Charles Radbourn
Encyclopedia
Charles Gardner Radbourn (December 11, 1854 – February 5, 1897), nicknamed "Old Hoss", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball
(MLB). He played for the Buffalo Bisons (1880), Providence Grays
(1881–1885), Boston Beaneaters
(1886–1889), Boston Reds (1890), and Cincinnati Reds
(1891). In 1884, Radbourn became the second National League
(NL) pitcher to win a Triple Crown; in the process, he broke the single-season wins
record which still stands today. Radbourn was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Born in New York and raised in Illinois, Radbourn played semi-professional and minor league baseball before making his major league debut for the Buffalo Bisons in 1880. After a one-year stint with the club, Radbourn joined the Providence Grays, leading the team to an 1884 World Series
championship. In 1885, when the team folded, the Grays roster was transferred to NL control, where he was claimed by the Boston Beaneaters. Radbourn spent the next three seasons with the club, and finished his MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds after a one-year tenure with the Boston Reds.
, the second of eight children to Charles and Caroline (Gardner) Radbourn. Charles Radbourn had immigrated to the United States from Bristol
to find work as a butcher; Caroline followed soon after. In 1855, the Radbourn family moved to Bloomington, Illinois
, where Radbourn was raised. As a teenager, Radbourn worked as a butcher with his father, and as a brakeman
for the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway company.
In 1878 Radbourn joined the Peoria Reds, a barnstorming
team, as their right fielder and "change pitcher". No substitutions were allowed at the time so if the starting pitcher became ineffective in the late innings the change pitcher, usually playing right field, would exchange positions with the starter to try and save the game. In 1879 he signed with Dubuque
in the newly formed Northwest League. He finally made the major leagues in 1881 as second baseman, right fielder and change pitcher for the Buffalo Bisons of the National League
. He played in six games, batted .143, never pitched an inning, but practiced so hard he developed a sore shoulder and was released. When he recovered he pitched for a pick-up Bloomington team in an exhibition game against the Providence Grays. He impressed everyone so much that Providence signed him on the spot for a salary variously reported as $1,100 or $1,400.
(1881–1885), Boston Beaneaters
(1886–1889), Boston Reds (1890) and Cincinnati Reds
(1891), Radbourn compiled a 309–194 career record. In 1884 he won the National League's pitching Triple Crown
with a 1.38 earned run average
, 59 wins and 441 strikeout
s. His 59 wins in a season is a record which is expected never to be broken. Also, his innings pitched
in 1884 stands at second all-time, behind only Will White
(680), for a single-season. It, too, is a record that will most likely never be touched. It was made possible by the mid-season expulsion of the Grays' other main pitcher, Charlie Sweeney
.
, and made it plain: win the pennant or the team would be disbanded.
Jealousy and hatred between Hoss and Charlie Sweeney, the other ace pitcher on the team, broke out into violence in the clubhouse. Hoss was faulted as the initiator of the fight and was suspended without pay after a poor outing on July 16. (He deliberately lost the game by lobbing soft pitches over the plate). But on July 22 Sweeney had been drinking before the start of the game and continued drinking in the dugout between innings. Wild and plastered, Sweeney managed to make it to the seventh inning with a 6–2 lead. Bancroft attempted to relieve him with the change pitcher but Sweeney stormed out of the park in a rage, leaving the Providence side with only eight players. With only two men to cover the outfield they lost the game.
This left the team in a state of disarray with the consensus view that the team should be disbanded. At that point Radbourn offered to start every game for the rest of the season (having pitched in 76 of 98 games the season before) in exchange for a small raise and exemption from the reserve clause next season. From that point, July 23 to September 24 when the pennant was clinched, Providence played 43 games and Radbourn started 40 of them and won 36. Soon, pitching every other day as he was, his arm became so sore he couldn't raise it to comb his hair. On game day he was at the ballpark hours before the start, getting warmed up. He began his warm up by throwing just a few feet, increasing the distance gradually until he was pitching from second base and finally from short centerfield.
After the regular season ended, the Grays played the American Association
champion New York Metropolitans
in the 1884 World Series
. Radbourn started each game of the series and won all three, while allowing just three runs.
There is no dispute about the 678⅔ innings pitched, only over the manner in which victories were assigned to pitchers. That can be a contentious issue, as the rules in the early years allowed more latitude to the official scorer than they do today.
Providence's won–lost record in 1884 was 84–28. The stats for the Grays' pitchers:
According to at least two accounts, in the game of July 28 at Philadelphia, Miller pitched five innings and left trailing, 4–3. Providence then scored four runs in the top of the sixth. Radbourn came in to relieve, and pitched shutout ball over the final four innings, while the Grays went on to score four more and to win the game, 11–4. The official scorer decided that Radbourn had pitched the most effectively, and awarded him the win. Under the rules of the day, the scorekeeper's decision certainly made sense. However, under modern scoring rules, Miller would get the win, being the "pitcher of record" when he left the game, and Radbourn would have been credited with a save, for (ironically enough) closing the game and "pitching effectively for three or more innings". Some modern statisticians have retroactively awarded the win to Miller. This may be a disputable practice, but it provides the explanation for the discrepancy in wins awarded to Radbourn in 1884. On the MLB.com page about Radbourn, he is credited with 59 wins and a save instead of 60 wins. Edward Achorn's 2010 book, Fifty-nine in '84, adheres to the revisionist view of Radbourn's 1884 statistics.
parlor and saloon in Bloomington, Illinois
. Dating back to his playing days, he had always had a reputation for being a bit vain. Radbourn was seriously injured in a hunting accident soon after retirement. He lost an eye in the accident and spent most of the remaining years of his life shut in a backroom of the saloon he owned, too ashamed to be seen after the injury.
After suffering from the effects of syphilis for a number of years, Radbourn died in Bloomington in 1897 and is interred in Evergreen Cemetery. In 1941 a plaque was placed on the back of his (misspelled) headstone, detailing his career.
It is speculated that Radbourn may be the namesake of the charley horse
, a painful leg cramp not unlike that from which he suffered.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
(MLB). He played for the Buffalo Bisons (1880), Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
(1881–1885), Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1886–1889), Boston Reds (1890), and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1891). In 1884, Radbourn became the second National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
(NL) pitcher to win a Triple Crown; in the process, he broke the single-season wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
record which still stands today. Radbourn was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Born in New York and raised in Illinois, Radbourn played semi-professional and minor league baseball before making his major league debut for the Buffalo Bisons in 1880. After a one-year stint with the club, Radbourn joined the Providence Grays, leading the team to an 1884 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championship. In 1885, when the team folded, the Grays roster was transferred to NL control, where he was claimed by the Boston Beaneaters. Radbourn spent the next three seasons with the club, and finished his MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds after a one-year tenure with the Boston Reds.
Early life
Radbourn was born on December 11, 1854, in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, the second of eight children to Charles and Caroline (Gardner) Radbourn. Charles Radbourn had immigrated to the United States from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to find work as a butcher; Caroline followed soon after. In 1855, the Radbourn family moved to Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, where Radbourn was raised. As a teenager, Radbourn worked as a butcher with his father, and as a brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
for the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway company.
In 1878 Radbourn joined the Peoria Reds, a barnstorming
Barnstorm (sports)
Barnstorming in athletics refers to sports teams or individuals that travel to various locations, usually small towns, to stage exhibition matches....
team, as their right fielder and "change pitcher". No substitutions were allowed at the time so if the starting pitcher became ineffective in the late innings the change pitcher, usually playing right field, would exchange positions with the starter to try and save the game. In 1879 he signed with Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
in the newly formed Northwest League. He finally made the major leagues in 1881 as second baseman, right fielder and change pitcher for the Buffalo Bisons of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. He played in six games, batted .143, never pitched an inning, but practiced so hard he developed a sore shoulder and was released. When he recovered he pitched for a pick-up Bloomington team in an exhibition game against the Providence Grays. He impressed everyone so much that Providence signed him on the spot for a salary variously reported as $1,100 or $1,400.
Major league career
As a starting pitcher for the Providence GraysProvidence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
(1881–1885), Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1886–1889), Boston Reds (1890) and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1891), Radbourn compiled a 309–194 career record. In 1884 he won the National League's pitching Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
with a 1.38 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, 59 wins and 441 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s. His 59 wins in a season is a record which is expected never to be broken. Also, his innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
in 1884 stands at second all-time, behind only Will White
Will White
William Henry "Whoop-La" White was an American Major League Baseball pitcher.White made his debut on July 20, 1877 with the Boston Red Caps at the age of 23...
(680), for a single-season. It, too, is a record that will most likely never be touched. It was made possible by the mid-season expulsion of the Grays' other main pitcher, Charlie Sweeney
Charlie Sweeney
Charles J. Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1882 through 1887. He played with moderate success for several teams, but he is best known to historians for the inadvertent career boost that he gave to future Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn.Sweeney began his major league...
.
1884 season
When Providence failed to win the pennant at the end of the 1883 season the franchise was on shaky financial ground. Ownership brought in a new manager, Frank BancroftFrank Bancroft
Francis Carter Bancroft was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Worcester Ruby Legs, Detroit Wolverines, Cleveland Blues, Providence Grays, Indianapolis Hoosiers, and Cincinnati Reds of the National League, as well as the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association...
, and made it plain: win the pennant or the team would be disbanded.
Jealousy and hatred between Hoss and Charlie Sweeney, the other ace pitcher on the team, broke out into violence in the clubhouse. Hoss was faulted as the initiator of the fight and was suspended without pay after a poor outing on July 16. (He deliberately lost the game by lobbing soft pitches over the plate). But on July 22 Sweeney had been drinking before the start of the game and continued drinking in the dugout between innings. Wild and plastered, Sweeney managed to make it to the seventh inning with a 6–2 lead. Bancroft attempted to relieve him with the change pitcher but Sweeney stormed out of the park in a rage, leaving the Providence side with only eight players. With only two men to cover the outfield they lost the game.
This left the team in a state of disarray with the consensus view that the team should be disbanded. At that point Radbourn offered to start every game for the rest of the season (having pitched in 76 of 98 games the season before) in exchange for a small raise and exemption from the reserve clause next season. From that point, July 23 to September 24 when the pennant was clinched, Providence played 43 games and Radbourn started 40 of them and won 36. Soon, pitching every other day as he was, his arm became so sore he couldn't raise it to comb his hair. On game day he was at the ballpark hours before the start, getting warmed up. He began his warm up by throwing just a few feet, increasing the distance gradually until he was pitching from second base and finally from short centerfield.
After the regular season ended, the Grays played the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
champion New York Metropolitans
New York Metropolitans
The Metropolitan Club was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887...
in the 1884 World Series
1884 World Series
In baseball the 1884 World Series was an early forerunner of the modern post-season championship series.Although the "Fall Classic" as we know it didn't begin until 1903, Major League Baseball had several versions of a post-season championship series before that.The first such championship series...
. Radbourn started each game of the series and won all three, while allowing just three runs.
Statistical notes on the 1884 season
There is a discrepancy in Radbourn's victory total in 1884. The classic MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia, as well as the current Sporting News Baseball Record Book both credit Radbourn with 60 wins (against 12 losses), as does his National Baseball Hall of Fame biography. Other sources, including the Baseball Reference and Baseball Almanac links shown here, give Radbourn 59 wins. Some older sources (such as his tombstone plaque) counted as high as 62.There is no dispute about the 678⅔ innings pitched, only over the manner in which victories were assigned to pitchers. That can be a contentious issue, as the rules in the early years allowed more latitude to the official scorer than they do today.
Providence's won–lost record in 1884 was 84–28. The stats for the Grays' pitchers:
- Charles Radbourn 60–12 (MacMillan) or 59–12 (online)
- Charlie SweeneyCharlie SweeneyCharles J. Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1882 through 1887. He played with moderate success for several teams, but he is best known to historians for the inadvertent career boost that he gave to future Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn.Sweeney began his major league...
17–8 - Ed ConleyEd ConleyEdward J. Conley was an American professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball for the Providence Grays. He pitched in eight games and had a win–loss record of 4–4 with a 2.15 earned run average in 71 innings pitched...
4–4 - Cyclone MillerCyclone MillerJoseph H. "Cyclone" Miller was an American Major League Baseball player born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He played just two seasons in the majors, but did play with four different teams in three different leagues...
2–2 (MacMillan) or 3–2 (online) - Paul RadfordPaul RadfordPaul Revere Radford was a Major League Baseball player in the late 19th century. Paul, nicknamed "Shorty", played with many teams over his 12-season career, but his best performance was with the Cleveland Infants, when he batted .292. His career batting average was .242. Radford died in Boston,...
0–2 - Harry Arundel 1–0
- John CattanachJohn CattanachFor the Newtonmore shinty player, see John Cattanach John Leckie Cattanach was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched three games during his only season, 1884. He pitched in one game for the Providence Grays of the National League, and two other games for the St. Louis Maroons of the...
0–0 - Paul HinesPaul HinesPaul Aloysius Hines was an American center fielder in professional baseball who played in the National Association and Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1891...
0–0 - Arthur IrwinArthur IrwinArthur Albert Irwin , nicknamed Doc or Sandy, was a Canadian-American shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball during the late nineteenth century...
0–0
According to at least two accounts, in the game of July 28 at Philadelphia, Miller pitched five innings and left trailing, 4–3. Providence then scored four runs in the top of the sixth. Radbourn came in to relieve, and pitched shutout ball over the final four innings, while the Grays went on to score four more and to win the game, 11–4. The official scorer decided that Radbourn had pitched the most effectively, and awarded him the win. Under the rules of the day, the scorekeeper's decision certainly made sense. However, under modern scoring rules, Miller would get the win, being the "pitcher of record" when he left the game, and Radbourn would have been credited with a save, for (ironically enough) closing the game and "pitching effectively for three or more innings". Some modern statisticians have retroactively awarded the win to Miller. This may be a disputable practice, but it provides the explanation for the discrepancy in wins awarded to Radbourn in 1884. On the MLB.com page about Radbourn, he is credited with 59 wins and a save instead of 60 wins. Edward Achorn's 2010 book, Fifty-nine in '84, adheres to the revisionist view of Radbourn's 1884 statistics.
Later life
After retiring, Radbourn opened up a successful billiardBilliard
-Games:* A , a type of shot in cue sports * Billiards: cue sports in general, including pool, carom billiards, snooker, etc.; the term "billiards" by itself is also sometimes used to refer to any of the following more specifically:...
parlor and saloon in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. Dating back to his playing days, he had always had a reputation for being a bit vain. Radbourn was seriously injured in a hunting accident soon after retirement. He lost an eye in the accident and spent most of the remaining years of his life shut in a backroom of the saloon he owned, too ashamed to be seen after the injury.
After suffering from the effects of syphilis for a number of years, Radbourn died in Bloomington in 1897 and is interred in Evergreen Cemetery. In 1941 a plaque was placed on the back of his (misspelled) headstone, detailing his career.
It is speculated that Radbourn may be the namesake of the charley horse
Charley horse
A charley horse is a popular North American colloquial term for painful spasms or cramps in the leg muscles, typically lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours. Also known as a "Tommy Horse"...
, a painful leg cramp not unlike that from which he suffered.
See also
- 300 win club300 win clubIn Major League Baseball, the 300 win club refers to the group of pitchers—24 as of 2011—who have won 300 or more games. While the "300 club" is an informal group, becoming a member is among the highest accomplishments a starting pitcher can achieve. Several members retired soon after winning their...
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of top 100 Major League Baseball strikeout pitchers
- Major League Baseball Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball earned run average champions
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters