- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
John Gibson Clarkson (1861-1909) won 328 games, won the triple crown in 1889 and twice pitched more than 600 innings in a season. In 1885, John appeared in 70 games, threw 68 complete games, 623 innings, won 53, had an ERA of 1.85, a no-hitter, and won the pennant. Apparently having to hurl the sphere a mere fifty feet was a tonic to the arm. But unlike so many pitchers of his era, Clarkson didn’t flame out from such prodigious labor on the mound. From 1885-92 he AVERAGED 36 wins per season and would win 30+ an extraordinary six times. This great career began with the Worcester Ruby Legs in 1882, flowered with Cap Anson’s Sox in ‘84 and fully bloomed in Boston when John followed his ace catcher King Kelly to the Beaneaters in ‘88. League politics that culminated in the Players’ League revolt took a toll on Clarkson’s reputation and sundered his friendship with Kelly as the hurler remained loyal to the Nationals.
- Cleveland acquired John in 1892 allowing him to team with Cy Young. Chief Zimmer, who caught Young for a decade, proclaimed Clarkson the best he ever saw
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1963
- Although the Old Judge series features seven known poses of John Clarkson (all in a Chicago White Stockings uniform), this image is taken from a cabinet photo produced by the Conly Studio in Boston.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
Clarence Algernon Childs (1867-1912) was not only a fine second-baseman, he was an excellent batsman with a knack for getting on base. He played 13 seasons in the majors for five clubs. His best years were the eight he spent with the Cleveland Spiders where he played alongside Cy Young, Jesse Burkett, Bobby Wallace, Buck Ewing, George Davis and John Clarkson. Never elected to the Hall of Fame, Cupid’s on-base percentage exceeds that of every second-baseman in Cooperstown but Rogers Hornsby and Eddie Collins and his lifetime .306 average is better than a dozen who made it in. The stocky Childs was dubbed “the dumpling” by a Grand Rapids reporter describing his tryout with Kalamazoo in 1888. Yet, the article said Cupid could cover more ground than most. His arrival in Cleveland resulted from a favorable ruling in a nationally publicized case when the Orioles tried to hold him to a contract ruled null. Childs fit in well with Patsy Tebeau’s “hooligans” through the 1890s.
- Ranks 24th all-time in OBP (.416), just behind Stan Musial
- Had a great eye at the plate, striking out only once every 26 at bats
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
Daniel Maurice Casey (1862-1943) was dubbed by Time “the Mudville Man” and helped inaugurate the Hall of Fame in 1939 with a stirring re-enactment of Casey at the Bat. Whether he was Ernest Thayer’s model or not, Casey was a fine pitcher for the Philadelphia Quakers, leading the NL in ERA in 1887. He pitched 7 years for 4 teams, won 96 games with two 20+ seasons.
- Became a candidate for THAT Casey by striking out, breaking Quakers fans’ hearts 8/21/87
- The week prior, Casey had won the game with his only career HR, inspiring the fans’ hopes
- In ’87 he won 28 of the 45 games he started, with a 2.86 ERA in 390 innings
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
John Patrick Parnell Cahill (1865-1901) never did much damage to major league pitching but he hit well in the minors. Patsy’s brief stint in the big leagues included stops in Columbus, St. Louis and Indianapolis where the outfielder’s average was an anemic .205. A broken ankle with the Buckeyes ended his rookie season and may have been an omen that this gutty player belonged home in California. He had some great seasons out West, and the story gets retold that Ernest Thayer was so impressed by Patsy’s presence at the plate in a Stockton contest that he penned “Casey at the Bat” with him in mind. (The classic poem was published in 1888, the year before Cahill made it back to his home state). Patsy concluded his pro-ball in Texas with the Fort Worth Panthers in 1896.
- Cahill was versatile, even pitching several games and has been noted to have been part of the game’s first four-man rotation (for Columbus in ‘84 alongside the original “southpaw” Ed Morris)
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
Charles G. Buffinton (1861-1907) was one of the most accomplished hurlers of his era; his sinker befuddling batters as it dove into the dirt. The Fall River native helped lead his Beaneaters to the title in 1883, ably supporting Grasshopper Whitney. The two combined for 62 of the team’s 63 victories. The following year was one of the most remarkable in baseball history and Charlie was one of its heroes, joining six others in shattering the previous strikeout record. Buffinton’s 17 Ks in a game remains the Braves franchise record. Boston’s try for a repeat championship died at the strong right hand of Old Hoss Radbourn who carried the Providence Grays with his mind-boggling 59 wins to Charlie’s 48. He went on to win 20+ seven times. His 233-152 lifetime record still ranks him 63rd in wins all-time. Typical of the era, Buffinton finished his own starts, an eye-popping 351 times out of 396. Only eight other pitchers of the 19th century exceeded his strikeout total.
- The New York World published a feature in 1886 “How Men Pitch a Base-Ball” and Buffinton was a prominent subject for the speed he attained from “but little effort”
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