Oct 25, 2024

Highlighted Year: Jack Taylor, 1904

Pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals



Age:  30

1st season with Cardinals

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 170 

Prior to 1904:

A native of southeastern Ohio, Taylor began pitching for semipro teams in Marietta, Ohio and Parkersburg, West Virginia. In 1897, he joined Milwaukee of the Western League where he produced an 8-7 record and 2.54 ERA during a season cut short by a broken arm. Still with Milwaukee in 1898, Taylor posted a 28-13 tally with 40 complete games. Joining the NL’s Chicago Orphans in September, he went 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA. Taylor’s performance with the 75-73 Orphans in 1899 produced a less impressive 18-21 record with a 3.76 ERA, 39 complete games, and 67 strikeouts over 354.2 innings. Throwing a variety of pitches from a sidearm motion, most notably a fastball, he pitched well for a woeful Chicago club that tied for fifth in 1900, Taylor finished with a 10-17 mark, a 2.55 ERA, 25 complete games, and 57 strikeouts over 222.1 innings. The club placed sixth in 1901 but Taylor improved his record to 13-19 with a 3.36 ERA, 30 complete games, and 68 strikeouts over 275.2 innings pitched. With the rebuilding Orphans becoming known (then and ever after) as the Cubs in 1902, Taylor had an outstanding season, leading the NL in ERA (1.29) and shutouts (8) while compiling a 23-11 tally with 34 complete games in as many starts, and 88 strikeouts over 333.2 innings. He went on to another fine season in 1903, producing a 21-14 record and a 2.45 ERA, again completing all of his starts (33), and recording 83 strikeouts over 312.1 innings. In the postseason City Series against the American League’s White Sox he started and easily won the first game but lost three other starts, which led to charges of his having been paid off by gamblers to throw the games. He was traded to the Cardinals along with catcher/first baseman Larry McLean for RHP Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown and catcher Jack O’Neill.  


1904 Season Summary

Appeared in 42 games

P – 41, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 41 [6]

Games Started – 39 – [5]

Complete Games – 39 [1, tied with Vic Willis]

Wins – 20 [6, tied with Jake Weimer]

Losses – 19 [7, tied with Jack Sutthoff]

PCT - .513 [19]

Saves – 1 [7, tied with eleven others]

Shutouts – 2 [18, tied with ten others]

Innings Pitched – 352 [4]

Hits – 297 [7]

Runs – 133 [10]

Earned Runs – 87 [11]

Home Runs – 5 [12, tied with Chick Fraser & Tom Fisher]

Bases on Balls – 82 [10, tied with Tom Fisher]

Strikeouts – 103 [15]

ERA – 2.22 [12]

Hit Batters – 13 [7, tied with Joe McGinnity]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 6 [13, tied with five others]


Midseason Snapshot: 13-7, ERA – N/A, SO – 59 in 183 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 6 (in 9 IP) vs. Chi. Cubs 4/19

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) vs. Cincinnati 7/6

Batting

PA – 140, AB – 133, R – 9, H – 28, 2B – 3, 3B – 3, HR – 1, RBI – 8, BB – 4, SO – 17, SB – 3, CS – N/A, AVG - .211, GDP – N/A, HBP – 1, SH – 1, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 129

Put Outs – 14

Assists – 109

Errors – 6

DP – 1

Pct. - .953

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The Cardinals went 75-79 to finish fifth in the NL, 31.5 games behind the pennant-winning New York Giants. The pitching staff led the league in complete games (146), fewest shutouts (7), and fewest walks allowed (319). The Cardinals started well and were in second place on May 1. An ensuing six-game losing streak dropped them into fifth. A 9-1 stretch was followed by a five-game losing streak and the club remained on a similar up-and-down course for the remainder of the season.  


Aftermath of 1904:

Following the 1904 season, Taylor was called before baseball’s ruling National Commission which was investigating the game-throwing charge coming out of the 1903 Chicago City Series due to his allegedly having been overheard saying that he was paid $500 to lose. Following his testimony that he had been out drinking and gambling the night before the game in question, he was acquitted on the charge of throwing games but was fined $300 for bad conduct. Together with allegations of having thrown a game against Pittsburgh during the 1904 season, his reputation was further sullied. He did pitch again for the Cardinals in 1905 and went 15-21 with a 3.44 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 309 innings pitched. He started 34 games and completed them all once again. Off to an 8-9 start in 1906, Taylor was dealt back to the Cubs. He performed excellently for the pennant-winning club and finished with a combined tally of 20-12 with a 1.99 ERA. His complete games streak ended at 187 in August when he was finally relieved during a loss to the New York Giants. He ended up with 32 complete games for the year and struck out 61 batters over 302.1 innings. He played one more season with the Cubs in 1907 in which he posted a 7-5 record and 3.29 ERA. For his major league career, Taylor produced a 152-139 record and 2.65 ERA with 279 complete games, 20 shutouts, and 662 strikeouts over 2626 innings. With the Cardinals he was 43-49 with a 2.67 ERA, 90 complete games, 6 shutouts, and 232 strikeouts over 816 innings. Taylor did not appear in World Series play. Following his major league career, he went on to pitch in the minors with six different teams, winding up his playing career in 1913. The one time “iron man” pitcher became a coal miner and died at age 64 in 1938.


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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category will also include Misc. players who don’t otherwise qualify but received MVP votes or were contributors to teams that reached the postseason. 


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