Alex Ferson
Encyclopedia
Alexander "Colonel" Ferson (July 14, 1866 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
– December 5, 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) was a 5'9", 165 pound right-handed baseball pitcher who played from 1889 to 1890 and in 1892 for the Washington Nationals
, Buffalo Bisons and Baltimore Orioles
.
Ferson began his big league career on May 4, 1889. That year, he went 17-17 with a 3.90 ERA in 36 games (34 starts, 28 complete games). Despite finishing 10th in the league in hits allowed (319), ninth in the league in losses and eighth in the league in hit batsmen, he was still the best pitcher on the team overall. Although the team finished last in the league with a 41-83 record (.331 winning percentage), Ferson managed a winning percentage of exactly .500. Furthermore, he was the only pitcher on the team with at least one decision to finish with a winning percentage of .500 or better (in contrast, George Haddock went 11-19 for a .367 winning percentage, George Keefe
went 8-18 for a .308 winning percentage, Hank O'Day
went 2-10 for a .167 winning percentage and Egyptian Healy went 1-11 for a .083 winning percentage). Ferson also had the best ERA of any pitcher with at least two appearances, and he made the most appearances, games started, and he pitched the most innings.
The rest of Ferson's career didn't really pan out for him. In fact, for the Bisons in 1890, he went 1-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 10 starts. For the Orioles in 1892, he went 0-1 in 2 games (1 start), posting an ERA of 11.00. He played his final game on July 25, 1892.
Overall, Ferson went 18-25 in his three year career, posting an ERA of 4.37. He made 48 appearances, starting 45 of them, completing 36 of his starts and shutting out one of his complete games. According to the Similarity Scores at Baseball-Reference.com, Ferson is most similar statistically to Rick Matula
and Parke Swartzel.
A poor hitter, Ferson hit .133 in 150 career at-bats.
After his death, he was buried in an unknown cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire
.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
– December 5, 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) was a 5'9", 165 pound right-handed baseball pitcher who played from 1889 to 1890 and in 1892 for the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals (1886-89)
The Washington Nationals, sometimes referred to as the Washington Statesmen, was a professional baseball team in the mid to late 1880s. They existed for a period of four years as a member of the National League from to . During their four-year tenure they had six different managers and compiled a...
, Buffalo Bisons and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles (19th century)
The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...
.
Ferson began his big league career on May 4, 1889. That year, he went 17-17 with a 3.90 ERA in 36 games (34 starts, 28 complete games). Despite finishing 10th in the league in hits allowed (319), ninth in the league in losses and eighth in the league in hit batsmen, he was still the best pitcher on the team overall. Although the team finished last in the league with a 41-83 record (.331 winning percentage), Ferson managed a winning percentage of exactly .500. Furthermore, he was the only pitcher on the team with at least one decision to finish with a winning percentage of .500 or better (in contrast, George Haddock went 11-19 for a .367 winning percentage, George Keefe
George Keefe
George Washington Keefe was a left-handed professional baseball starting pitcher who played for the Washington Nationals, Buffalo Bisons and Washington Statesmen from 1886 to 1891.Keefe made his major league debut on July 30, 1886 at the age of 19...
went 8-18 for a .308 winning percentage, Hank O'Day
Hank O'Day
Henry Francis O'Day was an American right-handed pitcher, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball who worked as a National League umpire for 30 years between 1895 and 1927, and was the only person in major league history to appear as a player, manager and umpire. His 3,986 total games as an...
went 2-10 for a .167 winning percentage and Egyptian Healy went 1-11 for a .083 winning percentage). Ferson also had the best ERA of any pitcher with at least two appearances, and he made the most appearances, games started, and he pitched the most innings.
The rest of Ferson's career didn't really pan out for him. In fact, for the Bisons in 1890, he went 1-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 10 starts. For the Orioles in 1892, he went 0-1 in 2 games (1 start), posting an ERA of 11.00. He played his final game on July 25, 1892.
Overall, Ferson went 18-25 in his three year career, posting an ERA of 4.37. He made 48 appearances, starting 45 of them, completing 36 of his starts and shutting out one of his complete games. According to the Similarity Scores at Baseball-Reference.com, Ferson is most similar statistically to Rick Matula
Rick Matula
Richard Carlton Matula is a former professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played in Major League Baseballfrom 1979 to 1981 for the Atlanta Braves....
and Parke Swartzel.
A poor hitter, Ferson hit .133 in 150 career at-bats.
After his death, he was buried in an unknown cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
.