Babe Adams
As a 24-year old rookie in 1909, Babe Adams shackled the vaunted Detroit Tiger offense three times in the World Series, holding Ty Cobb to one hit in 11 at-bats. In the climactic seventh game, Adams shut down Cobb and Sam Crawford for a combined 0-for-8, winning the contest and the series, 8-0. Overnight he became a hero in Pittsburgh, as fans hoisted his picture in parades, took up collections for him, and presented him with gifts. He won 194 games in a career that spanned 21 years and concluded when he was 44 years old. No right-hander in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates ever won more games.
Played For
St. Louis Cardinals (1906)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1907-1926)
Best Season: 1909
He had a lot of great seasons, and it's hard to pick one as standing out above others, so we'll choose 1909, when he defeated the Tigers three times in the World Series. In the regular season he went 12-3 with a 1.11 ERA in 25 games. Twice he won 20 games (1911 and 1913), and from 1919-1922, he led the loop in fewest walks per nine innings every season.
Factoids
Adams was a natural left-handed thrower, but a childhood injury forced him to learn to be a right-hander.
Born
Charles Benjamin Adams was born on May 18, 1882, in Tipton, IN.
Died
July 27, 1968, Silver Spring, MD
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: PIT
Major League Debut
April 18, 1906
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1906
Eddie Collins
Roy Hartzell
Red Murray
Johnny Bates
Oscar Stanage
Bill Carrigan
Babe Adams
Jack Coombs
Ed Willett
A handsome man, Adams was popular with female fans, and one source claims he earned his nickname while with Louisville. Female fans were reported to holler at him, "Oh you babe!" when he was on the mound.
Similar Players
Jack Chesbro, Jesse Tannehill
Related Players
Wilbur Cooper was a longtime teammate of Adams and formed a solid pitching duo with Babe... In the 2002 World Series, John Lackey became the youngest pitcher to win a World Series game since Adams in 1909
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
8 |
4.0% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
11 |
4.2% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
11 |
4.0% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
11 |
4.7% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
7 |
2.8% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
6 |
3.0% |
1947 |
BBWAA |
22 |
13.7% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
4 |
3.3% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
5 |
3.3% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
6 |
3.6% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
12 |
5.3% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
9 |
3.8% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
17 |
6.4% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
13 |
5.2% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
24 |
9.6% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1909 World Series
1925 World Series
Transactions
Sold by St. Louis Cardinals to Pittsburgh Pirates (September, 1907).
Replaced
Adams replaced Vic Willis, a future Hall of Famer, in the Pirates' pitching rotation, in 1910.
Replaced By
Ray "Wiz" Kremer, a 31-year old rookie who had starred for several years in the Pacific Coast League, joined the Pittsburgh rotation in 1924. Adams was relegated to part-time duty and spent several weeks injured before pitching nine games with a 1.13 ERA at the age of 42. He pitched two more years, mostly in relief, until he was 44 years old.
Best Strength as a Player
Control. Adams walked 430 batters in nearly 3,000 innings. That's 1.29 free passes per nine innings. In 1919-1920, he walked a total of 41 batters in 526 1/3 innings. His career mark of 1.29 walks per nine innings is the lowest in baseball history.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Adams suffered a mysterious arm injury and lost his effectiveness suddenly in the middle of his career. In 1916 he was 2-9 with a 5.72 ERA in ten starts before he was sent to the bullpen and finally shipped out to the minor leagues. In 1917 at the age of 35, he spent the entire year with St. Joseph-Hutchinson of the Western League and Kansas City of the American Association. He pitched in the minors again in 1918 before earning a comeback with the Pirates for three games at the end of the season, helped by the fact that many major league pitchers were being drafted into World War I. In 1919 he was back in the Pittsburgh rotation, and won 17 games with a 1.98 ERA.
Learn More about Babe Adams
Young at War
Adams spent part of World War II as a foreign correspondent covering the action in the Pacific. By that time, he was over 60 years old. A few years later, he traveled to Korea to cover that conflict, by that time he was 70.
Same Old
In response to which hitters gave him the most trouble, Adams said, "They all look alike to me."
World Series Aces
Pitchers who have hurled three complete game wins in one World Series:
Christy Mathewson, Giants (1905 vs. A's)
27 IP, 14 H, 18 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
Babe Adams, Pirates (1909 vs. Tigers)
27 IP, 18 H, 11 K, 6 BB, 1.33 ERA
Stan Coveleski, Indians (1920 vs. Robins)
27 IP, 15 H, 8 K, 2 BB, 0.67 ERA
Lew Burdette, Braves (1957 vs. Braves)
27 IP, 21 H, 13 K, 4 BB, 0.67 ERA
Bob Gibson, Cardinals (1967 vs. Red Sox)
27 IP, 14 H, 26 K, 5 BB, 1.00 ERA
Mickey Lolich, Tigers (1968 vs. Cardinals)
27 IP, 20 H, 21 K, 6 BB, 1.67 ERA
Feats
Adams was the first pitcher to win three games in a seven-game World Series, in 1909 against the Tigers.
Learn More about Babe Adams
Search Amazon.com for Books about Babe Adams ⇒
Search for Babe Adams at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
