Jack Chesbro
Jack Chesbro won 41 games in 1904, but it was his 12th loss that everyone remembered. On the final day of the season, the Highlanders (later to become the Yankees), were trailing the Puritans (later the Red Sox) by a game and a half, with a doubleheader scheduled. Chesbro started the first contest and was battling in a tie game when his wild pitch (some claimed passed ball) allowed the winning run to score. The New Yorkers never came as close to a pennant in their next 16 seasons.
Played For
Pittsburgh Pirates (1899-1902)
New York Yankees (1903-1909)
Boston Red Sox (1909)
Best Season: 1904
He led the AL in wins (41), games, innings, and complete games. His 41 wins were 45% of the New Yorkers total for that season. The team finished one game out of first place.
Pitchers who hit a Homer on their Birthday
Since 1900, only a handful of pitchers have hit a home run on their birthday. Here's the complete list, which features Hall of Famers Chesbro and Kid Nichols.
Randy Wolf, 8/22/2002
Bob Knepper, 5/25/1979
Don Drysdale, 7/23/1965
Jack Harshman, 7/12/1956
Turk Lown, 5/30/1956
Bubba Church, 9/12/1952
Bob Hooper, 5/30/1950
Freddie Fitzsimmons, 7/26/1930
Jack Scott, 4/18/1923
Howie Camnitz, 8/22/1910
Jack Chesbro , 6/5/1906
Chief Bender, 5/5/1906
Kid Nichols, 9/14/190
No Fluke
Chesbro is often cited as a one-year wonder, but he was more than that, winning twenty games five times, and 19 once. He posted a .600 winning percentage on teams that were .532 when others were pitching.
Born
John Dwight Chesbro was born on June 5, 1874, in North Adams, MA.
Died
November 6, 1931, Conway, MA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: NYA
Major League Debut
July 12, 1899
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1899
Coming soon...
Nicknames
Happy Jack
Uniform Numbers
None in his era.
Similar Players
Deacon Phillippe, George Mullin
Related Players
Deacon Phillippe, Sam Leever, Jesse Tannehill
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.5% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
6 |
2.2% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
1 |
.5% |
1946 |
Old Timers |
|
% |
|
Pitching Feats
Transactions
Claimed on waivers by Boston Red Sox from New York Highlanders (September 11, 1909).
Best Strength as a Player
In his prime he was very durable.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Chesbro was not a great fielding pitcher. He once made 12 errors in a single season, and he committed 56 errors in his career, or one every seven games.
Learn More about Jack Chesbro
Search Amazon.com for Books about Jack Chesbro ⇒
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
