- Jack Chesbro
-
Jack Chesbro Starting pitcher Born: June 5, 1874
North Adams, MassachusettsDied: November 6, 1931 (aged 57)
Conway, MassachusettsBatted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut July 12, 1899 for the Pittsburgh Pirates Last MLB appearance October 2, 1909 for the Boston Red Sox Career statistics Win-Loss record 198-132 Earned run average 2.68 Strikeouts 1265 Teams Career highlights and awards - National League pennant: 1901, 1902
- National League wins champion: 1902
- American League wins champion: 1904
- Two-time National League shutout leader
- Five 20-win seasons
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 1946 Election Method Veteran's Committee John Dwight Chesbro (June 5, 1874 – November 6, 1931) was a Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. He was the last major league pitcher to win 40 games or more in a single season until Ed Walsh did it in 1908. Chesbro was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
Playing career
Nicknamed "Happy Jack", Chesbro, a spitballer (spitballs were legal until 1920), broke into the majors in 1899 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a 21-10 record with a 2.38 ERA in 1901 and a 28-6 record with a 2.17 ERA in 1902. His 28 wins led the National League.
In 1903 Chesbro moved to the newly formed New York Highlanders (soon to be New York Yankees) and pitched the franchise's first game. He finished the season with a 21-15 record.
In 1904, he had one of the finest years in the history of pitching, winning 41 games. He started 51 games and finished 48 while posting a 1.82 ERA, 239 strikeouts, and 454.7 innings. He nearly led the Highlanders to the 1904 American League pennant over the Boston Americans, but lost the last game of the season when one of his spitballs got away from him in the top of the ninth. Boston scored on the resulting wild pitch, and the Highlanders were shut out in the bottom frame.
His 41 wins are the most ever for a modern-era baseball season. In addition to his 51 starts, he also made 4 relief appearances, getting a decision in 96% of them, for a record of 41-12. Under current playing practices, where teams typically maintain a four- or five-man pitching rotation, his record is virtually unbreakable: the only pitcher since World War II to win 30 or more games in a season was Denny McLain who went 31-6 in 1968.
Chesbro stayed with the Highlanders until the middle of 1909, when he moved to the Boston Red Sox.
Chesbro retired in 1909 while playing for the Red Sox, having accumulated a 198-132 career record and been part of two pennant-winning teams (in 1901 and 1902).
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen List
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Jack Chesbro at the Baseball Hall of Fame
Preceded by
Bill DonovanNational League Wins Champion
1902Succeeded by
Joe McGinnityPreceded by
Cy YoungAmerican League Wins Champion
1904Succeeded by
Rube WaddellPittsburgh Pirates 1901 National League Champions Ginger Beaumont | Kitty Bransfield | Jack Chesbro | Fred Clarke | Lefty Davis | Ed Doheny | Bones Ely | Tommy Leach | Sam Leever | Jack O'Connor | Deacon Phillippe | Ed Poole | Claude Ritchey | Jesse Tannehill | Honus Wagner | Snake Wiltse | George Yeager | Chief Zimmer
Manager Fred ClarkePittsburgh Pirates 1902 National League Champions Ginger Beaumont | Kitty Bransfield | Jimmy Burke | Jack Chesbro | Fred Clarke | Wid Conroy | Lefty Davis | Ed Doheny | Tommy Leach | Sam Leever | Jack O'Connor | Deacon Phillippe | Claude Ritchey | Harry Smith | Jesse Tannehill | Honus Wagner | Chief Zimmer
Manager Fred ClarkeBaseball Hall of Fame Class of 1946 BBWAA Vote noneVeterans Committee Jesse Burkett • Frank Chance • Jack Chesbro • Johnny Evers • Clark Griffith • Tommy McCarthy • Joe McGinnity • Eddie Plank • Joe Tinker • Rube Waddell • Ed WalshPitchers inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Alexander • Bender • Blyleven • M. Brown • R. Brown • Bunning • Carlton • Chesbro • Clarkson • Cooper • Coveleski • Cummings • Day • Dean • Dihigo • Drysdale • Eckersley • Faber • Feller • Fingers • Ford • B. Foster • R. Foster • Galvin • Gibson • Gomez • Gossage • Grimes • Grove • Haines • Hoyt • Hubbell • Hunter • Jenkins • Johnson • Joss • Keefe • Koufax • Lemon • Lyons • Marichal • Marquard • Mathewson • McGinnity • Méndez • Newhouser • Nichols • Niekro • Paige • Palmer • Pennock • Perry • Plank • Radbourn • Rixey • Roberts • Rogan • Ruffing • Rusie • Ryan • Seaver • Smith • Spahn • Sutter • Sutton • Vance • Waddell • Walsh • Welch • Wilhelm • Williams • Willis • Wynn • YoungNew York Yankees Hall of Famers Inductees in Yankees cap Yogi Berra · Jack Chesbro · Earle Combs · Joe DiMaggio · Bill Dickey · Whitey Ford · Lou Gehrig · Lefty Gomez · Joe Gordon · Goose Gossage · Waite Hoyt · Reggie Jackson · Tony Lazzeri · Mickey Mantle · Herb Pennock · Phil Rizzuto · Red Ruffing · Babe RuthInductees who played
for the YankeesHome Run Baker · Wade Boggs · Roger Bresnahan · Frank Chance · Stan Coveleski · Clark Griffith · Burleigh Grimes · Bucky Harris · Rickey Henderson · Catfish Hunter · Willie Keeler · Joe McGinnity · John McGraw · Johnny Mize · Phil Niekro · Gaylord Perry · Branch Rickey · Wilbert Robinson · Joe Sewell · Enos Slaughter · Dazzy Vance · Paul Waner · Dave WinfieldYankees' managers Yankees' executives Frick Award New York Yankees Opening Day starting pitchers Stan Bahnsen • Tiny Bonham • Hank Borowy • Jim Bouton • Ray Caldwell • Spud Chandler • Jack Chesbro • Roger Clemens • Jim Coates • David Cone • Atley Donald • Slow Joe Doyle • Whitey Ford • Lefty Gomez • Ron Guidry • Orlando Hernández • Waite Hoyt • Tom Hughes • Catfish Hunter • Tommy John • Randy Johnson • Sad Sam Jones • Jimmy Key • Dave LaPoint • Don Larsen • Tim Leary • Eddie Lopat • Carl Mays • George McConnell • Joe McGinnity • Marty McHale • Doc Medich • George Mogridge • Mike Mussina • Doc Newton • Phil Niekro • Al Orth • Carl Pavano • Herb Pennock • Andy Pettitte • George Pipgras • Vic Raschi • Dennis Rasmussen • Allie Reynolds • Rick Rhoden • Red Ruffing • Marius Russo • CC Sabathia • Scott Sanderson • Bob Shawkey • Urban Shocker • Mel Stottlemyre • Ralph Terry • Bob Turley • Hippo Vaughn • Chien-Ming Wang • Jack Warhop
Categories:- 1874 births
- 1931 deaths
- Baseball players from Massachusetts
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- New York Highlanders players
- Boston Red Sox players
- National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- American League wins champions
- National League wins champions
- People from North Adams, Massachusetts
- Springfield Maroons players
- Johnstown Buckskins players
- Albany Senators players
- Roanoke Magicians players
- Richmond Giants players
- Richmond Bluebirds players
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.