- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- 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: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
William Byron Burdick (1859-1949) came to professional baseball relatively late in life. His first known appearance for a minor league team, the Eau Claire Lumbermen of the Northwestern League, was at age 26 in 1886. Perhaps because of his “advanced” age, he didn’t waste time getting a shot in the big leagues. 1887 saw him pitching for Oshkosh before he climbed to the Western Association’s Omaha Omahogs in ‘88, the same year he debuted with the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the National League. The rookie started with a bang, edging Cap Anson’s first-place White Stockings 2-1 on July 23. He would win ten that season with only a .500 record but a fine 2.81 ERA. Burdick came back in ‘89 with the Hoosiers but saw little action, going 2-4 in ten games and seeing his ERA soar to 4.53.
- His MLB tenure ended, Burdick returned to the WA’s Sioux City Corn Huskers in 1889 and ‘90
- The Austin MN native closed his pro ball adventure near home with the Minneapolis Millers in 1891 where he started three games with a 1-0 record
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- 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”
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Indianapolis
- Team: Hoosiers (NL)
- League: National League
Henry J. Boyle (1860-1932) was known to his adoring fans as “Handsome Henry” during his ML career with the St. Louis Maroons & Indianapolis Hoosiers from 1884-89. His managers may have focused more on his mediocre performance than his comely appearance. The sturdy right-hander compiled an 89-111 record on the mound over his six seasons with a respectable lifetime 3.06 ERA. In an 1886 New York World article titled “How Men Pitch Base-Ball” it was noted that Boyle “depends chiefly upon the effectiveness of the ‘up-in-shoot’ and the terrific speed with which he drives in the straight pitch.” In an 1884 contest with the Washington club, Boyle was the center of controversy as the game was forfeited to the Maroons after losing the argument that Boyle’s foul ball was now too lopsided to be used.
- Boyle’s last season in St. Louis was the team’s finale as well. He was the NL ERA champ that year for the hapless Maroons with a sterling 1.76 ERA and a dismal 9-15 record
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Boston
- Team: Red Stockings (NL)
- League: National League
Thomas Henry Bond (1856-1941) entered pro ball as the 1st Irishman to do so, and survived to become the last living member of the NL’s first season. In between, he was a force of nature on the mound, leading the NL in wins twice, winning 40+ from 1877-1879 for the Boston Red Caps.
- Hurled 386 complete games in 406 starts with 42 shutouts and ERA of 2.31
- In 1877 won the “triple crown” with 40 wins, 2.11 ERA and 280 SOs
- Compiled a career 234-169 record with a 2.14 ERA, 10th in MLB history
- Bond appeared only once on the Hall of Fame ballot, in 1936, and received only 1% of the votes by the Veteran’s Committee
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