Jesse Haines

Played For
St. Louis Cardinals (1920-1937)

Best Season: 1927
Haines led the National League with 25 complete games and six shutouts. He was 24-10 with a 2.72 ERA, and finished 8th in NL Most Valuable Player voting.

Factoids
In the 1952 movie The Winning Team, which chronicled the life of Pete Alexander, Ronald Reagan portrayed Alexander, and major league pitcher Bob Lemon played the role of Jesse Haines.

Most Victories, MLB (1920-1931)
Burleigh Grimes... 223
Waite Hoyt... 185
Herb Pennock... 184
Eppa Rixey... 179
Jesse Haines... 178

Sherdel and Haines, and Pray for Rains
From 1920 to May of 1930, Haines and left-hander Bill Sherdel teamed to form a solid pitching duo for the Cardinals. In 1932 they were briefly paired again, both at the end of their careers with St. Louis. Sherdel was a consistent performer, winning at least 15 games six times, with a peak of 21 victories in 1928. During their years together, Haines logged a 169-127 mark with a 3.66 ERA, and Sherdel came in at 142-110, 3.79. Their 311 victories as teammates rank them 13th all-time among teammates.

Where He Played
Starting pitcher, though Haines is one of the few Hall of Fame starting pitchers who spent a significant part of his career coming out of the bullpen. Essentially, the last 5 1/2 years of his career were spent as a reliever.

Born
Jesse Joseph Haines was born on July 22, 1893, in Clayton, OH.

Died
August 5, 1978, Dayton, OH

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  SLN

Major League Debut
July 20, 1918

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1918
Jimmy Dykes
Cliff Heathcote
Waite Hoyt
Jesse Haines
Bill Sherdel
Tom Zachary
Johnny Mostil
Babe Pinelli
Austin McHenry

Nicknames
Pop

"Pop," which he earned later in his career for his leadership and age, as did Willie Stargell. Haines was alternately known as "Jesse" and "Jess" throughout his career. Baseballs he autographed that are in the Hall of Fame collection, are signed with the "e".

Uniform Numbers
#16 (1932-1937)

Similar Players
Freddie Fitzsimmons, Charlie Root

Related Players
Bill Sherdel

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1939 BBWAA 1 .4% 1947 BBWAA 1 .6% 1948 BBWAA 2 1.7% 1949 BBWAA 2 1.3% 1950 BBWAA 11 6.5% 1953 BBWAA 4 1.5% 1954 BBWAA 6 2.4% 1955 BBWAA 10 4.0% 1956 BBWAA 14 7.3% 1958 BBWAA 22 8.3% 1960 BBWAA 20 7.4% 1962 BBWAA 3 1.9% 1970 Veterans %

No-Hitter
7/17/1924: For STL (N) vs. BOS (N), 5-0 at STL. 9 innings pitched.

Post-Season Appearances
1926 World Series
1928 World Series
1930 World Series
1934 World Series

Post-Season Notes
Haines was on the mound for the final game of the 1926 Series, pitching into the 7th inning before yielding to Pete Alexander. Haines received the win for his 6 2/3 of two run ball.

Feats
On July 17, 1924, Haines hurled a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves. It was the first no-hitter by a Cardinal pitcher since 1876.

Milestones

• September 17, 1935: 200th Win... 12th try at 200th win

Transactions
Haines was bought by the Reds in 1918, but after a brief stay with the club, he was released. He spent the remainder of that season and the next with Kansas City in the American Association, where he was very popular and succesful. In 1919, he went 21-5 for KC. The Cardinals bought him from Kansas City in 1920 for $10,000, a handsome sum for that time.

Replaced
Lee Meadows, a similar pitcher, who was traded to the Phillies.

Replaced By
At the age of 38, in 1932, Haines was dropped from the rotation, making room for phenom Dizzy Dean.

Best Strength as a Player
His control.

Largest Weakness as a Player
Due in some degree to his reliance on the knuckleball, Haines was inconsistent. After going 20-13 with a 3.11 ERA in 1923, he dropped to 8-19 with a 4.41 ERA the following season. After his two best years, 1927-1928, his ERA exploded by more than two runs, to 5.71 in 1929.

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