Intro

Jesse Haines performed brilliantly for the St. Louis Cardinals in four World Series, going 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA, and hitting .444 with a home run and four RBI. He was known early in his career for his fastball, but relied later on his unusual knuckleball, which he actually gripped with his knuckles. Pitching well past his 40th birthday, "Pop" was a Cardinal fan favorite, and he held most of the franchise's pitching records until Bob Gibson came along.

Unform Number

#16 (1932-1937)

Replaced By

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

Best Season

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.

Factoid 1

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.

Transition

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.

Strengths

His control.

Weaknesses

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.

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.

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.