Addie Joss
Addie Joss died two days after his 30th birthday from tubercular meningitis, a tragedy that shocked Cleveland, for whom he had pitched all of his nine seasons. He was so beloved that several baseball stars played in a charity game that benefitted his widow. Joss's remarkable 1.89 ERA is one of the greatest of all-time, and he pitched two no-hit games. He won as many as 20 games four times, led the American League in ERA twice, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978.
Played For
Cleveland Indians (1902-1910)
All-Time Rankings
Addie Joss ranks #30 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1908
Joss had more than a few great years, but his 1.16 ERA in 1908 brings that season to the top of the list. He was 24-11 with nine shutouts (the second time he'd thrown that many white-washes in one campaign), and walked just 30 batters in more than 320 innings. In his 11 losses, his team scored a total of 11 runs. He lost four games in which his team was shutout, and lost three games by scores of 2-1, and six overall by one run. The Indians finished second, a half-game behind Detroit.
Born
Adrian Joss was born on April 12, 1880, in Woodland, WI.
Died
April 14, 1911, Toledo, OH
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: CLE
Major League Debut
April 26, 1902 ... Joss had one of the best debuts of any pitcher in history, hurling a 3-0 one-hitter over the Browns. The only hit was a single by Jesse Burkett
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1902
Joe Tinker
Johnny Evers
Red Dooin
Patsy Dougherty
Tom Jones
Heinie Wagner
George Mullin
Addie Joss
Homer Smoot
Nicknames
Addie was short for Adrian, his given name.
Similar Players
None
Related Players
Jesse Burkett, Ed Walsh
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
11 |
5.5% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
18 |
6.9% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
28 |
10.2% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
33 |
14.2% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
23 |
9.3% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
14 |
6.9% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1978 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
No-Hitter
10/2/1908: For CLE (A) vs. CHI (A), 1-0 at CLE. 9 innings pitched.
4/20/1910: For CLE (A) vs. CHI (A), 1-0 at CHI. 9 innings pitched.
Feats
Joss threw two no-hitters, and when Cy Young joined the Tribe's staff in 1909, it gave Cleveland two pitchers with multiple no-hitters to their credit. On October 2, 1908, Joss turned in one of the most clutch performances by a pitcher in baseball history. With Cleveland in a tight race with both Chicago and Detroit for the American League pennant, Joss tossed a perfect game, setting down 27 straight White Sox batters to out-duel Ed Walsh, 1-0 (Walsh allowed just four hits and struck out 15)... Two years later, on April 20, 1910, Joss no-hit the ChiSox again, 1-0. In that game, Joss fielded ten balls from the pitcher's spot flawlessly as he joined a select circle of two-time no-hit pitchers.
Replaced
The mysterious Pete Dowling, who pretty much disappeared after the 1901 season.
Replaced By
George Kahler, who went 6-4 with a 1.60 ERA for Cleveland in 1910.
Best Strength as a Player
Control
Largest Weakness as a Player
None. Joss was a tremendous pitcher, and he deserves more attention. His abbreviated career stacks up well against Sandy Koufax.
Learn More about Addie Joss
Search Amazon.com for Books about Addie Joss ⇒
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
