Highlighted Year: Noodles Hahn, 1902

Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds

Age: 23 (April 29)

4^th season with Reds

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’9”    Weight: 160 

Prior to 1902:

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. With an effective, if not overpowering, fastball and good control, he put together a 23-8 record in 1899 while leading the NL with 145 strikeouts and posting a 2.68 ERA. 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. 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 (now Atlanta Braves). He also topped the NL with 41 complete games and 375.1 innings pitched.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 37 games

P – 36, 1B – 1, CF – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 36 [5, tied with Roy Evans, Mike O’Neill & Doc White]

Games Started – 36 [4]

Complete Games – 35 [3]

Wins – 23 [4, tied with Jack Taylor]

Losses – 12 [19, tied with Bob Wicker]

PCT - .657 [8]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 6 [5]

Innings Pitched – 321 [4]

Hits – 282 [6, tied with Bill Duggleby]

Runs – 97 [19]

Earned Runs – 63 [20, tied with Clarence Currie]

Home Runs – 2 [13, tied with eleven others]

Bases on Balls – 58 [17, tied with John Malarkey]

Strikeouts – 142 [6]

ERA – 1.77 [2]

Hit Batters – 6

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 6 [10, tied with four others]

Midseason Snapshot: 7-9, ERA - 1.64, SO – 66 in 148 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 8 (in 9 IP) vs. Bos. Beaneaters 8/16

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 4 (in 9 IP) vs. Brooklyn 5/25, (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 7/13

Batting

PA – 130, AB – 119, R – 10, H – 22, 2B – 3, 3B – 3, HR – 0, RBI – 9, BB – 10, SO – 31, SB – 2, CS – N/A, AVG - .185, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 92

Put Outs – 14

Assists – 69

Errors – 9

DP – 1

Pct. - .902

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The Reds went 70-70 to finish fourth in the NL, 33.5 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds started off slowly and were in the NL cellar at 13-22 by the end of May. After rising to sixth in June they posted winning records in July, August, and September and were 69-68 entering their last three games in October in which they went 1-2 at Pittsburgh to break even for the year.

Aftermath of 1902:

Resisting an offer to jump to the rival American League, Hahn signed a $4200 contract to stay with the Reds, making him the team’s highest-paid player. He 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 that diminished his fastball 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 semiprofessionally 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 that career, he compiled a 130-94 record with a 2.55 ERA, 212 complete games, 25 shutouts, and 917 strikeouts over 2029.1 innings. Nearly 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 appeared semiprofessionally 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.