Jack Chesbro
Encyclopedia
John Dwight Chesbro was a 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...

 (MLB) 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...

 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 (1899–1902), New York Highlanders
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 (1903–1909), and Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 (1909). His 41 wins during the 1904 season remains an MLB record for the modern era. Chesbro was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...

 in 1946.

Early life

He was born John Dwight Chesebrough on June 5, 1874 in Houghtonville, a village in North Adams, Massachusetts. Chesbro was the fourth of five children of Chad Brown Chesebrough, a shoemaker, and Martha Jane (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Fratenburgh) Chesebrough.

In 1892, Chesebrough began playing for a sandlot ball
Sandlot ball
Sandlot ball is a North American adolescent game that generally follows the basic rules of baseball. More specific rules can be set for games and may vary each time the game is played. These rules are usually agreed upon before the game begins by teams of young boys or girls usually from the same...

 team in Houghtonville. Chesebrough worked at the Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...

 Psychiatric Center as an attendant in 1894, in order to play for the Asylums, the team representing the state mental hospital. There, an inmate gave Chesebrough the nickname "Happy Jack", due to his pleasant demeanor.

Minor leagues (1895–1899)

Chesebrough began his professional career in 1895. That year, he pitched for the Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 Senators of the New York State League
New York State League
This article refers to the modern New York State League. For the original incarnations of the New York State League see New York State League ...

 until they folded, at which point he joined the Johnstown Buckskins. When the league disbanded during the season, he joined the Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

 Maroons of the Eastern 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...

. In 1896, Chesbro pitched for the Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

 Magicians of the Virginia League
Virginia League (1894-1896)
The Virginia League was a minor league baseball organization active in central Virginia. In 1894 it fielded six teams: the Lynchburg Hill Climbers, the Norfolk Clam Eaters, the Petersburg Farmers, the Richmond Crows, the Roanoke Magicians, and the Staunton Hayseeds/ Newport News- Hampton...

, until it disbanded. He pitched the remainder of the 1896 season in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...

 for the Cooperstown Athletics. There, the local newspaper shortened his last name to "Chesbro" so that it would fit in the box score.

Chesbro pitched for the Richmond Giants/Bluebirds of the Atlantic League from 1897 through 1899. After the 1898 season, he was drafted by Ned Hanlon of the 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...

. However, Hanlon took a job with the Brooklyn Superbas
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

 and the Orioles were nearly contracted, resulting in Chesbro not signing with Baltimore, as Hanlon allowed the option to lapse. Chesbro returned to Richmond for the 1899 season, until he was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 on July 7 for $1,500 ($ in current dollar terms).

Major League Baseball (1899–1909)

Chesbro debuted with the Pirates on July 12, 1899. He recorded a 6–9 win-loss record for the 1899 Pirates
1899 Pittsburgh Pirates season
‎- Roster :- Starters by position :Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in- Other batters :Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg...

. After the season, on December 8, 1899, Chesbro was traded with George Fox
George Fox (baseball)
George B. Fox was a first baseman in Major League Baseball in the 19th century. He played for the Louisville Colonels of the American Association in 1891 and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in 1899. He played in the minors between his two Major League stints.-Sources:...

, Art Madison
Art Madison
Arthur M. Madison , was a Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the 1895 Philadelphia Phillies and 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates. He remained active in the minor leagues through 1906.-External links:...

, John O'Brien, and $25,000 ($ in current dollar terms) to the Louisville Colonels
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...

 for Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner
-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

, Fred Clarke
Fred Clarke
Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...

, Bert Cunningham
Bert Cunningham
Ellsworth Elmer "Bert" Cunningham , is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1887-1901...

, Mike Kelley, Tacks Latimer
Tacks Latimer
Clifford Wesley "Tacks" Latimer was a professional baseball player who played catcher from 1898–1902....

, Tommy Leach
Tommy Leach
Thomas Andrew Leach was a baseball player during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Leach participated in the first modern World Series in 1903 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting four triples to set a record that still stands...

, Tom Messitt
Tom Messitt
Thomas John Messitt , was a Major League Baseball catcher for the 1889 Louisville Colonels.-External links:...

, Deacon Phillippe
Deacon Phillippe
Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe was a turn-of-the-century pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates....

, Claude Ritchey
Claude Ritchey
Claude Cassius Ritchey was a Major League baseball player. Nicknamed "Little All Right", he played second base, shortstop, and outfield for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Doves, and Louisville Colonels from 1897 to 1909.-External links:...

, Rube Waddell
Rube Waddell
George Edward Waddell was an American southpaw pitcher in Major League Baseball. In his thirteen-year career he played for the Louisville Colonels , Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Orphans in the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League...

, Jack Wadsworth
Jack Wadsworth
John L. Wadsworth was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for four seasons. He played for the Cleveland Spiders in 1890, the Baltimore Orioles in 1893, and the Louisville Colonels from 1894 to 1895....

, and Chief Zimmer
Chief Zimmer
Charles Louis Zimmer was a catcher in Major League Baseball for 19 seasons from to , playing for the Detroit Wolverines , New York Metropolitans...

. The Louisville club dissolved that offseason, and Chesbro, Fox, Madison and O'Brien were assigned to Pittsburgh in March as 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...

 (NL) reduced from 12 to eight teams.

After going 15–13 for the 1900 Pirates
1900 Pittsburgh Pirates season
‎- Notable transactions :* May 22, 1900: Jack O'Connor was purchased by the Pirates from the St. Louis Cardinals for $2,000.- Roster :- Starters by position :...

, Chesbro won 21 games for the 1901 Pirates
1901 Pittsburgh Pirates season
‎The Pittsburgh Pirates finished in first place in the National League, 7½ games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. It was the first year that the American League operated as a major league, but there would be no World Series between the leagues until 1903.The team was managed by...

, while leading the NL with six shutouts. He went 28–6 with a 2.17 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...

 (ERA) for the 1902 Pirates
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates season
‎The Pittsburgh Pirates won a second straight National League pennant, by an overwhelming 27.5 game margin over the Brooklyn Superbas. It was the Pirates' first ever 100-win team, and still holds the franchise record for best winning percentage at home .Ginger Beaumont won the batting title with a...

, leading the NL in wins and shutouts. The Pirates won the National League pennant in 1901 and 1902.

At the end of the 1902 season, news broke that Chesbro agreed to sign with the New York Highlanders
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 (AL) for the 1903 season, when Jesse Tannehill
Jesse Tannehill
Jesse Niles Tannehill was a dead-ball era left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Highlanders, Boston Red Sox and Pilgrims, and the Washington Senators. Tannehill was among the best pitchers of his era and was one of the best-hitting pitchers of all time...

 told Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss
Barney Dreyfuss
Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to 1932....

 while under the influence of pain medication. Chesbro received a $1,000 bonus ($ in current dollar terms) to join the AL. When he refused to participate in a postseason series, Dreyfuss released Chesbro from the Pirates.

Chesbro pitched the Highlanders' first game. He finished the 1903 season
1903 New York Highlanders season
The New York Highlanders' 1903 season finished with the team in 4th place in the American League with a record of 72-62. The team was managed by Clark Griffith and played its home games at Hilltop Park . The season began with the Baltimore Orioles relocating to New York, New York...

 with a 21–15 record. Chesbro began throwing a spitball
Spitball
A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of saliva, petroleum jelly, or some other foreign substance....

 in the 1904 season
1904 New York Highlanders season
The New York Highlanders season, their second in New York and fourth overall, finished with the team in second place in the American League with a record of 92-59. The team was managed by Clark Griffith and played home games at Hilltop Park.- Offseason :...

, which he learned from Elmer Stricklett
Elmer Stricklett
Elmer Griffin Stricklett , was a professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1904 through 1907. He is best known for being the first pitcher to master the spitball.-Career:...

, the inventor of the spitball. Chesbro also began working on a "slow ball". That year, he started 51 games and finished 48 while posting a 1.82 ERA, striking out
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....

 239 batters, and recording 41 wins over innings pitched. That year, no other pitcher in the league won more than 26. Chesbro won 14 straight games from May 14 through July 4, a Yankees franchise record that stood until Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...

 broke it in 2001
2001 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees' 2001 season was the 99th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 95-65 finishing 13.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. Roger Clemens had sixteen straight wins, tying an American...

. His 239 strikeouts remained a team record until Ron Guidry
Ron Guidry
Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

 struck out 248 in 1978
1978 New York Yankees season
The 1978 New York Yankees season was the 76th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 100-63, finishing one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox to win their third American League East title. The two teams were tied after 162 games, leading to a one-game playoff, which the Yankees...

. On the last day of the season, in a game against the Boston Americans
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

, he threw a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...

 in the top of the ninth inning, allowing the winning run to score from third base and causing the Highlanders to lose the pennant to Boston.

Before the 1905 season, Chesbro announced that he had created a pitch he called the "jump ball". He struggled in the 1905 season, registering a 19-15 record. During the 1905 season, Chesbro was involved in the first squeeze play
Squeeze play (baseball)
In baseball, the squeeze play is a maneuver consisting of a sacrifice bunt with a runner on third base. The batter bunts the ball, expecting to be thrown out at first base, but providing the runner on third base an opportunity to score...

 in baseball. At third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

, Chesbro mistakenly thought he had received a steal sign from manager Clark Griffith
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...

, while Willie Keeler
Willie Keeler
William Henry Keeler in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.- Biography :Keeler's...

 bunt
Bunt
A bunt is a special type of offensive technique in baseball or fastpitch softball. In a bunt play, the batter loosely holds the bat in front of the plate and intentionally taps the ball into play.- Bunting technique :...

ed for a hit. As Chesbro scored, Griffith made a note of the play and taught it in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 the following season.

In 1906, Chesbro registered a 23–17 record while leading the AL in earned runs allowed. He was removed from his starts sixteen times, the most in the AL.

Chesbro announced he would work on keeping his weight down prior to the 1907 season, but announced his intentions to retire in February 1907. In March 1907, he announced he would return, but not at a pay cut. He signed a new contract two weeks into the 1907 season, in which he went 10–10.

After the 1907 season, Chesbro announced that he was giving up the spitball, intending to return to the "old style of pitching" in 1908. He finished the 1908 season with a 14–20 record.

Prior to the 1909 season, Chesbro was assigned to Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...

 of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...

. However, Chesbro threatened to retire if transferred there, and did not report to the Highlanders. Chesbro made nine appearances for the Highlanders in 1909, before he was waived and claimed by the Boston Red Sox in September 1909. Chesbro pitched one game for the Red Sox, the season finale against the Yankees. The Red Sox returned Chesbro to the Highlanders prior to the 1910 season, but he was placed on the ineligible list after he refused to report to the minor leagues.

Post-MLB career

Chesbro returned to his farm during the 1910 Major League Baseball season
1910 Major League Baseball season
-Statistical leaders:-External links:*...

. He pitched for a semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...

 baseball team in nearby Whitinsville, Massachusetts
Whitinsville, Massachusetts
Whitinsville is an unincorporated village and census-designated place on the Mumford River, a tributary of the Blackstone River, in the town of Northbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,704 at the 2010 census. Whitinsville is pronounced as if it were...

, leading them to a championship. Chesbro coached for Massachusetts Agricultural College (presently known as the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...

) in 1911 and continued to pitch for semipro clubs in towns in Massachusetts, including Milford, Massachusetts
Milford, Massachusetts
Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It had a population of 27,999 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Milford, constituting the center of the town, please see the article Milford ,...

.

Chesbro met with New York owner Frank J. Farrell
Frank J. Farrell
Frank J. Farrell with William S. Devery were the first owners of the New York Highlanders . They purchased the Baltimore Orioles on January 9, 1903 for $18,000 and moved it to New York City....

 and new manager Harry Wolverton
Harry Wolverton
Harry Sterling Wolverton , nicknamed "Fighting Harry", was a third baseman who played for the Chicago Orphans, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators, Boston Beaneaters, and New York Highlanders.-Biography:...

 in February 1912 about attempting a comeback. Wolverton agreed to give Chesbro a chance at pitching for the Highlanders. However, before leaving for camp he reconsidered and released Chesbro. The National Commission granted his request for reinstatement as a free agent in March, while the Highlanders granted him his unconditional release. Chesbro decided to travel to Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...

, where teams participated in spring training, in an attempt to find a team willing to give him a chance at a comeback. He worked out with Brooklyn and Pittsburgh, but both teams passed on him.

Chesbro appeared in an old-timers game at Braves Field
Braves Field
Braves Field was a baseball park that formerly stood on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium was home to the Boston Braves National League franchise from 1915–1952, when the team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin...

, sponsored by The Boston Post to benefit Boston Children’s Hospital, on September 11, 1922.

Chesbro served as a Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 coach in 1924, which were managed by his former Highlanders manager, Clark Griffith
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...

. However, he and Ben Egan
Ben Egan
Arthur Augustus "Ben" Egan was an American professional baseball catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians from 1908 to 1915. He was later a coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1925 and the Chicago White Sox in 1926.-External links:...

 were let go when the Senators hired Al Schacht
Al Schacht
Alexander "Al" Schacht was an American professional baseball player, coach, and, later, restaurateur. Schacht was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1919–21 for the Washington Senators.-Baseball career:...

 and Nick Altrock
Nick Altrock
Nicholas Altrock was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Altrock was one of the better pitchers in baseball for a brief period from to with the Chicago White Sox...

 on June 1.

In 1927, he managed a minor league team in South Deerfield, Massachusetts
South Deerfield, Massachusetts
South Deerfield is a census-designated place in Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to the well-known Yankee Candle Company.South Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, pitching for the team on occasion.

Legacy

Chesbro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1946
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1946 were conducted by methods refashioned and then fashioned again during the year. As in 1945 the Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent players and elected no one...

 by the Veterans Committee
Veterans Committee
The Veterans Committee is the popular name of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee to Consider Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players, a committee of the U.S...

. That year, the Veterans Committee elected eleven players: Chesbro, Jesse Burkett
Jesse Burkett
Jesse Cail Burkett , nicknamed "The Crab", was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century...

, Frank Chance
Frank Chance
Frank Leroy Chance was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. Performing the roles of first baseman and manager, Chance led the Chicago Cubs to four National League championships in the span of five years and earned the nickname "The Peerless Leader".Chance was elected to...

, Johnny Evers
Johnny Evers
John Joseph Evers was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946...

, Clark Griffith
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...

, Tommy McCarthy
Tommy McCarthy
Thomas Francis Michael "Tommy" McCarthy was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.-Career:...

, Joe McGinnity, Eddie Plank
Eddie Plank
Edward Stewart Plank , nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is the first left-handed pitcher to win 200 games and then 300 games, and now ranks third in all-time wins among left-handers with 326 career victories and first all-time in career shutouts by a...

, Joe Tinker
Joe Tinker
Joseph Bert Tinker was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He is best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs dynasty which won four pennants between 1906 and 1910; and for his feud with double play partner Johnny Evers. Tinker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in...

, Rube Waddell
Rube Waddell
George Edward Waddell was an American southpaw pitcher in Major League Baseball. In his thirteen-year career he played for the Louisville Colonels , Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Orphans in the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League...

, and Ed Walsh
Ed Walsh
Edward Augustine Walsh was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the record for lowest career ERA, 1.82.-Baseball career:Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a brief though remarkable major league career...

. During years where Chesbro was on the writers' ballot, chosen by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...

, Chesbro received zero votes in the 1936 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1936
The first elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were held in 1936. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America were given authority to select individuals from the 20th century; while a special Veterans Committee, made up of individuals with greater familiarity with...

, one vote in the 1937 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1937
The 1937 process of selecting inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame was markedly different from the initial elections the previous year. As only half of the initial goal of 10 inductees had been selected in 1936, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America were once again given...

, two votes in the 1938 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1938
The 1938 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were conducted along much the same lines as the 1937 vote. Toward the goal of 10 initial inductees from the 20th century, 8 had now been selected; members of the Baseball Writers Association of America were once again given...

, and six votes in the 1939 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1939
The 1939 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were the last ones conducted prior to the Hall's opening that year. Needing just one addition to complete the initial goal of 10 inductees from the 20th century, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America were once...

, zero votes in the 1942 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1942
The 1942 election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was the first conducted in three years. The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from 20th century players and elected Rogers Hornsby....

, and zero votes in the 1945 balloting
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1945
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1945 included the first regular election conducted in three years and a strong response to criticism of the slow pace of honors....

.

However, baseball historian Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...

 considers Chesbro to be undeserving of induction to the Hall of Fame. In particular, James compared Chesbro's statistics to those of former Pittsburgh Pirate teammates Phillippe (189–109, 2.59), Sam Leever
Sam Leever
Samuel Leever , nicknamed "The Goshen Schoolmaster," was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates....

 (194–100, 2.47), and Jesse Tannehill
Jesse Tannehill
Jesse Niles Tannehill was a dead-ball era left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Highlanders, Boston Red Sox and Pilgrims, and the Washington Senators. Tannehill was among the best pitchers of his era and was one of the best-hitting pitchers of all time...

 (197–117, 2.80), none of whom are in the Hall of Fame. In his book The Politics of Glory, James charged that the induction of undeserving players created a "second tier" in the Hall of Fame. James claimed that Chesbro was inducted into the Hall of Fame solely on the basis of his 1904 season, even though other pitchers who did not make the Hall of Fame have similar career statistics.

Tinker considered Chesbro one of the six toughest pitchers he faced in MLB.

Chesbro's 1904 record for games won in a season (41 wins) has stood for over a century, which is one of the oldest major records in baseball, or in any other sport. Under current playing practices, his record is unbreakable. Chesbro started 51 games that season (plus 4 relief appearances) and pitched 48 complete games, for a record of 41-12. Today, it is uncommon for a pitcher to start even 35 games in a season and complete games are a rarity. The only other 40 win season since 1900 was 40 by Ed Walsh in 1908. However, to put Chesbro's performance in perspective, in the 1880's it was common for league-leading pitchers to win 40+ games. It was last done, prior to Chesbro, in 1891.

Personal life

Chesbro married the former Mabel Shuttleworth, a resident of Conway, Massachusetts, in 1896. The couple had no children.

Chesbro died on November 6, 1931 of a myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...

. He is buried at Howland Cemetery in Conway.

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