Eddie Plank

Played For
Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1914)
St. Louis Terriers (1915)
St. Louis Browns (1916-1917)

All-Time Rankings
Eddie Plank ranks #25 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1905
Plank started 41 games and finished every one of them. He finished second in strikeouts to teammate Rube Waddell. Plank's mark was 24-12 with a 2.26 ERA.

The Death of Doc Powers
For virtually eight seasons, from 1901 to 1908, Doc Powers was Eddie Plank's personal catcher. Powers didn't hit much, but he was a decent defensive receiver with a strong, accurate arm. Plank and Powers were good friends. On April 12, 1909, the A's played their first game in new Shibe Park. Plank was on the mound and Powers was behind the plate. In the seventh inning, with Philadelphia leading the visiting Red Sox, Powers chased a foul pop fly in back of the plate and collided with the grandstand wall. Though he lay dazed for several minutes, Powers remained in the game, which Plank won, 1-0. After the game Powers was hospitalized and underwent three operations to stop internal bleeding. He died on April 26.

Mack Compares His Three Southpaws
Connie Mack managed some of baseball's greatest left-handed pitchers. He saw the best come and go, but in 1931, he compared his top three southpaws for an article in The Sporting News.

"Waddell was a remarkable pitcher. We all know that. But he wasn't dependable. He didn't take care of himself. Grove isn't that way. Lefty's always in condition. He's as dependable as the tides... He's faster than Waddell, too."

"Don't think now that I'm taking anything away from Rube. He had the most perfect overhand delivery I have ever seen on a lefthander. When he delivered the ball he brought his hand down right alongside his head. he threw his curve that way as well as his fast one."

Mack didn't forget about one of his favorite big-game pitchers, either.

"Eddie Plank was a side-arm pitcher.Occasionally, he'd throw a fastball overhand. Grove, I'd say, has a delivery sort of in netween Waddell's and Plank's - half overhand, half side-arm.

"I put Lefty above Plank not becaue he is more dependable, for Eddie was a mighty careful-living fellow, but because Lefty is stronger. he can stand more work than Eddie, who was frail and light."

Description
Eddie Plank, who pitched from 1901 to 1917, made it to the Hall of Fame using stall tactics, but he didn't have any routine to go with it. With a batter waiting at the plate, Plank would move an inch forward on the mound, then half an inch back, as if trying to perfect the relationship between himself and the world. When he finally felt the situation was right, he'd pitch, and not a second sooner. When it was wrong, when the arrangement suffered some invisible imbalance, he'd start over. An inch backwards. Three inches to the side. At other times, he would just stand and stare, like a Shaker at an old-time wedding, until the spirit moved him. He'd just stand there. He'd wait so long that batters forgot where they were. Their eyes would water. They'd wonder about their contract, their girl in the next town, the weather on Venus. They'd wonder whether or not Plank had finally succumbed to some kind of cataleptic fit. And then the ball would be behind them. Strike one. Plank's motive was direct and simple: make the hitter impatient, because impatient hitters swing at bad pitches.

— Kirk Robinson

Born
Edward Stewart Plank was born on August 31, 1875, in Gettysburg, PA.

Died
February 24, 1926, Gettysburg, PA

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Left

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  PHA

Major League Debut
May 13, 1901

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1901
Terry Turner
George McBride
Wid Conroy
Hobe Ferris
Jim Delahanty
Germany Schaefer
George Browne
Davy Jones
Matty McIntyre

Nicknames
Gettysburg Eddie

"Gettysburg Eddie," because he had attended Gettysburg College, in Pennsylvania.

Similar Players
None

Related Players
Chief Bender, Doc Powers

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1937 BBWAA 23 11.4% 1938 BBWAA 38 14.5% 1939 BBWAA 28 10.2% 1942 BBWAA 63 27.0% 1945 BBWAA 33 13.4% 1946 Nominating Vote 34 16.8% 1946 Old Timers %

Post-Season Appearances
1905 World Series
1911 World Series
1913 World Series
1914 World Series

Milestones

• September 11, 1915: 300th Win...

Transactions
Before 1915 Season: Jumped from the Philadelphia Athletics to the St. Louis Terriers; Before 1916 Season: Jumped from the St. Louis Terriers to the St. Louis Browns; January 22, 1918: Traded by the St. Louis Browns with Del Pratt and $15,000 to the New York Yankees for Les Nunamaker, Fritz Maisel, Nick Cullop, Urban Shocker, and Joe Gedeon.

Best Strength as a Player
Control. Plank walked just over two batters per nine innings.

Largest Weakness as a Player
This isn't really a weakness, but Plank was a notorious headhunter in his day, leading the league in hit batsmen twice, and finishing among league leaders several times. He loved to brush batters off the inside of the plate.

Learn More about Eddie Plank
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