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Ed Crane (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Edward Nicholas Crane nicknamed Cannonball, was an American
right-handed pitcher
and outfielder
in Major League Baseball
for eight seasons. He played for the Boston Reds (1884), Providence Grays
(1885), Buffalo Bisons
(1885), Washington Nationals
(1886), New York Giants (NL)
(1888-89, 1892-93), New York Giants (PL)
(1890), Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), Cincinnati Reds
(1891), and Brooklyn Grooms (1893). Crane is one of the few players to play in four major leagues: the Union Association
, the National League
, the Players League
, and the American Association
.
Born in Boston, Cannonball Crane was a man of uncommon strength. In his prime, he was described as “a giant in physical strength and proportions.” He reportedly could throw a baseball 135 yards, farther than anyone else who played the game in his era. After his playing career ended, he died from what was officially declared an accidental overdose but was reported by others to have been a suicide.
. He played in 101 games for the Reds, including 57 as an outfielder and 42 as a catcher. As a rookie, he was among the UA league leaders in most batting categories, with 12 home runs (2nd in the UA), a .451 slugging percentage (4th in the UA), 193 total bases (4th in the USA), 41 extra base hits (5th in the UA), 59 runs (7th in the UA), 122 hits (8th in the UA), and a .285 batting average (10th in the UA).
After a promising rookie year, Crane moved to the National League where he did not fare as well. In 1885, Crane played in the National League for the Providence Grays
and Buffalo Bisons
but appeared in only 14 games, all as an outfielder.
In 1886, he played in 80 games for the Washington Nationals
, including 68 games as an outfielder and 10 games (70 innings) as a pitcher. His performance as a batter dropped off dramatically, as his batting average plummeted to .171 and he struck out 54 times. He did not fare much better as a pitcher, with a record of 1-7, an earned run average
of 7.20 and an Adjusted ERA+
of 45.
With a dismal performance in 1886, Crane did not find a spot in the major leagues in 1887. Instead, Crane went to Canada and had a tremendous season for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1887. He won the International League
batting title in 1887, hitting for a .428 average (bases on balls counted as hits for the 1887 season in the Int’l League.) His .428 average in 1887 still stands as the highest batting average by a pitcher in professional baseball. (Mike Filey, “Toronto Sketches 7 (2003),” p. 37) He also set the all-time Maple Leafs’ record with 33 wins, as he led the Maple Leafs to their first International League
pennant. On one occasion in 1887, Crane won both games of a Saturday doubleheader and also hit the game-winning home run in the second game.
where he played in 1888 and 1889. In 1888, Crane was 5-6 for the World Series champion Giants. Crane accomplished two baseball firsts in 1888. On September 27, 1888, Crane became the first player in New York Giants’ history to throw a no-hitter. In a seven-inning game that was called due to darkness, Cannonball Crane held the Senators hitless in a 3-0 victory at the Polo Grounds. Crane retired six batters on ground balls to himself and struck out five Senators. (Tom Schott, Nick Peters, “The Giants Encyclopedia (2003),” pp. 405-06.) The following week, on October 4, 1888, Crane became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out four batters in one inning.
In 1889, he pitched in 29 games (25 as a starter) and had a much improved record of 14-10 and earned run average
of 2.43 in 230 innings. Crane’s career reached its pinnacle in the 1889 World Series, as Crane was the hero on the mound and at the plate. On the mound, Crane started 5 games and won 4, pitching 38 innings with a 3.79 ERA. At the plate, Crane had 5 RBIs, a .611 slugging percentage, scored 3 runs, a double, a triple, and a home run. An October 1889 newspaper account in The World
described Crane’s World Series performance as follows: "Ed Crane, fat and jolly, went into the pitcher's box for New York... Ed shot them in with terrific speed and brought joy to the New Yorkers, who saw the Grooms [i.e., Brooklyn Bridegrooms] succumb, one after another, to his invincible 'curves' and 'shoots'."
The newspaper’s reference to Crane as "fat and jolly" was not the first such reference to Crane’s girth. He won the nickname "Cannonball" due to his large size. He reportedly loved to eat and weighed 204 pounds at 5’10”. (Tom Schott, Nick Peters, "The Giants Encyclopedia," p. 406.) Another book described Crane as a "prodigious eater" whose favorite snack consisted of "an order of a dozen soft-boiled eggs served in a soup bowl, which he liked to top off with an order of two dozen clams." (Lee Allen, "The Cincinnati Reds (1948)," p. 43)
After reaching the high point of his career in the 1889 World Series, Crane’s life began a downhill spiral that fall. After the 1889 season, Crane traveled on the famous Spalding World Tour where he developed a taste for alcohol. The tour included 20 of the best players in baseball and covered Asia and Europe, lasting until early April 1890. One newspaper reported: "Until then, he never drank, but when the aggregation reached Paris Crane fell. . . . When he reached America again not only could he drink champagne but he had acquired a taste for less expensive drinks." The world tour was reportedly the "turning point" in Crane’s life, as drinking eventually left him "without employment and incapacitated for work." A full account of Crane’s time on the Spalding world tour can be found in the Mark Lamster book, "Spalding’s World Tour: The Epic Adventure that Took Baseball Around the Globe—and Made It America’s Game."
After returning from the Spalding tour, Crane joined the Players League
movement (a competing league formed by the players in 1890) and played with many of his former teammates for the newly formed New York Giants
of the Players' League. He had a record of 16-19 and an ERA of 3.68 in 330-1/3 innings. Starting in 1890, Crane's control began to fail, as he gave up walks at a historic pace. In 1890, he gave up 210 bases on balls
-- the 13th highest single season total in major league history. He followed with 203 walks in 1891 and 189 in 1892—both years ranking among the highest single season totals of all time.
with a 2.45 ERA (Adjusted ERA+
of 169) and 25 complete games in 250 innings. He spent the last part of the 1891 season with the Cincinnati Reds
and finished the year with an 18-22 record. He followed in 1892 with a 24-loss record for the New York Giants
. His major league career ended in 1893 as the 31-year-old Crane split the season between the Giants and the Brooklyn Grooms.
After being released by Brooklyn, Crane played with Toronto and then with Providence and Rochester. The 1896 season proved to be his last, and playing for Rochester, "he proved to be a failure but played the season out." According to his obituary, "his arm was in poor shape," and he was released by Rochester. He was then picked up by Springfield, where he "fared no better." He umpired a few games for Rochester but was released by the league president.
After his final release, the 34-year-old Crane spent the last few weeks of his life "going about the country" picking up odd jobs and "drinking harder and harder." On the day before his death, he was given notice that he would have to vacate his room (in a Rochester, New York
hotel) the next day. He had been drinking heavily all day, and when he retired "seemed to be very gloomy." The next morning, Crane was found dead in his bed. A coroner's inquest was conducted, and the official verdict was an "accidental death from taking a chloral
prescription for nervousness." Despite the coroner’s verdict, others reported that Crane committed suicide by drinking acid. Crane was survived by a wife and child.
published a book "Goodbye Mr. Spalding," which includes a story titled "Sunlight Park." Sunlight Park
was the name of the first ballpark in Toronto. Meyer chronicles Cannonball Crane's performance in leading the Maple Leafs to Toronto's first baseball championship in 1887 pennant and, a century later, a grieving father's drive to uncover the events surrounding Cannonball's death. Unable to confront the death of his teenage son, the father chooses, instead, to unravel the secret of Crane's final days. His desire to learn the truth transports him through time to an imagined meeting with Cannonball. Their "interview" resolves the mystery of Crane's apparent suicide and helps the father accept the death of his son.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in Major League Baseball
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...
for eight seasons. He played for the Boston Reds (1884), 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...
(1885), Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
(1885), 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...
(1886), New York Giants (NL)
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1888-89, 1892-93), New York Giants (PL)
New York Giants (PL)
In 1890, the short-lived Players' League included a team called the New York Giants. This baseball team was managed by Hall of Famer Buck Ewing, and they finished third with a record of 74-57. Besides Ewing, who was also a catcher on this team, the roster several former members of the National...
(1890), Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), 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), and Brooklyn Grooms (1893). Crane is one of the few players to play in four major leagues: the Union Association
Union Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...
, 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...
, the Players League
Players League
The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League , was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century...
, and 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...
.
Born in Boston, Cannonball Crane was a man of uncommon strength. In his prime, he was described as “a giant in physical strength and proportions.” He reportedly could throw a baseball 135 yards, farther than anyone else who played the game in his era. After his playing career ended, he died from what was officially declared an accidental overdose but was reported by others to have been a suicide.
Early Years (1884-87)
Cannonball debuted in April 1884 with the Boston Reds of the Union AssociationUnion Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...
. He played in 101 games for the Reds, including 57 as an outfielder and 42 as a catcher. As a rookie, he was among the UA league leaders in most batting categories, with 12 home runs (2nd in the UA), a .451 slugging percentage (4th in the UA), 193 total bases (4th in the USA), 41 extra base hits (5th in the UA), 59 runs (7th in the UA), 122 hits (8th in the UA), and a .285 batting average (10th in the UA).
After a promising rookie year, Crane moved to the National League where he did not fare as well. In 1885, Crane played in the National League for the 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...
and Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
but appeared in only 14 games, all as an outfielder.
In 1886, he played in 80 games 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...
, including 68 games as an outfielder and 10 games (70 innings) as a pitcher. His performance as a batter dropped off dramatically, as his batting average plummeted to .171 and he struck out 54 times. He did not fare much better as a pitcher, with a record of 1-7, an 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...
of 7.20 and an Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
of 45.
With a dismal performance in 1886, Crane did not find a spot in the major leagues in 1887. Instead, Crane went to Canada and had a tremendous season for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1887. He won the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
batting title in 1887, hitting for a .428 average (bases on balls counted as hits for the 1887 season in the Int’l League.) His .428 average in 1887 still stands as the highest batting average by a pitcher in professional baseball. (Mike Filey, “Toronto Sketches 7 (2003),” p. 37) He also set the all-time Maple Leafs’ record with 33 wins, as he led the Maple Leafs to their first International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
pennant. On one occasion in 1887, Crane won both games of a Saturday doubleheader and also hit the game-winning home run in the second game.
The New York Giants and Spalding's World Tour (1888-90)
After a great showing for the Maple Leafs, Crane signed with the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
where he played in 1888 and 1889. In 1888, Crane was 5-6 for the World Series champion Giants. Crane accomplished two baseball firsts in 1888. On September 27, 1888, Crane became the first player in New York Giants’ history to throw a no-hitter. In a seven-inning game that was called due to darkness, Cannonball Crane held the Senators hitless in a 3-0 victory at the Polo Grounds. Crane retired six batters on ground balls to himself and struck out five Senators. (Tom Schott, Nick Peters, “The Giants Encyclopedia (2003),” pp. 405-06.) The following week, on October 4, 1888, Crane became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out four batters in one inning.
In 1889, he pitched in 29 games (25 as a starter) and had a much improved record of 14-10 and 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...
of 2.43 in 230 innings. Crane’s career reached its pinnacle in the 1889 World Series, as Crane was the hero on the mound and at the plate. On the mound, Crane started 5 games and won 4, pitching 38 innings with a 3.79 ERA. At the plate, Crane had 5 RBIs, a .611 slugging percentage, scored 3 runs, a double, a triple, and a home run. An October 1889 newspaper account in The World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
described Crane’s World Series performance as follows: "Ed Crane, fat and jolly, went into the pitcher's box for New York... Ed shot them in with terrific speed and brought joy to the New Yorkers, who saw the Grooms [i.e., Brooklyn Bridegrooms] succumb, one after another, to his invincible 'curves' and 'shoots'."
The newspaper’s reference to Crane as "fat and jolly" was not the first such reference to Crane’s girth. He won the nickname "Cannonball" due to his large size. He reportedly loved to eat and weighed 204 pounds at 5’10”. (Tom Schott, Nick Peters, "The Giants Encyclopedia," p. 406.) Another book described Crane as a "prodigious eater" whose favorite snack consisted of "an order of a dozen soft-boiled eggs served in a soup bowl, which he liked to top off with an order of two dozen clams." (Lee Allen, "The Cincinnati Reds (1948)," p. 43)
After reaching the high point of his career in the 1889 World Series, Crane’s life began a downhill spiral that fall. After the 1889 season, Crane traveled on the famous Spalding World Tour where he developed a taste for alcohol. The tour included 20 of the best players in baseball and covered Asia and Europe, lasting until early April 1890. One newspaper reported: "Until then, he never drank, but when the aggregation reached Paris Crane fell. . . . When he reached America again not only could he drink champagne but he had acquired a taste for less expensive drinks." The world tour was reportedly the "turning point" in Crane’s life, as drinking eventually left him "without employment and incapacitated for work." A full account of Crane’s time on the Spalding world tour can be found in the Mark Lamster book, "Spalding’s World Tour: The Epic Adventure that Took Baseball Around the Globe—and Made It America’s Game."
After returning from the Spalding tour, Crane joined the Players League
Players League
The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League , was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century...
movement (a competing league formed by the players in 1890) and played with many of his former teammates for the newly formed New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the Players' League. He had a record of 16-19 and an ERA of 3.68 in 330-1/3 innings. Starting in 1890, Crane's control began to fail, as he gave up walks at a historic pace. In 1890, he gave up 210 bases on balls
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
-- the 13th highest single season total in major league history. He followed with 203 walks in 1891 and 189 in 1892—both years ranking among the highest single season totals of all time.
Later years and death (1891-96)
In 1891, Crane played for Kelly’s Killers and led the American AssociationAmerican 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...
with a 2.45 ERA (Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
of 169) and 25 complete games in 250 innings. He spent the last part of the 1891 season with the 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....
and finished the year with an 18-22 record. He followed in 1892 with a 24-loss record for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His major league career ended in 1893 as the 31-year-old Crane split the season between the Giants and the Brooklyn Grooms.
After being released by Brooklyn, Crane played with Toronto and then with Providence and Rochester. The 1896 season proved to be his last, and playing for Rochester, "he proved to be a failure but played the season out." According to his obituary, "his arm was in poor shape," and he was released by Rochester. He was then picked up by Springfield, where he "fared no better." He umpired a few games for Rochester but was released by the league president.
After his final release, the 34-year-old Crane spent the last few weeks of his life "going about the country" picking up odd jobs and "drinking harder and harder." On the day before his death, he was given notice that he would have to vacate his room (in a Rochester, New York
Rochester, 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...
hotel) the next day. He had been drinking heavily all day, and when he retired "seemed to be very gloomy." The next morning, Crane was found dead in his bed. A coroner's inquest was conducted, and the official verdict was an "accidental death from taking a chloral
Chloral hydrate
Chloral hydrate is a sedative and hypnotic drug as well as a chemical reagent and precursor. The name chloral hydrate indicates that it is formed from chloral by the addition of one molecule of water. Its chemical formula is C2H3Cl3O2....
prescription for nervousness." Despite the coroner’s verdict, others reported that Crane committed suicide by drinking acid. Crane was survived by a wife and child.
Cannonball Crane in modern literature
In 1996, Canadian poet Bruce MeyerBruce Meyer
Bruce Meyer is a Canadian poet and educator.He has been the Director of Writing and Literature at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, and has taught at the University of Windsor, McMaster University, Trinity College at the University of Toronto, Seneca College, Humber College,...
published a book "Goodbye Mr. Spalding," which includes a story titled "Sunlight Park." Sunlight Park
Sunlight Park
Sunlight Park was the first baseball park in Toronto. The all wood stadium was built in 1886 for the International League baseball team the Torontos ....
was the name of the first ballpark in Toronto. Meyer chronicles Cannonball Crane's performance in leading the Maple Leafs to Toronto's first baseball championship in 1887 pennant and, a century later, a grieving father's drive to uncover the events surrounding Cannonball's death. Unable to confront the death of his teenage son, the father chooses, instead, to unravel the secret of Crane's final days. His desire to learn the truth transports him through time to an imagined meeting with Cannonball. Their "interview" resolves the mystery of Crane's apparent suicide and helps the father accept the death of his son.