Joe Corbett
Encyclopedia
Joseph Aloysius Corbett was a Major League Baseball
starting pitcher
who played in the National League
. He was born in San Francisco, California
.
Corbett, the younger brother of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion James J. Corbett
, played baseball at Saint Mary's College of California
from 1890 - 1893 before breaking into the major leagues in 1895. He went 3-0 with a 2.20 earned run average
for the Baltimore Orioles
in 1896 and then won two games in the Temple Cup
series. He had his best season in 1897 when he posted career-highs in wins (24), strikeouts (149), ERA (3.11), starts (37), complete games (34) and innings pitched (313.0). However, Corbett had gotten angry over a dispute with manager Ned Hanlon, and he refused to report to the team the following season. Hanlon welched on a bet and refused to buy Corbett a new suit for winning 20 games.
For the next five years, Corbett was a sportswriter for the San Francisco Call
and pitched semi-professional ball. He signed with the Pacific Coast League
's Los Angeles Angels
in 1903. It was the league's inaugural season, and the Angels won the pennant by 27.5 games. Corbett went 23-16, 2.36, led the PCL in strikeouts (196), and tied for the lead in shutouts (8). He also hit .336 in 262 at-bats. Corbett went back to the majors in 1904 with the St. Louis Cardinals
, where went 5-8, 4.39. Arm trouble developed because of rheumatism
and he was released in August. He then joined the PCL's San Francisco Seals and went 14-10 with a 1.86 ERA during the rest of the season. He also pitched for the Seals in 1905 and then retired except for a brief comeback attempt in 1909.
He later coached baseball at Santa Clara University
.
Corbett died in San Francisco at age of 69. He was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Colma, California
.
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...
starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
who played in 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 was born in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Corbett, the younger brother of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion James J. Corbett
James J. Corbett
James John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett was an Irish-American heavyweight boxing champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan. He also coached boxing at the Olympic Club in San Francisco...
, played baseball at Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
from 1890 - 1893 before breaking into the major leagues in 1895. He went 3-0 with a 2.20 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...
for 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...
in 1896 and then won two games in the Temple Cup
Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894–1897. The 30-inch-high silver cup was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time...
series. He had his best season in 1897 when he posted career-highs in wins (24), strikeouts (149), ERA (3.11), starts (37), complete games (34) and innings pitched (313.0). However, Corbett had gotten angry over a dispute with manager Ned Hanlon, and he refused to report to the team the following season. Hanlon welched on a bet and refused to buy Corbett a new suit for winning 20 games.
For the next five years, Corbett was a sportswriter for the San Francisco Call
San Francisco Call
The San Francisco Call was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called The San Francisco Call & Post, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, and the News-Call Bulletin...
and pitched semi-professional ball. He signed with the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
's Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels (PCL)
The Los Angeles Angels were a team based in Los Angeles, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1957, after which they transferred to Spokane, Washington to become the Spokane Indians. Los Angeles would later become the host city to a Major League Baseball team, the...
in 1903. It was the league's inaugural season, and the Angels won the pennant by 27.5 games. Corbett went 23-16, 2.36, led the PCL in strikeouts (196), and tied for the lead in shutouts (8). He also hit .336 in 262 at-bats. Corbett went back to the majors in 1904 with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, where went 5-8, 4.39. Arm trouble developed because of rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
and he was released in August. He then joined the PCL's San Francisco Seals and went 14-10 with a 1.86 ERA during the rest of the season. He also pitched for the Seals in 1905 and then retired except for a brief comeback attempt in 1909.
He later coached baseball at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
.
Corbett died in San Francisco at age of 69. He was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma, California is an American Roman Catholic cemetery operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Established in 1887 on of a former potato farm, it is the oldest and largest cemetery established in Colma to serve the needs of San Francisco...
in Colma, California
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
.