Jack Chesbro
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| Jack Chesbro | ||
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| Starting Pitcher | ||
| Born: June 5, 1874 | ||
| Died: November 6, 1931 (aged 57) | ||
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| July 12, 1899 for the Pittsburgh Pirates |
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| Final game | ||
| October 2, 1909 for the Boston Red Sox |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Pitching record | 198-132 | |
| Earned run average | 2.68 | |
| Strikeouts | 1265 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 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 nicknamed "Happy Jack".
Chesbro, a spitballer (spitballs were legal until 1920), broke into the majors in 1899 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched for the Pirates until 1902 and in his final year went an astonishing 28-6 with a 2.17 ERA.
In 1903 Chesbro moved to the newly formed New York Highlanders (soon to be New York Yankees) and pitched the franchise's first game. In 1904, he had one of the finest years in the history of pitching, starting 51 games and finishing 48 while posting a 1.82 ERA, struck out 239 batters, and 41 wins over 454.7 innings pitched. 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. It is one of the oldest major records in baseball, or in any other sport. Like many of the pitching records set in baseball's first half century, it is virtually unbreakable under current pitching practices. 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. Today, complete games are a rarity. The most recent pitcher to have even as many as 40 starts in a season was Charlie Hough in 1987.
Chesbro retired in 1909, having accumulated a 198-132 career record and been part of two pennant-winning teams (in 1901 and 1902).
Chesbro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
| Preceded by Bill Donovan |
National League Wins Champion 1902 |
Succeeded by Joe McGinnity |
| Preceded by Cy Young |
American League Wins Champion 1904 |
Succeeded by Rube Waddell |
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