Wikipedia

Ed Walsh

For other people named Ed Walsh, seeEd Walsh (disambiguation).

Edward Augustine Walsh(May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an AmericanpitcherandmanagerinMajor League Baseball,nicknamed "Big Ed".From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his career. Walsh holds the record for lowest careerearned run average,1.82.[1]He is one of two modern (post-1901) pitchers to win 40 or more games in a single season, and the last pitcher to do so. He is the last pitcher from any team to throw more than 400 innings in a single season, a feat he accomplished in 1907 and 1908. He was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Famein1946.

Ed Walsh
Walsh with the Chicago White Sox in 1911
Pitcher/Manager
Born:(1881-05-14)May 14, 1881
Plains Township, Pennsylvania,U.S.
Died:May 26, 1959(1959-05-26)(aged 78)
Pompano Beach, Florida,U.S.
Batted:Right
Threw:Right
MLB debut
May 7, 1904, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
September 11, 1917, for the Boston Braves
MLB statistics
Win–loss record195–126
Earned run average1.82
Strikeouts1,736
Teams
As player

As manager

Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1946
Election methodOld-Timers Committee

Early life

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Walsh was born inPlains Township, Pennsylvania,to Michael and Jane Walsh. He worked in the Luzerne County coal mines when he was young. Walsh started his professional baseball career with the 1902Meriden Silveritesof theConnecticut State League.[2]After playing the 1903 season with the Meriden Silverites andNewark Sailorsof the Eastern League, theChicago White Soxpurchased Walsh's contract for $750 ($25,433 in today's dollars).[3][4]

MLB career

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Peak years

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Walsh made his major league debut in 1904 with the Chicago White Sox and pitched his first full season in 1906, going 17–13 with a 1.88 ERA and 171strikeouts.[5]In Game Three ofthat year's World Series,which the White Sox won over theChicago Cubsin six games, Walsh struck out a then-World Series record 12 batters. He also struck out at least one batter each inning of that game; this feat has since been duplicated only once, byBob Gibsonin the1968 World Seriesopener. From this season through 1912, Walsh averaged 24victoriesand 220 strikeouts and posted an ERA below 2.00 five times. He also led the league insavesfive times in this span. His finest individual season came in 1908 when he went 40–15 with 269 strikeouts, 6 saves and a 1.42 ERA,[6]leading theAmerican Leaguein wins and strikeouts.[7]In 1910, he posted the lowest ERA (1.27) for a pitcher with at least 20 starts and a losing record. Walsh also set an American League record by pitching 464 innings in a season. On August 27, 1911, Walshno-hittheBoston Red Sox5–0.

Ed Walsh portrait

Interviewed for the 1966 bookThe Glory of Their Times,Hall of FamerSam Crawfordreferred to Walsh's use of a pitch that was later outlawed: "Big Ed Walsh. Great big, strong, good-looking fellow. He threw aspitball.I think that ball disintegrated on the way to the plate, and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate, it was just the spit went by ".[8]

In 1910, the White Sox opened White Sox Park, which was soon nicknamedComiskey Parkby the press in honor of team ownerCharles Comiskey.The name was officially changed to Comiskey Park in 1913. An apocryphal story goes that architectZachary Taylor Davisconsulted Walsh in setting the park's field dimensions. Choosing a design that favored himself and other White Sox pitchers, rather than hitters, Walsh made Comiskey Park a "pitcher's park" for its entire 80-year history.[9]

Later career

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Walsh pitching for the White Sox c. 1911

Walsh was a workhorse who pitched an average of 375 innings annually during the six seasons of 1907 through 1912. After the 1912 season, Walsh reportedly requested a full year off to rest his arm.[10]Nevertheless, he showed up for spring training the following season, contending, "The White Sox needed me—implored me to return—so I did".[10]Walshinherited24 runners in 1912 and allowed none of them to score, setting a Major League record that stands As of 2023.[11]

Walsh's playing time began dwindling in 1913.[10]It has been claimed that he came into spring training in poorer physical shape than other members of the White Sox pitching staff, and his pride led him to try to keep up with the other pitchers in terms of pitch speed before getting into adequate shape, thereby causing damage to his pitching arm. "I could feel the muscles grind and wrench during the game, and it seemed to me my arm would leap out of my socket when I shot the ball across the plate", Walsh later recalled. "My arm would keep me awake till morning with a pain I had never known before".[10]He pitched only 16 games during the 1913 season, and a meager 13 games over the next three years.[10]

By 1916, Walsh's arm was dead. He wanted a year off, but Charles Comiskey released him instead.[12]He attempted a comeback with theBoston Bravesin 1917, but was let go, ending his major league career.[12]He later did some pitching in theEastern League,and gave umpiring a try (he umpired 87 American League games during the 1922 season), after which he was a coach for the White Sox for several seasons (1923–1924, 1928–1929).[13]

Walsh retired with 195 wins, 126 losses,[10]and 1736 strikeouts. His career ERA of 1.82 is the lowest major league ERA ever posted.[10]He has the third-lowest careerWHIPin MLB history (1.00) and the lowest ever for someone with 10 or more seasons pitched.

As a hitter, Walsh posted a.194batting average(210-for-1,085) with 92runs,3home runs,68RBI,14stolen basesand 46bases on balls.

Managerial record

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Team Year Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
CWS 1924 3 1 2 .333 interim – – – –
Total 3 1 2 .333 0 0 –

Later life and legacy

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Walsh was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Famein1946.[12]He died on May 26, 1959, 12 days after his 78th birthday.

In 1999, Walsh was ranked number 82 onThe Sporting News'list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[14]and was nominated as a finalist for theMajor League Baseball All-Century Team.In 2011, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.[15]

Walsh's sonEd Walsh Jr.played for the White Sox from 1928 to 1932.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Coffey (2004), pp. 26–33.
  2. ^"NEPA players in Major League Baseball history".The Times-Tribune.October 27, 2009.RetrievedNovember 21,2014.
  3. ^Schimler, Stuart."Big Ed Walsh".sabr.org. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  4. ^"Big Ed Walsh – Society for American Baseball Research".
  5. ^Kashatus (2002), p. 84.
  6. ^Kashatus (2002), pp. 84–85.
  7. ^"Ed Walsh Stats".baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  8. ^Kashatus (2002), pp. 83–84.
  9. ^"SimLeague Baseball Ballpark Effects".www.whatifsports.com.
  10. ^abcdefgKashatus (2002), p. 85.
  11. ^"Player Pitching Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball".Stathead.com.Sports Reference.RetrievedApril 26,2024.
  12. ^abc"The Ballplayers – Ed Walsh".baseballbiography.com.RetrievedJune 4,2009.
  13. ^"Ed Walsh".Retrosheet.RetrievedAugust 26,2017.
  14. ^"100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News: A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac".www.baseball-almanac.com.
  15. ^Bios Of The InducteesArchivedMay 4, 2014, at theWayback Machine.Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame website. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  16. ^"Ed Walsh".retrosheet.org.Retrosheet, Inc.RetrievedAugust 12,2013.

Further reading

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  • Coffey, Michael (2004).27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games.New York: Atria Books.ISBN0-7434-4606-2.
  • Kashatus, William C. (2002).Diamonds in the Coalfields: 21 Remarkable Baseball Players, Managers, and Umpires from Northeast Pennsylvania.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.ISBN978-0-7864-1176-4.
  • Smiles, Jack. (2007)Big Ed Walsh: The Life of a Spitballing Hall of FamerJefferson, NC: McFarland.
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