Ruth in the 1922 season, on June 19, the outfielder got into an argument with the umpire, and during the next days game he again insulted the official. Bill Dinneen was one of the greatest pitchers the game ever produced and he is one of the cleanest and most honorable men baseball ever fostered. Your conduct at Cleveland on Monday was reprehensible to a great degree – shocking to every American mother who permits her boy to go to a professional game, the American League cares nothing for Ruth. The individual player means nothing to the organization, when he steps on the ball field he is subject to our control and discipline. You branded Umpire Dinneen as yellow and this is the most remarkable declaration a modern ball player has made. Dinneen stands out in the history of the game as one of the most courageous players we have ever had, if you could match up to his standard you would not be in the trough you occupy today. Coupled with your misconduct on Monday, you doubled the penalty on Tuesday and you are hereby notified of your suspension for five days without salary. It seems the period has arrived when you should allow some intelligence to creep into a mind that has plainly been warped, in addition to the no-hitter he pitched, Dinneen also called balls and strikes for five other no-hitters. He remains the only individual in major league history to pitch a no-hitter and call one as plate umpire
13.
Harry Howell (baseball)
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Harry Taylor Howell born in New Jersey was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Brooklyn Superbas, Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Orioles/New York Highlanders and St. Louis Browns. He helped the Superbas win the 1900 National League Pennant and he led the National League in Games Finished in 1900 and the American League in 1903 and led the American League in Complete Games in 1905. He currently ranks 82nd on the MLB All-Time ERA List, 87th on the All-Time Complete Games List and he is also the Baltimore Orioles Career Leader in ERA.74 ERA and a 1.212 WHIP. He died in Spokane, Washington at the age of 79, Cobb was leading Lajoie.385 to.376 in the batting race going into that last day. OConnor ordered rookie third baseman Red Corriden to station himself in shallow left field to allow what otherwise would be routine infield ground outs to be base hits, Lajoie bunted five straight times down the third base line and made it to first easily. On his last at-bat, Lajoie reached base on an error, officially giving him a hitless at-bat. OConnor and Howell tried to bribe the official scorer, a woman, to change the call to a hit, Cobb won the batting title by less than one point over Lajoie.385069 to.384095. The resulting outcry triggered an investigation by American League president Ban Johnson, at his insistence, Browns owner Robert Hedges fired both OConnor and Howell, and released them as players, both men were informally banned from baseball for life. In 1981, however, research revealed that one game was counted twice for Cobb when he went 2-for-3, as a result, his 1910 batting statistics should have been shown as 194-for-506 and.383399, less than.0007 behind Lajoie at 227-for-591. List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders 1910 Chalmers Award Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
14.
Barney Pelty
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Barney Pelty, was a major league baseball pitcher known as the Yiddish Curver because he was one of the first Jewish baseball players in the American League. His career ERA is 2.63, 60th-best of all pitchers in major league baseball, through 2006 he ranks 71st in hits per 9 innings, and 48th in batters plunked. He was one of the best Jewish pitchers in major league history, ranking first through 2010 in career ERA, 6th in wins and he was born and died in Farmington, Missouri. Pelty was offered free tuition at the now-defunct Carlton Institute in Farmington, while attending Carlton, he met Eva Warsing, whom he married. After two years at Carlton, Pelty transferred to Blees Military Academy in Macon, Missouri and pitched for the Academy team in the 1899 and 1900 spring seasons, Pelty began his professional career with the 1902 Nashville Volunteers, but an arm injury cut his season short. After playing semipro ball, he was signed by the Cedar Rapids Rabbits for 1903, the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Browns got into a bidding war for him in 1903, and the Browns won with an offer of $850. He became a coach when not pitching and he was a workhorse for the St. Louis Browns, a member of their starting rotation from 1904, when he pitched 31 complete games and 301 innings, through 1911. In 1904 he led the league in hit batsmen, and was 6th in wild pitches, in 1905 he was 14–14 with a 2.75 ERA, while the teams other pitchers were a combined 40–85. His peak year was 1906, when he went 16–11 with a 1.59 ERA and he also led the league in fewest hits allowed per 9 innings pitched and lowest batting average, and was 2nd in hit batsmen. He especially was dominant against the World Series champion 1906 White Sox, in one three-game series against Chicago, Pelty pitched every game, including a 0–0 tie in 10 innings. His 1.59 ERA is the lowest in the history of the Browns/Baltimore Orioles franchise, in 1907 he lost a league-high 21 games and hit a league-high 19 batters, while pitching 5 shutouts and 29 complete games. In 1908, the right-hander improved to 7–4,1.99 in a reduced role, in 1909 he pitched 5 shutouts, 5th-best in the AL. He also was 10th-best in the league in fewest hits allowed per 9 innings pitched On June 11,1912 and he finished his career with the Senators that year. He gave up 22 home runs in 1,908 innings in his career and he did not mind pitching inside, leading the league in hit batsmen in 1904 and 1907. While he gave up only 558 earned runs lifetime, errors by his teammates let in nearly another 200 unearned runs lifetime, Pelty pitched 22 career shutouts, but was shut out 32 times, including nine 1–0 defeats due to poor offensive support. In his career, through 2010 he was one of the all-time best Jewish pitchers in major league history, ranking first in career ERA, 6th in wins and it was often erroneously reported that he had changed his name from Peltheimer. Pelty was proud of his Jewish heritage as indicated by his nickname, during his career, Pelty ran a bookstore in his Farmington hometown in the off-seasons. He worked as an inspector for the Missouri State Food and Drug Department, Pelty pitched one last game in 1937 in an exhibition against Grover Cleveland Alexander, dropping the decision
15.
Jack Powell (baseball)
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John Joseph Powell was a Major League Baseball pitcher around the turn of the 19th and 20th century. He had a relatively successful 16-year career, which lasted from 1897 to 1912 – he won 245 games, so, despite his sparking 2.97 career ERA, he holds the record for most wins by a pitcher with a career losing record. Powell was born in Bloomington, Illinois and he made his debut with the Cleveland Spiders in 1897, and by 1898 he became one of the best pitchers on the team. His 23 wins trailed only teammate Cy Young and he was one of the star players sold to the St. Louis Browns before the 1899 season. He won 23 games again that year, which was three more than the Spiders had all year, after three successful seasons, he was lured to the new American League in 1902, where he pitched for the St. Louis Browns. Powell was traded to the New York Highlanders before the 1904 season, however, after an 8–13 start in 1905, he was traded back to the Browns. By this time, the Browns had become one of the worst teams in the league and he had a 2.50 ERA over the last seven years of his career, but posted a 78–106 record. This was due partially to low run support, and partially to poor defense, of the 619 runs he allowed in these seven years,189 of them were unearned. Powell retired after the 1912 season and he died in Chicago in 1944
16.
Phil Stremmel
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Philip Stremmel was an American professional baseball pitcher. Stremmel played for the St. Louis Browns in Major League Baseball in 1909 and 1910, in 7 career games, he had a 0-4 record, with a 4.02 ERA. Peterman was born in Zanesville, Ohio and died in Chicago
17.
Rube Waddell
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George Edward Rube Waddell was an American southpaw pitcher in Major League Baseball. Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, Waddell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, Waddell was a remarkably dominant strikeout pitcher in an era when batters mostly slapped at the ball to get singles. He had an excellent fastball, a curve, a screwball. He led the leagues in strikeouts for six consecutive years. Born in 1876 outside of Bradford, Pennsylvania, Waddell grew up in the country, biographer Alan Levy writes that Waddell was a decidedly different sort of child. At the age of three, he wandered over to a fire station and stayed for several days. Waddell did not attend school very often, but he was considered to be literate and he strengthened his arm as a child by throwing rocks at birds he encountered while plowing the familys land. He also worked on mining and drilling sites as a youngster, Waddells career wound through a number of teams. Waddell was unpredictable – early in his career, he would leave mid-game to go fishing and he had a longstanding fascination with fire trucks and had run off the field to chase after them during games. He performed as a wrestler in the offseason. He was easily distracted by opposing fans who held up puppies and shiny objects, an alcoholic for much of his short adult life, Waddell reportedly spent his entire first signing bonus on a drinking binge. Waddells eccentric behavior led to constant battles with his managers and scuffles with bad-tempered teammates and his first pro contract was with Louisville, pitching two league games and a couple of exhibitions with the team at the end of the 1897 season. When the season ended, he was lent to the Detroit Wolverines of the Western League to gain professional experience and he rejoined Louisville in the final month of the 1899 season and won seven of nine decisions. When the National League contracted to eight teams for the 1900 season, Louisville ownership bought the Pittsburgh franchise, louisvilles top players, including Waddell, Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke and others, were transferred to Pittsburgh. Waddell debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1900, leading the National League in ERA, on August 19, Waddell pitched the first game of a doubleheader for Milwaukee, winning in the 17th inning on his own triple. His manager, Connie Mack, offered Waddell a three-day fishing vacation if he agreed to pitch the second game, Waddell threw 5 scoreless innings for the victory, and headed to Pewaukee Lake for fishing. However, his behavior led manager Fred Clarke to suspend him. Milwaukee was in the newly named American League, formerly known as the Western League, when Waddell displayed his prowess for Milwaukee, Pittsburgh management asked for Rubes return
18.
Lou Criger
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Louis Criger was a Major League Baseball catcher with the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and the New York Highlanders between 1896 and 1912. Criger became the first Opening Day catcher in Boston American League franchises history, a catcher for most of Cy Youngs 511 victories, he also caught every inning for eight games with Boston in the first-ever World Series in 1903, helping his team win the championship. In a 16-season career, he batted.221 with 11 home runs and 342 RBIs, Criger stole 58 career bases and scored 337 runs. He had 709 career hits in 3202 at bats, though never a major star, Criger received votes for the Hall of Fame in four BBWAA elections. He garnered as much as eight percent of the vote, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Bio on BaseballLibrary. com
19.
Bill Killefer
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William Killefer was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager who had a 48-year career in Major League Baseball. Killefer, who was nicknamed Reindeer Bill due to his speed afoot, played as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. He is remembered for being Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexanders favorite catcher, Killefer made his major league debut on September 13,1909 with the St. Louis Browns. After the 1910 season in which the Browns finished in last place, under the tutelage of Bisons manager George Stallings, Killefer developed into a refined catcher. His contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies on August 19,1911, the Phillies pitcher on that day was Grover Cleveland Alexander, and the game marked the first of 250 times the pair teamed up as a battery in the major leagues. Although he was a light hitter, Killefer became known for his defensive skills. In 1913, he led National League catchers with 166 assists,130 baserunners caught stealing, a 50. 6% caught stealing percentage, and finished second in putouts and fielding percentage. In 1914, Killefer made news when it was reported that he had signed with the Chicago Whales of the Federal League, although he denied the report. When the Phillies offered him an increase, he decided to sign with the Phillies, which led the Federal League to file a lawsuit against him. A judge ruled against the Federal League and Killefer remained with the Phillies, from 1915 to 1917, Alexander and Killefer solidified their reputation as the best battery in baseball, with Alexander posting three consecutive 30-win seasons. Killefer had one of his best seasons for the Phillies in 1917 and he led National League catchers with a.984 fielding percentage, as well as in putouts, double plays, and total chances. He also had one of his best seasons offensively with a.274 batting average, with the Cubs, Killefer was credited with strengthening their pitching staff. The Cubs won the 1918 National League pennant before losing to the Boston Red Sox in the 1918 World Series, Killefer had another strong season in 1919, hitting a career-high.286 batting average and leading National League catchers in fielding percentage, putouts and assists. He served as player-manager for the Cubs in 1921 before retiring as a player at age 33. In a thirteen-year major league career, Killefer played in 1,035 games and he had a career fielding percentage of.977. While he was not a powerful hitter, he possessed a strong throwing arm, Killefer led National League catchers in fielding percentage four consecutive seasons from 1916 to 1919. He also led the three times in putouts, assists and in baserunners caught stealing. Killefer caught 115 shutouts in his career, ranking him 16th all-time among major league catchers, killefers reputation as a defensive standout is enhanced because of the era in which he played
20.
Hobe Ferris
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Albert Sayles Hobe Ferris was a major league second baseman during the 1900s. He holds the record for the lowest on-base percentage of any player in Major League Baseball history with over 5000 plate appearances, despite this, his career slugging percentage is higher than the league average of the period. He was a shortstop in the minor leagues from 1898 to 1900 and he chose to jump to the newly formed American League instead, and signed with the Boston Americans. As the team had signed a shortstop in Freddy Parent. He made his league debut on April 26,1901. He committed 61 errors as a rookie for Boston in 1901, kid Gleason of Detroit made 64 errors, but Ferriss error total remains the second-highest total ever for a second baseman in the American League. He hit.250 with 15 triples and 63 RBI, the following season, he cut his error total to 39 and began to acquire a reputation as a stellar fielder with outstanding range. He was also one of the leagues feistiest players, being suspended in 1902 for an altercation with umpire Jack Sheridan, on September 11,1906, he got into a nasty fight with teammate Jack Hayden, whom he accused of lackadaisical play. Ferris kicked Hayden in the face, both were ejected from the game, and Ferris was suspended for the remainder of the season. This was the first time that teammates had been ejected for fighting each other and he was a member of the Boston side that won the inaugural 1903 World Series. He knocked in all of Bostons runs in the final game, Boston repeated as pennant winners in 1904, although no World Series was played that year. Ferris hit only.213 that season, and the team fell down the standings over the years as its star players began to show their age. By 1906, Boston was in last place with a 49-105 record, Ferris was one of the teams few bright spots, playing excellent defense and ranking among American League leaders in extra base hits. Prior to the 1908 season Ferris was traded to the St. Louis Browns in order to space for Amby McConnell. While at St. Louis, Ferris converted to become a third baseman and his first season with the Browns was the most productive of his entire career, he set new highs in OBP, batting average, and RBI and hit in 26 straight games. However, this successful season with the bat proved to be something of a blip — in 1909 his numbers plummeted as he recorded the worst season of his career. Following this poor season Ferriss contract was not renewed by the Browns, following his departure from St. Louis, Ferris could not find a Major League club willing to offer him a contract. This led to him signing with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association prior to the 1910 season, in his first season with the Millers, Ferriss performance with the bat improved slightly, however, the following year he exploded
21.
Tom Jones (baseball)
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Thomas Jones was an American baseball player. He compiled a.251 career batting average in 813 major league games and he was one of the best defensive first basemen of his era. He led all American League players, regardless of position, with 487 outs made in 1904 and 1,616 putouts in 1908. Among the leagues first basemen, he ranked second in assists for six years from 1904 to 1909, led in range factor in 1904 and 1905. His career range factor of 11.20 ranks third all-time in major league history, Jones was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, in 1877. Jones made his league debut on August 25,1902. He appeared in 37 games for the Orioles and compiled a.283 batting average, after the 1902 season, the Orioles moved to New York and became the Yankees. Jones remained in Baltimore with the newly formed Baltimore Orioles minor league club of 1903, Jones appeared in 127 games at first and second base and compiled a.335 batting average with 103 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. In September 1903, Jones was drafted by the St. Louis Browns and he played six seasons for the Browns from 1904 to 1909 and became known as one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball. He led all American League players, regardless of position, with 487 outs made in 1904 and 1,616 putouts in 1908 and he ranked second in putouts in 1904,1905,1907, and 1910. Among the leagues first basemen, he ranked second in assists for six years from 1904 to 1909, led in range factor in 1904 and 1905. His career range factor of 11.20 ranks third all-time in major league history behind Jiggs Donahue and he also led the American League with 40 sacrifice hits in 1906. On August 20,1899, the Browns traded Jones to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Claude Rossman and he appeared in 44 games for the 1909 Tigers and also appeared in all seven games of the 1909 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1910, Jones concluded his major career with the Tigers. Over the course of eight league seasons, Jones appeared in 1,058 games,1,033 of them as a first baseman. Defensively, he totaled 10,872 putouts,698 assists,456 double plays, after his major league career ended, Jones played for five seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association from 1911 to 1915. Jones died in Danville, Pennsylvania, in 1923 at age 46
22.
Bobby Wallace (baseball)
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Roderick John Bobby Wallace was a Major League Baseball infielder, pitcher, manager, umpire, and scout. Wallace was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and he made his major league debut in 1894 as a starting pitcher with the Cleveland Spiders. After a 12–14 record in 1895, Wallace played outfield and pitcher in 1896, in 1897, Wallace was an everyday player as he became the teams full-time third baseman, batted.335 and drove in 112 runs. In 1899, Wallace moved to the St. Louis Perfectos and he hit.295 with 108 RBI and 12 home runs. Wallace changed teams again in 1902, when he joined the St. Louis Browns and his playing time began decreasing a decade later, with his last season as a regular coming in 1912. Wallace played in just 55 games in 1913, and never played that much again for the rest of his career, in July 1917, he returned to the National League and the Cardinals, and played in just eight games that season. After batting.153 in 32 games in 1918, Wallace retired with a.268 career batting average,1059 runs,34 home runs,1121 RBI and 201 stolen bases. He played his last game on September 2,1918 at the age of 44 years and 312 days, the record was broken by Omar Vizquel on May 7,2012. Wallace was generally recognized as the ALs best shortstop from 1902 to 1911 and he played for 24 seasons, and holds the record for the longest career by a player who never played in a World Series. When his playing time diminished, Wallace managed and umpired and he managed the St. Louis Browns in 1911 and 1912 and the Cincinnati Reds during part of the 1937 season. He compiled 62 wins and 154 losses for a.287 winning percentage as a major league manager and he also managed the minor league Wichita Witches in 1917. He umpired in the American League in 1915, working 111 games, upon retiring, he also became a scout. Wallace was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953. org The Deadball Era
23.
Jimmy Williams (second baseman)
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James Thomas Williams was a second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1909. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, New York Highlanders, the power-hitting Williams set several records during his rookie season and led a major league in triples three times. He stood at 59 and weighed 175 lbs. Williams was born in St. Louis and he first played semi-pro baseball in 1892 and started his professional baseball career in 1896. In 1897, he established himself as a power hitter. He hit more homers than any two players in the league combined, and he also paced the circuit in slugging percentage. In 1898, Williams power dropped off when he moved up to the class A Western League, however, he did raise his batting average to.343 and still led the WL in slugging percentage at.494. Williams was then purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates and he was the teams starting third baseman in 1899 and made an immediate impact. In May and June of that year, he ran off a 26-game hitting streak and he continued to rip extra-base hits throughout the entire season and eventually ranked sixth in the National League in doubles, first in triples, and third in home runs. In August and September, Williams had another long hitting streak, the streak set an MLB rookie record that was not broken until 1987, it is still a Pittsburgh Pirates team record. The 27 triples are also an MLB rookie record, Williams ended the season with a.354 batting average. In 1900, Williams slumped badly, and his statistics all declined from the previous season and he hit just.264, while his slugging percentage fell by.141 points. After the season, Williams jumped to the new American League with the Baltimore Orioles and he converted to second base and would remain at that position for the rest of his career. In 1901, Williams returned to his form at the plate. His production was similar the following year, as well, in 1903, the Baltimore franchise was transferred to New York. Williams played decently in the new city, but his hitting never approached his Pittsburgh, after five years with the Highlanders, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns, where he finished out his major league career. He hit just.195 in 1909 and played his final MLB game on October 3, Williams played for the American Associations Minneapolis Millers from 1910 to 1915. No longer facing major league quality pitching, he batted over.310 in both 1910 and 1911 and was one of the leagues best sluggers. He helped the Millers win four AA pennants during his time there before retiring after the 1915 season, after his baseball career ended, Williams held various jobs, including one as an area scout and coach for the Cincinnati Reds
24.
Walt Devoy
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Walter Joseph Walt Devoy, was an American multi-sport athlete and executive. He was Major League Baseball right fielder who played in 1909 with the St. Louis Browns, in addition to his baseball career, Devoy played in the St. Louis Soccer League. In 1923, he was an executive with the Ben Millers, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
