Ed Walsh
Ed Walsh stood 6-foot-1 and came in just under 200 pounds - a very big man for his day. In his prime he was the greatest practitioner of the legal spitball. He won two games for the White Sox in the 1906 World Series, as the Hitless Wonders upset the Cubs. In 1908 he won 40 games for a third place team.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 459 |
1088 |
210 |
93 |
3 |
68 |
14 |
.193 |
.255 |
.230 |
.485 |
76.3 |
|
Teams Ed Walsh Managed
Chicago White Sox (1924)
Where does Ed Walsh rank among baseball greats?
Ed Walsh ranks #21 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1908
The numbers are staggering - even for that pitching-rich period of baseball history. Walsh started 49 games, completed 42, pitched 464 innings, and allowed just 73 earned runs for an ERA of 1.42. He walked 56 and struck out 269. He was 40-15, and relieved in 17 games, saving six. He threw 11 shutouts. He said, "I had such control of my spitter that I could hit a tack on a wall with it." The rest of the team went 48-49 when Walsh didn't get the decision.
Managing, Umpiring, and The Fightin' Irish
After his major league career, Walsh pitched briefly for Milwaukee in the American Association in 1919, managed Bridgeport of the Eastern League in 1920, skippered the Oneonta, New York, semi-pro club in 1921, umpired in the American League in 1922, served as a coach for the White Sox for six seasons, including a three-game stint as manager in 1924, and coached the Notre Dame baseball team, which included his son Ed Jr., in 1926.
Love at First Pitch
Walsh pitched for Meriden, Connecticut, in the old Continental minor league in 1904. While he was there he met, fell in love, and married Rosemary Carney, an ice cream vendor at the ballpark. Their son, Ed Jr. would later pitch for the White Sox from 1928 to 1932.
Where He Played
Pitcher
Born
Edward Augustine Walsh was born on May 14, 1881, in Plains, PA.
Died
May 26, 1959, Pompano Beach, FL
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
5 7,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1904
Sherry Magee
Frank Schulte
Miller Huggins
George Stovall
Art Devlin
Gabby Street
Ed Walsh
Hooks Wiltse
Charley O'Leary
Nicknames
Big Ed
Family Tree
Walsh's son, Ed Jr., pitched four seasons for the White Sox, winning 11 games. On July 26, 1933, while pitching for the Oakland Oaks against the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League, Ed Jr. halted Joe DiMaggio's 61-game hitting streak.
Similar Players
Jack Chesbro, Chief Bender
Related Players
Ed Walsh Jr.... Walsh stopped Ty Cobb's 40-game hitting streak in 1911, and also halted Tris Speaker's 30-game hitting streak in 1912.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
56 |
27.9% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
110 |
42.0% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
132 |
48.2% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
113 |
48.5% |
1945 |
BBWAA |
137 |
55.5% |
1946 |
BBWAA |
106 |
40.3% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
115 |
56.9% |
1946 |
Old Timers |
|
% |
|
No-Hitter
8/27/1911: For CHI (A) vs. BOS (A), 5-0 at CHI. 9 innings pitched.
Post-Season Appearances
1906 World Series
Post-Season Notes
It's pretty safe to say that the Sox wouldn't have been in or won the '06 Series without Walsh. He pitcher 15 innings in the Series, allowing seven hits, striking out 17, and winning two games with a 1.20 ERA.
Feats
He pitched his only no-hit game on August 27, 1911, defeating the Boston Red Sox, 5-0.
Replaced
Frank Smith, who eventually battled his way back into the White Sox' rotation.
Replaced By
Eddie Cicotte
Best Strength as a Player
Control. Walsh walked just 56 batters in more than 460 innings in 1908.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Longevity. Walsh was finished by the age of 32.
Learn More about Ed Walsh
Search Amazon.com for Books about Ed Walsh ⇒
Search for Ed Walsh at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒