Baseball History Podcast

George Watt McQuillan was born May 1, 1885 in Brooklyn, New York. McQuillan enjoyed one of the best rookie seasons in history, going 23-17 for the mediocre Phillies with a sparkling 1.53 Earned Run Average. An unusually fast worker even in an era of briskly paced games, McQuillan pitched with “supreme self-confidence” becoming known as the brightest young pitcher in the game. Within three years, however, his career came crashing down in a sordid web of alcoholism, sexual escapades, and financial troubles.

Edward Marvin Reulbach, nicknamed “Big Ed”, was born December 1, 1882 in Detroit, MI. Reulback employed the technique of “shadowing” hiding the ball in his windup and had what was generally regarded as the finest curve ball in either league to become one baseball’s most difficult pitchers to hit.

Joseph Lowell “Joe” Gordon, nicknamed “Flash”, was born February 18, 1915 in Los Angeles, California. The acrobatic Gordon would be remembered for his defensive skills alone, but he was also a powerful and timely hitter. He holds the American League second basemen’s records for career Home Runs and Home Runs in a season. After his playing days were over, he achieved some success as a manager, but may be better known for his involvement in one of the more bizarre trades in baseball history: one manager for another.

Raymond Benjamin Caldwell, nicknamed Slim, was born April 26, 1888 in Corydon, Pennsylvania. He was known for throwing the spitball and was one of the seventeen pitchers allowed to continue throwing the pitch after it was banned in 1920. Caldwell was once struck by lightning while pitching for the Yankees. He recovered, finished the game, and beat the Athletics 2-1.

Joseph Lionel White Harris was born February 1, 1882 in Melrose, Massachusetts. Harris was a right-handed pitcher whom some compared to his teammate Cy Young. However, in 1906, his first full year on the job, he put up remarkable numbers of two wins and 21 losses and then was hired back for another go-round in 1907 where he went 0-7.