Highlighted Year: Ed Siever, 1902

Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

 

Age:  27 (April 2)

2^nd major league season with Tigers

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’11” Weight: 190 

Prior to 1902:

A Kansas native, Siever worked for the Grand Trunk Railway before pitching in Colorado. He joined the London Cockneys of the Canadian League in 1899 where his impressive speed and control led to a 17-6 record with 85 strikeouts over 205 innings pitched. Signed by the Tigers, which were now part of the not-yet-major American League, in 1900 he started 12 games and produced a 6-5 tally while issuing only 20 walks.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 25 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 25

Games Started – 23

Complete Games – 17

Wins – 8

Losses – 11 [20, tied with four others]

PCT - .421

Saves – 1 [2, tied with nine others]

Shutouts – 4 [2, tied with Earl Moore & Win Mercer]

Innings Pitched – 188.1

Hits – 166

Runs – 73

Earned Runs – 40

Home Runs – 0

Bases on Balls – 32

Strikeouts – 36

ERA – 1.91 [1]

Hit Batters – 2

Balks – 1 [2, tied with five others]

Wild Pitches – 0

League-leading ERA was -0.14 lower than runner-up Rube Waddell

Midseason Snapshot: 5-8, ERA - 2.32, SO - 20 in 124 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 4 (in 9 IP) at Baltimore 7/21

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Chi. White Sox 4/24

Batting

PA – 71, AB – 66, R – 3, H – 10, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 6, BB – 1, SO – 8, SB – 0, CS – N/A, AVG - .152, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 53

Put Outs – 5

Assists – 40

Errors – 8

DP – 1

Pct. - .849

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The Tigers went 52-83 to finish seventh in the AL, 30.5 games behind the pennant-winning Philadelphia Athletics. The punchless Tigers were 16-14 at the end of May but slid downward the rest of the way, wasting good pitching performances by Siever, Win Mercer, and George Mullin. Siever strained his arm in a 13-inning duel against the Philadelphia Athletics and their star southpaw Rube Waddell, which the A’s won 1-0. 

Aftermath of 1902:

Sold to the St. Louis Browns in 1903, Siever was still dealing with a sore arm and produced a 13-14 record and 2.48 ERA with 24 complete games and 90 strikeouts and 39 walks over 254 innings. His 1904 tally was 10-15 with a 2.65 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 217 innings while his walk total rose to 65. In 1905 he pitched for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association and with his arm now sound he produced a 23-11 record. Siever returned to the Tigers in 1906 and went 14-11 with a 2.71 ERA and 71 strikeouts while compiling 222.2 innings. Detroit won the AL pennant in 1907 and Siever contributed an 18-11 tally with a 2.16 ERA, 22 complete games, and 88 strikeouts over 274.2 innings. He started one game in the World Series loss to the Chicago Cubs in which he pitched four innings and took a loss in what proved to be his only postseason action. By this point he had added a change-of-pace pitch to supplement his fastball. Siever pitched one last season for the Tigers in 1908, appearing in only 11 games and going 2-6 with a 3.50 ERA. In 1909 he played for Aberdeen of the Northwest League and posted a 23-16 record. In one more season of action with Chattanooga of the Southern Association he had a 9-9 tally. For his major league career, Siever produced an 83-82 record with a 2.60 ERA, 136 complete games, 14 shutouts, and 470 strikeouts over 1507 innings pitched. With Detroit he was 60-53 with a 2.61 ERA, 93 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 303 strikeouts over 1036 innings. Following his professional playing career, Siever pitched in an amateur league in Detroit and worked for the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners until his sudden death from apparent heart disease at age 44 in 1920.

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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 also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years. 

Highlighted Year: Win Mercer, 1902

Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Age:  28 (June 20)

1^st season with Tigers

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’9”    Weight: 154 

Prior to 1902:

Born in West Virginia, George Barclay Mercer’s family moved several times and eventually ended up in East Liverpool, Ohio. Mercer pitched well for factory teams in the area and was nicknamed “Winner”, which came to be shortened to “Win”. At 19 in 1893, he turned professional and pitched for teams in the New England League, compiling a record of 20-13. The thin and clean-shaven Mercer looked younger than his age and joined the National League’s Washington Senators in 1894. With a poor club, he lost his first nine decisions but went on to post a 17-23 tally with a 3.85 ERA, 30 complete games, and 72 strikeouts. He had fair speed on his fastball which he mixed effectively with a deceptive slow ball as well as straight and drop pitches that he threw with reportedly decent control, although he issued a significant number of walks. In 1895 he slipped to 13-23 with a 4.42 ERA, 32 complete games, and 85 strikeouts. Mercer rebounded in 1896 to 25-18 with a 4.13 ERA, 38 complete games, 366.1 innings pitched, and 94 strikeouts. The Senators remained a losing club overall and again in 1897 when Mercer posted a 21-20 tally with a 3.18 ERA while leading NL pitchers in appearances (47), starts (43), shutouts (3), and hit batters (28). Popular with fans due to his outgoing personality and handsome appearance (which made him a favorite Ladies Day starter), he was a crafty pitcher who had added an effective curve to his repertoire. Having accumulated a lot of innings and thrown many pitches, Mercer slumped in 1898 to 12-18 with a 4.81 ERA. With his workload reduced in 1899, he went 7-14 with a 4.60 ERA. A good hitter (without power), he filled in at other positions, typically third base and in the outfield, when not pitching to keep his bat in the lineup. The Washington club was disbanded following the 1899 season as the NL downsized and Mercer joined the New York Giants in 1900 where his record improved to 13-17 with a 3.86 ERA, 26 complete games, and 39 strikeouts in 242.2 innings pitched. In 1901 he jumped to the new Washington Senators franchise in the American League for $3000 and compiled a 9-13 tally with a 4.56 ERA. He also batted .300 while used as a utility player when not on the mound. He was sold to the Tigers in 1902.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 35 [9, tied with Jimmy Callahan, Red Donahue & George Mullin]

Games Started – 33 [9]

Complete Games – 28 [11, tied with Bill Carrick & Addie Joss]

Wins – 15 [14, tied with Lewis Wiltse, Jack Harper & Clark Griffith]

Losses – 18 [3, tied with Al Orth & Earl Moore]

PCT - .455

Saves – 1 [2, tied with nine others]

Shutouts – 4 [2, tied with Earl Moore & Ed Siever]

Innings Pitched – 281.2 [11]

Hits – 282 [12, tied with George Mullin]

Runs – 129 [17, tied with Wiley Piatt]

Earned Runs – 95 [16]

Home Runs – 5 [19, tied with seven others]

Bases on Balls – 80 [11]

Strikeouts – 40

ERA – 3.04 [12]

Hit Batters – 10 [10, tied with Rube Waddell]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 1    

Midseason Snapshot: 9-8, ERA - 2.79, SO - 21 in 151.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 3 (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland 5/3, (in 9 IP) vs. St. Louis Browns 7/5

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Washington 8/2

Batting

PA – 112, AB – 100, R – 8, H – 18, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 6, BB – 6, SO – 7, SB – 1, CS – N/A, AVG - .180, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 3, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 124

Put Outs – 13

Assists – 103

Errors – 8

DP – 2

Pct. - .935

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The Tigers went 52-83 to finish seventh in the AL, 30.5 games behind the pennant-winning Philadelphia Athletics. The punchless Tigers were 16-14 at the end of May but slid downward the rest of the way, wasting good pitching performances by Mercer, George Mullin, and ERA champ Ed Siever.

Aftermath of 1902:

Following the 1902 season it was announced that Mercer would manage the Tigers in 1903. He then helped organize a barnstorming tour of the western United States. While in San Francisco in January, he committed suicide at the age of 28. The reason for his suicide remains a mystery but speculation at the time blamed gambling. A cryptic note stated “beware of women and a game of chance.” It appears that he suffered from bouts of depression. For his major league career he posted a record of 132-164 with a 3.98 ERA, 253 complete games, 11 shutouts, and 532 strikeouts and 755 walks over the course of 2484.2 innings. As a batter he hit .285 with a .344 on-base percentage. A good pitcher with mediocre teams, he ultimately came to a tragic end that remains shrouded in mystery.    

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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 also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.