Baseball is game based on history. The game we know today is different from the game played centuries ago. However there is one constant that remains throughout the decades; baseball is baseball. Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw could easily baseball's greatest starting rotation in this era. But how would they stack up against the greats of the past?
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There were five different seasons in 19th century Major League Baseball that set themselves apart from the rest. These seasons were all thrown by different pitchers and are often lost in today's game. I feel the following you'll see is quite frankly the greatest rotation of pitchers ever assembled. You, the fan will be the judge of course. However these pitchers' accolades deserve recognition as some of the greatest seasons in Major League history.
No. 5: RHP Cy Young in 1892 (36-12, 1.93 ERA)
It's hard to believe Baseball's all-time win leader would be the number No. 5 starter in this rotation. But Cy Young's greatest season in his 1800s career (which spanned 10 seasons) just barely made this list. I was also considering RHP Monte Ward's 1884 season when he pitched to the tune of a 47-19 record, 2.15 ERA and a league leading 239 strikeouts. However Young's 1892 season had deeper meaning then just his statistics.
Young was entering his 3rd season in Major League Baseball. He had just come off his first successful season in 1891; winning 27 games to the tune of a 2.83 ERA for the Cleveland Spiders. The Spiders finished 5th in the National League standings that year at 65-74. Young lead the team in wins, ERA and innings pitched. He was looking to have an even better year in 1892.
The 1892 Cleveland Spiders had a great season and Young was on the forefront of his Hall of Fame career. He led the league with 36 wins in 1892; his first of five career 30-win seasons. His 1.93 ERA also led the league. Young was also a work horse on the mound that season; throwing a career high 453 innings in 49 starts. 48 of those 49 starts were complete games. Young even led the league with nine complete-game shutouts.
The Cleveland Spiders won 93 games in 1892, (28 more wins than they had in 1891) and finished 2nd in the National League standings. Young would stay with the Spiders until 1898, winning 241 games in nine seasons with the team. However his best season with the Spiders (and in the 1800s) came in 1892; where Cy was young at heart and lethal on the mound.
No. 4: RHP Larry Corcoran in 1880 (43-14, 1.95 ERA)
If your favorite team was going to start a rookie pitcher next season, how many wins would expect from him? 10 wins? Maybe 15? Well I don't know how many wins fans were expecting from Larry Corcoran during his rookie season of 1878, but he provided more than anyone could've expected.
Corcoran was 20 years old entering his first season of Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Stockings in 1880. The White Stockings had a great season in 1880. They went 67-17 under manager Cap Anson (the same Cap Anson who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939). Outfielder George Core led the team in hitting with a .360 batting average.
Despite Core's hitting, Corcoran was the heart and soul of the ball club. In his rookie season, Corcoran went 43-14 with a 1.95 ERA. He threw a career high 536.1 innings and led the league in strikeouts with 268. He started 60 games for the White Stockings in 1880, completing 57 of them. Corcoran even helped out offensively in 1880; batting .231 with 11 doubles and 25 RBI in 72 games. Keep in mind, Corcoran was a 20-year-old rookie accomplishing these feats in Major League Baseball.
This was the start of a five year stretch where Corcoran averaged 34 wins per season. Corcoran had 170 career wins by the age of 25. He could've been one of baseball's greatest pitchers had injuries not plagued his final three seasons. Corcoran retired after the 1887 season with 177 career wins and a 2.36 ERA.
No. 3 RHP Tommy Bond in 1877 (40-17, 2.11 ERA)
It was hard for me to put Tommy Bond on this list because he had so many great seasons during the 1800's. I could've chosen his 1878 season when he led the league in wins (40) and had a career high in strikeouts (182). His 1879 season was arguably his greatest season in baseball, leading the league in wins (43) and ERA (1.96). Any of those three seasons deserve placement on this list. However I chose his 1877 season for two reasons. The first being it was Bond's first amazing season in baseball. The second and most important reason was that this season was the first of it's kind in history.
Bond was born in Ireland on April 2nd 1856; the first native Irishmen to play Major League Baseball. He moved to America as a child and feel in love with the American Pastime. His first season came in 1874 with the Brooklyn Atlantics. Bond led the league in losses (32), despite pitching to the tune of a 2.03 ERA. After two decent seasons with the Hartford Dark Blues from 1875-1876, Bond signed with the Boston Red Stockings.
Bond joined a team loaded with stars. The 1877 Boston Red Stockings were led by Baseball Hall of Fame manager Harry Wright. Wright won 2,145 games as a manager from 1871-1893 and is widely considered one of early baseball's greatest minds. The team's offense was led by three future Baseball Hall of Famers in George Wright, Deacon White and Jim O'Rourke. George was the brother of Red Stockings' manager Harry Wright. In 12-career seasons, George Wright was a .301 hitter. In 1877, he led the National League in games played (61) and at bats (290). He was a catalyst for the Red Stockings' lineup.
Deacon White played first base for the Red Stockings in 1877, leading the National League in batting average (.387) hits (103) and triples (11). White played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball and retired as a .312 career hitter. Jim O' Rourke hit .362 in 1877 and led the league in walks (20) and OBP (.407). His career spanned from 1871-1893. He retired with 2,639 hits and a .310 career average. In fact in 1904, at the age of 53, O'Rourke played in one game for the New York Giants. He had one hit (a single) in four at bats. Bond would have nothing to worry about with such a powerful offense up at bat for him.
With the ease of offense in mind, Tommy Bond put up one of baseball's first great pitching seasons. The right hander led the National League in wins (40), ERA (2.11) and strikeouts (170), becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to win the Pitching Triple Crown. He threw 521.0 innings in 1877 and walked only 36 batters. He averaged 0.6 walks per nine innings, which led the league. This was Bond's first of three straight 40-win seasons. Bond played ten seasons of Major League Baseball and finished with 236 career wins and an ERA of 2.14. His career 5.04 strikeouts to walks rate is an MLB record even to this day. Sadly Baseball hasn't yet inducted Bond into the Hall of Fame. He may be the greatest pitcher in MLB history to never make the Hall of Fame and it's sad that many people in today's game have never heard of the name Bond; Tommy Bond.
No. 2 RHP Albert Spalding in 1875 (54-5, 1.59 ERA)
Yes, this is the same Albert Spalding who founded the Spalding Baseball company. Not many people realize that at one time, Spalding wasn't a big time business man, but a masterful baseball pitcher.
Spalding was the Greg Maddux of his day. He didn't strike out batters, but fooled them with his control and cunning. He made his Major League debut in 1871 with the Boston Red Stockings. He led the league with 19 wins that season and started a precedent. 1871 was the first of six straight seasons where Spalding led the league in wins.
1875 marked Spalding's last season with the Red Stockings, but also one of the greatest season's in Major League history. Spalding led the league with 54 wins. It was his second straight 50 win (yes 50 win) season as Spalding won 52 games in 1874. He even threw to the tune of a 1.59 ERA. His .915 winning percentage also led the league. Now if you're thinking this is already an amazing season, it gets even better. Spalding not only led the league in wins, but in saves! Spalding had nine saves during the 1875 season, which led the National League. Saves weren't an official stat in 1875, but isn't it amazing to think there was a pitcher who led the league in wins and saves during the 1800s?
What's also amazing was Spalding's great success in baseball considering his lack of strikeouts. Strikeout numbers weren't huge in the 1800s as they are today. However Spalding threw 570.2 innings in 1875. He only struck out 75 batters in those 570.2 innings. That means he averaged 1.2 strikeouts per nine innings. In fact that was Spalding's best season in terms of strikeouts. Spalding threw 2886.1 innings during his seven year career. He only had 248 career strikeouts. At the same time, Spalding only walked 168 batters in those 2886.1 innings. To put those numbers in perspective, take a look at Nolan Ryan during the 1977 season for the California Angels. Ryan walked 204 batters in 299 innings that year. It's (once again) amazing to think about.
Spalding retired from baseball after the 1877 season. He retired with a record of 252-65. His career .795 winning percentage remains an MLB record. His lifetime ERA stands at a a miniscule 2.13 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. Ironically Spalding didn't receive an induction ceremony until 2013, nearly 100 years after his death in 1915.
No. 1 RHP “Old” Hoss Radbourn in 1884 (59-12, 1.38 ERA)
I've saved the ace of the rotation for last. I honestly believe unless someone proves me wrong that Hoss Radbourn's 1884 season was the best season for a pitcher in MLB history.
Radbourn made his Major League debut in 1881 for the National League's Providence Grays. He won 25 games and had a 2.43 ERA in his rookie season. Over the seasons, his win totals continued to increase (33 in 1882 and 48 in 1883) as his ERA continued to decrease (2.11 in 1882, and 2.05 in 1883). However these seasons paled in comparison to 1884.
Radbourn won the Pitching Triple Crown in 1884, leading the National League in wins (59) ERA (1.38) and strikeouts (441). Just take a moment to let this information sink in. The 1884 Providence Grays went 84-28 and won the 1884 Baseball Championship. (Keep in mind this was before the first World Series in 1903). Out of the 112 games the Grays played in 1884, Radbourn pitched in 75 of them. He had 59 of the Grays' 84 wins that season; throwing a career high 678.2 innings in the process. It's hard enough to find a pitcher throwing 220.0 innings in today's era of baseball, let alone 678.2 innings.
Radbourn also struck out 441 batters in 1884. Nolan Ryan never struck out more than 383 batters in a season, (which happened nearly 100 years later in 1973) though it should be argued that Ryan never threw 600.0 innings in a season either. Radbourn also started 73 games during the 1884 season and completed each one. It's remarkable to think about the arm, elbow and shoulder strength these players had.
However Radbourn's greatest achievement during the 1884 came in the championship series. The Grays took on the New York Metropolitans in a three game series. The Grays won all three games during the series (It didn't matter that the Grays won the first two games. They still played the third game) and Radbourn pitched in all three games. He went 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA (yes, you read that right) in those three games. He didn't allow an earned run in all 22 innings that he pitched; a remarkable accomplishment.
Another aspect of the series to take into account is who Radbourn was facing. The Metropolitans started RHP Tim Keefe in two of those three games. Keefe pitched from 1880-1893, winning 343 career games with a 2.63 ERA. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veteran's committee in 1964. Many baseball historians consider Keefe to be one of the best pitchers of the 19th century. Radbourn went toe to toe with Keefe and defeated him with ease. It's baseball's greatest untold match up. Many people forget these two Hall of Fame pitchers battled it out for the 1884 championship.
Radbourn would pitch until 1891; winning 309 games and retiring with a 2.68 ERA. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and like Tim Keefe, Radbourn is considered one of the greatest pitchers of the 19th century.
19th century baseball is long forgotten by fans of baseball today; and that's a shame. Baseball Pioneers such as these five pitchers should be remembered for being legends. They shouldn't fade away to the sands of time, but instead remain “immortal” through the stories of their remarkable baseball careers.
Did I leave anyone off the list? Let us know in the comments section below!
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