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King Cole (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Leonard Leslie "King" Cole (April 15, 1886 in Toledo, Iowa
– January 6, 1916) was a baseball
player in the early twentieth century. He started his baseball career as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs
in . In , he led the National League with a record of 20-4 and helped win a National League Pennant for the Cubs. His 20-4 record is the best winning percentage (.866) for a Cub pitcher in the twentieth century. Cole was traded to Pittsburgh
, and then to the New York Yankees
. On October 2, 1914, Cole gave up a double to Babe Ruth
—Ruth's first hit in the major leagues.
In 1915, Cole was diagnosed with tuberculosis
, and died shortly after the end of the 1915 season.
Ring Lardner
wrote about Cole in articles for The Sporting News
. Lardner compiled the stories into the Alibi Ike
stories, making Cole a baseball immortal.
Toledo, Iowa
Toledo is a city in and the county seat of Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,539 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Toledo is located at ....
– January 6, 1916) was a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in the early twentieth century. He started his baseball career as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in . In , he led the National League with a record of 20-4 and helped win a National League Pennant for the Cubs. His 20-4 record is the best winning percentage (.866) for a Cub pitcher in the twentieth century. Cole was traded to Pittsburgh
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...
, and then to the New York Yankees
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...
. On October 2, 1914, Cole gave up a double to Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
—Ruth's first hit in the major leagues.
In 1915, Cole was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and died shortly after the end of the 1915 season.
Ring Lardner
Ring Lardner
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.-Personal life:...
wrote about Cole in articles for The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
. Lardner compiled the stories into the Alibi Ike
Alibi Ike
Alibi Ike is a short story written by Ring Lardner and first published in the Saturday Evening Post on July 31, 1915. The story is about Frank X. Farrell, a baseball player who continually makes excuses for everything that goes wrong or right...
stories, making Cole a baseball immortal.