Highlighted Year: Frank “Noodles” Hahn, 1899

Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds

Age:  20 (April 29)

1^st season with Reds

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’9”    Weight: 160 

Prior to 1899:

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Hahn picked up his nickname “Noodles” in his youth as a result of his mother’s chicken noodle soup, which he either repeatedly expressed a particular liking for, brought to his father for lunch each day at a nearby piano factory, or delivered to a poor neighbor. Whatever the reason, the nickname stuck. At age 16 he joined a Southern Association team that moved from Chattanooga to Mobile during the 1895 season. Staying on with Mobile in 1896, he produced a 7-4 record with a 1.44 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 112.2 innings pitched. In 1897 he joined Detroit of the Western Association and went 17-16 with a 2.82 ERA, 31 complete games, and 144 strikeouts over 313 innings. Splitting 1898 between Detroit and St. Paul he had a mediocre season, going 12-20 with 28 complete games and 144 strikeouts in 266 innings. Recommended to the Reds by St. Paul owner Charles Comiskey, he pitched well in spring training and made the club.

1899 Season Summary

Appeared in 38 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 38 [17, tied with Clark Griffith]

Games Started – 34 [18, tied with five others]

Complete Games – 32 [16, tied with Jim Hughey]

Wins – 23 [6, tied with Jack Powell, Wiley Piatt & Jack Dunn]

Losses – 8

PCT - .742 [3]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 4 [2, tied with seven others]

Innings Pitched – 309 [15]

Hits – 280

Runs – 128

Earned Runs – 92

Home Runs – 3

Bases on Balls – 68

Strikeouts – 145 [1]

ERA – 2.68 [3, tied with Joe McGinnity & Jay Hughes]

Hit Batters – 10

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 3

League-leading strikeouts were +3 ahead of runner-up Cy Seymour

Batting

PA – 121, AB – 109, R – 12, H – 16, 2B – 3, 3B – 2, HR – 0, RBI – 11, BB – 8, SO – 31, SB – 3, CS – N/A, AVG - .147, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – N/A 

Fielding

Chances – 76

Put Outs – 12

Assists – 51

Errors – 13

DP – 3

Pct. - .829

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The Reds went 83-67 to finish sixth in the NL, 19 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Superbas. The Reds got off to a promising 14-7 start but slumped in the second half of May and were 29-28 by the end of June. They were never able to contend again the rest of the way. Hahn established himself as the ace of the pitching staff. 

Aftermath of 1899:

Hahn ran into difficulty coming to terms on a contract with the Reds for 1900 but settled and produced a 16-20 record for the 62-77 Reds along with a 3.27 ERA and again led the NL in strikeouts with 132. Along the way he pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the league’s best-hitting teams. With an effective, if not overpowering, fastball and good control, Hahn was again successful in 1901, producing a 22-19 tally for the last-place Reds, along with a 2.71 ERA and 239 strikeouts, once again a league-leading total that included a then-record 16 in a game against the Boston Beaneaters. He also topped the NL with 41 complete games and 375.1 innings pitched. Resisting an offer to jump to the rival American League, he signed a $4200 contract to stay with the Reds, making him the team’s highest-paid player. Cincinnati improved to 70-70 in 1902 and Hahn went 23-12 with a 1.77 ERA, 35 complete games, 6 shutouts, 321 innings pitched, and 142 strikeouts. He continued to perform well in 1902 with a 23-12 record, a 1.77 ERA that ranked second in the NL, and 142 strikeouts over 321 innings. Hahn was 22-12 in 1903 with a 2.52 ERA, 34 complete games, and 127 strikeouts. Showing signs of slippage in 1904, he posted a 16-18 tally with a still outstanding 2.06 ERA, 33 complete games among his 297.2 innings, and 98 strikeouts. A sore arm limited Hahn to 77 innings and a 5-3 mark with a 2.81 ERA in 1905, and the Reds released him in August. After pitching semi-professionally for the remainder of ’05, he caught on with the AL’s New York Highlanders in 1906. He appeared in just six games before requesting his release and deciding to end his major league career. For his career, he compiled a 130-94 record with a 2.55 ERA, 212 complete games, 25 shutouts, and 917 strikeouts over 2029.1 innings. Virtually all of his production came with the Reds. Having attended Cincinnati Veterinary College during his playing days, he became a veterinary inspector for the US government in Cincinnati for over 30 years. He pitched semi-professionally on the side for a time and also regularly pitched batting practice for the Reds at Crosley Field until he was well into his 60s. He also had a reputation as a skillful pianist. Moving to North Carolina after retiring from his government job, he died at age 80 in 1960.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20), pitching wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10), or have been participants in the annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category will also include Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.