Highlighted Year: Charlie “Togie” Pittinger, 1902

Pitcher, Boston Beaneaters

Age: 30

3^rd season with Beaneaters

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 175 

Prior to 1902:

A native of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Charles Pittinger played semipro baseball where he demonstrated an outstanding fastball in addition to bouts of wildness. He also developed an effective curve. In 1895 he pitched in the Cumberland Valley League with Martinsburg and Carlisle. Signing with Roanoke of the Virginia League in 1896 he was released after one appearance and he returned to the Cumberland Valley League with the Chambersburg Maroons where he posted a 5-7 record and 2.91 ERA with 10 complete games and 44 strikeouts over 99 innings pitched. Late in August he joined Milton of the Central Pennsylvania League where he finished out the year. Starting 1897 with a town team in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Pittinger excelled and moved on to Brockton of the New England League where he produced a 14-4 tally and 1.01 ERA with 16 complete games and 52 strikeouts over 170 innings. Signed by the Beaneaters for 1898, during spring training he was notified of his wife’s illness and went home to care for her and their daughters. Farmed out to Brockton, Pittinger went 6-0 in seven appearances and returned to Boston, where he went unused before joining a semipro team in August. Requesting that the Beaneaters trade or release him, the club turned down offers for him and he was sent to the Springfield Ponies of the Eastern League in 1899, where he compiled a 9-5 record before leaving the team for the remainder of the season due to another apparent episode of bad health on the part of his wife. He stuck with Boston in 1900 and although the pattern of family illness again caused his departure from the club, he returned in June and was sent down to Worcester of the Eastern League where he went 13-5 with 18 complete games. Returning to the Beaneaters in September he experienced difficulties and finished with a major league record of 2-9 with a 5.13 ERA. Actively shopped in the offseason, Pittinger returned to Boston in 1901 and showed improvement as he compiled a 13-16 tally for the fifth-place club with a 3.01 ERA, 27 complete games, and 129 strikeouts over 281.1 innings. Along the way he suffered a scare when hit in the head by a batted ball in a game against Brooklyn. Although he lost consciousness, he was back in action a few days later. Having received overtures from the American League, he signed a contract with the Beaneaters for 1902. Despite an imposing physique and apart from his nickname of “Togie”, he was regularly mocked in the press for his appearance and called “Horse Face” and “Dog Face”.

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 46 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 46 [2]

Games Started – 40 [2]

Complete Games – 36 [2]

Wins – 27 [2, tied with Vic Willis]

Losses – 16 [8, tied with Bill Phillips, Pop Williams & Henry Thielman]

PCT - .628 [9]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 7 [4]

Innings Pitched – 389.1 [2]

Hits – 360 [2]

Runs – 139 [4]

Earned Runs – 109 [2]

Home Runs – 4 [3, tied with Frank Kitson, Mal Eason & Luther Taylor]

Bases on Balls – 128 [1]

Strikeouts – 174 [3]

ERA – 2.52 [17]

Hit Batters – 16 [3]

Balks – 0

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

League-leading bases on balls issued were +17 ahead of runner-up Bill Donovan

Midseason Snapshot: 11-8, ERA - 3.15, SO - 78 in 168.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 9 (in 9 IP) vs. St. Louis Cardinals 9/10

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 6/14

Batting

PA – 153, AB – 147, R – 6, H – 20, 2B – 1, 3B – 1, HR – 0, RBI – 10, BB – 1, SO – 56, SB – 0, CS – N/A, AVG - .136, GDP – N/A, HBP – 1, SH – 4, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 109

Put Outs – 20

Assists – 83

Errors – 6

DP – 2

Pct. - .945

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The Beaneaters (aka Nationals) went 73-64 to finish third in the NL, 30.5 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates. The pitching staff led the league in saves (4, tied with St. Louis Cardinals) & bases on balls issued (372). The slow-starting Beaneaters finished May in fourth place at 15-19 before rallying in June and July to advance to third at 42-37. A lesser performance in August and September, during which Pittinger went 7-7, locked the club into its third-place finish.

Aftermath of 1902:

Strongly pursued by American League clubs during the 1902 season, Pittinger signed a two-year contract with the Beaneaters at $4000 per year. Prior to 1903 spring training, he injured his arm while practicing with the Dickinson College baseball team and went on to post a disappointing 18-22 record and 3.48 ERA with 35 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 140 strikeouts over 351.2 innings while also leading the league with his 22 losses and in hits allowed (396), home runs allowed (12), and walks issued (143), while also unleashing 14 wild pitches. Furthermore, off the field in a family tragedy, Pittinger’s oldest daughter died. With the Beaneaters disappointed in Pittinger’s pitching performance, he returned in 1904 and had a marginally better season as he compiled a 15-21 tally and 2.66 ERA with 35 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 146 strikeouts over 335.1 innings although he still topped the circuit in walks issued (144). In the offseason, his relationship with the Beaneaters having soured beyond repair, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. On the field with the Phillies in 1905, Pittinger had a fine season, tying for the most pitching appearances in the NL with 46 and posting a 23-14 record with a 3.09 ERA, 29 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 136 strikeouts over 337.1 innings. Off the field there was another tragedy as his wife died from a heart ailment. He held out in 1906 and missed spring training and further lost time due to health problems on his way to a disappointing 8-10 tally and 3.40 ERA in only 20 appearances. Initially refusing to sign with the Phillies for 1907, Pittinger threatened to jump to the Tri-State League but finally reported to the Phillies and went 9-5 with a 3.00 ERA until the effects of diabetes caused him to leave the club and ended his career at age 35.For his major league career he produced a 115-113 record with a 3.10 ERA, 187 complete games, 23 shutouts, and 832 strikeouts and 734 walks over 2040.2 innings. With Boston he went 75-84 with a 3.08 ERA, 141 complete games, 16 shutouts, and 616 strikeouts and 545 walks over 1471.2 innings. Following his playing career he operated a restaurant and grocery store in Carlisle, Pennsylvnia prior to his death from the effects of diabetes in 1909 at age 37, his short life having been mired in tragedy and controversy. 

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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: Charlie “Kid” Nichols, 1901

Pitcher, Boston Beaneaters

 

Age: 32 (Sept. 14)

12^th season with Beaneaters

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 175 

Prior to 1901:

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Charles Nichols first began playing baseball there along with his brothers. Moving to Kansas City with his family, around 1885 he began to play regularly for amateur teams prior to joining the Kansas City Cowboys of the Western League in 1887 where the 17-year-old pitcher posted an 18-12 record and 3.37 ERA with 30 complete games and 65 strikeouts over 269.2 innings. Looking young and physically unimpressive with a slender physique, he received the enduring nickname “Kid” from his older teammates. Despite his mound success, the Cowboys didn’t seek to re-sign him for 1888, and he joined the Memphis Grays of the Southern League where he produced a 11-8 tally and 2.28 ERA before the league dissolved in June. The next month he returned to Kansas City and joined the city’s other Western League club, the Blues, where he finished out the season by going 16-2 with a 1.14 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 158.1 innings. Signing with Omaha of the Western Association in 1889, Nichols produced an outstanding 39-8 record and 1.75 ERA with 47 complete games, 8 shutouts, and 368 strikeouts over 438 innings pitched. Moving along to the Boston Beaneaters along with manager Frank Selee in 1890, Nichols continued to perform impressively in his rookie major league season by compiling a 27-19 tally and 2.23 ERA with 47 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 222 strikeouts over 424 innings. Relying on a fastball and curve delivered with excellent control from a simple windup, Nichols excelled again in 1891 with a 30-17 record and 2.39 ERA with 45 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 240 strikeouts over 425.1 innings. The Beaneaters prospered by winning three straight pennants from 1891 to ’93 and Nichols contributed 30-win seasons in each of those years. He went 35-16 in 1892 and 34-14 in 1893, a season in which the modern pitching distance of 60 Feet, 6 inches was established, which proved to be the downfall of many pitchers but had no effect on Nichols’ effectiveness, although his ERA rose to 3.52. He achieved his fourth consecutive thirty-win season in 1894, posting a 32-13 record, albeit with a 4.75 ERA (the league average was 5.33 that year) along with 40 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 113 strikeouts over 407 innings (it was also his fifth, and last, 400-inning season). His 1895 tally was 27-16 with a 3.41 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 390.2 innings. Nichols reached 30 wins in 1896-97-98 with tallies of 30-14, 31-11, and 31-12 respectively. He also topped the NL with 368 innings pitched in 1897. His record dipped somewhat in 1899 to 21-19 although with a respectable 2.99 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 343.1 innings. He entered 1900 as the winningest NL pitcher of the 1890s at 298-151, and he then endured a 1900 season in which he was hindered by injuries for the first time in his career and finished at 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA.  

1901 Season Summary

Appeared in 55 games

P – 38, 1B – 5, PH – 5, LF – 4, CF – 2, RF – 1

 [Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 38 [7, tied with Frank Kitson, Willie Sudhoff & Vic Willis]

Games Started – 34 [10, tied with Bill Dinneen]

Complete Games – 33 [5, tied with Jack Powell, Vic Willis & Red Donahue]

Wins – 19 [11, tied with Jack Powell & Frank Kitson]

Losses – 16 [12, tied with Rube Waddell & Togie Pittinger]

PCT - .543 [14]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 4 [7, tied with Jesse Tannehill & Luther Taylor]

Innings Pitched – 321 [6]

Hits – 306 [9]

Runs – 146 [10]

Earned Runs – 115 [5]

Home Runs – 8 [7, tied with Luther Taylor & Bill Dinneen]

Bases on Balls – 90 [8]

Strikeouts – 143 [6]

ERA – 3.22 [18]

Hit Batters – 10 [16, tied with five others]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 8 [10, tied with Jay Hughes]

Midseason Snapshot: 8-9, ERA - 3.38, SO - 68 in 149 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 9 (in 12 IP) at Cincinnati 6/12

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) at Cincinnati 9/27

Batting

PA – 175, AB – 163, R – 16, H – 46, 2B – 8, 3B – 7, HR – 4, RBI – 28, BB – 8, SO – 39, SB – 0, CS – N/A, AVG - .282, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – N/A

Fielding (P)

Chances – 100

Put Outs – 27

Assists – 69

Errors – 4

DP – 1

Pct. - .960

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The Beaneaters went 69-69 to finish fifth in the NL, 20.5 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates. The pitching staff led the league in fewest hits allowed (1196). The Beaneaters were out of the first division by May and were stuck in fifth for the remainder of the season despite a good September performance. 

Aftermath of 1901:

In 1902 Nichols took the opportunity to become co-owner and manager of the Kansas City Blue Stockings of the Class A Western League. He pitched for the Blue Stockings as well, posting a 26-7 record and 1.82 ERA. Returning as player/manager in 1903, he produced a 21-12 tally and 2.51 ERA. Nichols returned to the National League in 1904 as player/manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and had a fine season on the mound for the fifth-place club with a 21-13 record and 2.02 ERA. Falling out of favor with team ownership in 1905, Nichols was relieved of his managerial duties in May but retained as a pitcher until released in July with a 1-5 tally and 5.40 ERA. Picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies, he went 10-6 the rest of the way for an overall record of 11-11 with a 3.12 ERA. Nichols returned to the Phillies in 1906, but suffering from pleurisy he retired after four appearances. For his major league career, Nichols compiled a 362-208 record and 2.96 ERA with 532 complete games, 48 shutouts, and 1881 strikeouts over 5067.1 innings. He won 30 games a record seven times. With the Beaneaters his record was 330-183 with a 3.00 ERA, 476 complete games, 44 shutouts, and 1680 strikeouts over 4549 innings. A good hitting pitcher, Nichols batted .226 with 58 doubles, 24 triples, 16 home runs, and 278 RBIs. He pitched and managed in the minor leagues and with semipro clubs after leaving the major leagues. He also scouted for a time and became an accomplished bowler. An outstanding player who was popular and highly respected during his career, Nichols was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949, four years before his death at age 83.

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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: Herman Long, 1900

Shortstop, Boston Beaneaters

Age:  34 (April 13)

11^th season with Beaneaters

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’8”    Weight: 160 

Prior to 1900:

A Chicago native, Long was the son of German immigrants and began playing semipro baseball in the 1880s. In 1887 he joined Arkansas City of the Kansas State League and pitched and played shortstop. In August he was sold to Emporia of the Western League where he batted .256 in 19 games. Long started the 1888 Western League season with the Chicago Maroons where he burnished his reputation as a rising star shortstop and outfielder. In July he was traded to the Kansas City Blues where he spent the remainder of the season. Long joined the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association, which was a major league at the time, in 1889. He batted .275 with 32 doubles, 6 triples, 3 home runs, 60 RBIs, 89 stolen bases, and a .358 on-base percentage. At shortstop, he led the league in putouts (335) and errors (117). He demonstrated great running speed and range, but with the rudimentary gloves that were worn at the time and the poor condition of the fields, being able to get to a hard-hit ball didn’t mean he could cleanly field it. But when he did field the ball, he often made spectacular plays. As one newspaper account stated, “even Long’s two errors were brilliant”. In 1890 he joined the Boston Beaneaters of the National League. In his first game with the Beaneaters, he hit two home runs and made seven assists at shortstop. Hindered by a back injury later in the season, he ended up hitting .251 with 15 doubles, 8 home runs, 52 RBIs, 49 stolen bases, and a .320 OBP. Healthy in 1891, he missed only one game with the pennant winning club and batted .282 with 21 doubles, 12 triples, 9 home runs, 75 RBIs, 60 stolen bases, a .377 OBP, and a .407 slugging percentage. Defensively he led all NL shortstops in putouts (345) and double plays (60). 1892 was another pennant-winning season for Boston and Long batted .280 with 33 doubles, 6 triples, 6 home runs, 78 RBIs, 115 runs scored, 57 stolen bases, a .334 OBP, and a .378 slugging percentage. He was again among the league leaders at shortstop in putouts (297), assists (497), and double plays (65), while leading in errors (99). The Beaneaters made it three straight NL pennants in 1893 and Long, who had been in a salary dispute with the club in the spring, led the circuit with 149 runs scored while hitting .288 with 22 doubles, 6 triples, 6 home runs, 58 RBIs, 38 stolen bases, a .376 OBP, and a .382 slugging percentage. Defensively he led NL shortstops with 67 double plays. The club dropped in the standings in 1894 but Long remained a consistent performer, scoring 136 runs and batting .324 with 28 doubles, 11 triples, 12 home runs, 79 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, a .375 OBP, and a .505 slugging percentage. During the 1895 season the newly married Long came under public criticism from manager Frank Selee for deficiencies as a team player. His production remained strong and he was still among the top shortstops defensively. He was also adept at executing the hit-and-run. Nicknamed “the Flying Dutchman”, following another strong offensive performance in 1897 in which he batted .322 with 32 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs, 69 RBIs, a .358 OBP, and a .444 slugging percentage, his average dropped off to .265 in both 1898 and ’99 while his OBPs were .311 and .321 respectively. Defensively, he topped NL shortstops with 68 DPs in 1898 and placed second with 351 putouts in 1899. The Beaneaters were a pennant-winning club in 1898 and finished second in 1899.  

1900 Season Summary

Appeared in 125 games

SS – 125

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 550

At Bats – 486

Runs – 80

Hits – 127

Doubles – 19

Triples – 4

Home Runs – 12 [1]

RBI – 66

Bases on Balls – 44 [17]

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 23

Stolen Bases – 26

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .261

OBP - .325

Slugging Pct. - .391

Total Bases – 190

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 18 [8, tied with Claude Ritchey & Barry McCormick]

Sac Flies – N/A

League-leading home runs were +1 ahead of runner-up Elmer Flick

Fielding

Chances – 759

Put Outs – 257

Assists – 454

Errors – 48

DP – 34

Pct. - .937

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The Beaneaters went 66-72 to finish fourth in the NL, 17 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Superbas while leading the league in home runs (48). The Beaneaters were off to a terrible 5-17 start through May 22 before going on a 16-3 run that pulled them into third place. Continuing to be streaky, an 8-game losing streak from June 29 to July 6 had them in sixth place and well behind the contenders. They played .500 ball during the season’s second half to salvage a fourth-place finish. 

Aftermath of 1900:

Long played two more seasons with Boston, with his performance diminishing, although as his range decreased his fielding percentage improved (he led NL shortstops in that category in both 1901 and ’02). He jumped to the New York Highlanders (now Yankees) in 1903 and only lasted with the club until June due to poor performance at the plate and in the field, where his arm had lost its strength. Picked up by the Detroit Tigers he was shifted to second base where his defense was still substandard, and he only batted .222 in 69 games. Hired as player/manager by the Toledo Mud Hens of the Class A American Association in 1904, he resigned in June and appeared in one game for the Philadelphia Phillies, in which he had one hit in his final major league appearance. For his major league career, Long batted .277 with 2129 hits that included 342 doubles, 97 triples, and 91 home runs. He scored 1456 runs and compiled 1055 RBIs, 537 stolen bases, a .335 OBP, and a .383 slugging percentage. With the Beaneaters he batted .280 with 1292 runs scored, 1902 hits, 295 doubles, 91 triples, 88 home runs, 964 RBIs, 434 stolen bases, a .337 OBP, and a .390 slugging percentage. Following his long major league career, Long played and managed with Des Moines of the Western League and batted .307 for the league champions. After playing for two minor league teams in 1906, his career as a player came to an end. His health deteriorated thereafter and he died of tuberculosis at age 43 in 1909. Appreciated at the time for his all-around outstanding play at shortstop, he was eventually inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame and there is currently a plaque in his honor on display at Atlanta’s Truist Park (the franchise’s present-day home). Despite finishing in the top 12 in the Baseball Hall of Fame’s first Old Timer’s poll in 1936, he has still not been enshrined to date.  

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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: Vic Willis, 1899

Pitcher, Boston Beaneaters

Age:  23 (April 12)

2^nd season with Beaneaters

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 185 

Prior to 1899:

A Maryland native whose family moved to Newark, Delaware, Willis played baseball throughout his youth, including during his schooling at Newark Academy and Delaware College (now the University of Delaware) and began playing semiprofessionally in Delaware. In 1895 at age 19 he signed with Harrisburg of the minor Pennsylvania State League. When the team folded in June he moved on to Lynchburg of the Virginia State League. Carrying a heavy pitching workload he became recognized as having good potential. Joining Syracuse of the Eastern League in 1896, illness limited him to a 10-6 record when he left the club to recuperate in July. Healthy in 1897, he returned to Syracuse and produced a 21-17 record with a 1.16 ERA and 171 strikeouts. He was sold to the Beaneaters for $1000 and catcher Fred Lake. With his good control of a slow curve and change-of-pace, Willis was 25-13 as a rookie in 1898 with a 2.84 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 311 innings pitched that included 29 complete games.

1899 Season Summary

Appeared in 41 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 41 [9, tied with Jack Dunn, Jesse Tannehill & Jack Taylor]

Games Started – 38 [7, tied with four others]

Complete Games – 35 [7, tied with Sam Leever & Clark Griffith]

Wins – 27 [3]

Losses – 8

PCT - .771 [2]

Saves – 2 [2, tied with four others]

Shutouts – 5 [1]

Innings Pitched – 342.2 [8]

Hits – 277

Runs – 126

Earned Runs – 95

Home Runs – 6 [17, tied with ten others]

Bases on Balls – 117 [7]

Strikeouts – 120 [4, tied with Ed Doheny]

ERA – 2.50 [1]

Hit Batters – 30 [2]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 12 [5] 

League-leading shutouts were +1 ahead of eight runners-up

League-leading ERA was -0.08 lower than runner-up Cy Young

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 0 vs. Washington 4/7 (No-hitter with 1 batter reaching base via error, a ruling that remains in dispute among baseball historians. Beaneaters won 7-1)

Batting

PA – 142, AB – 134, R – 14, H – 29, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 16, BB – 4, SO – 9, SB – 0, CS – N/A, AVG - .216, GDP – N/A, HBP – 1, SH – 3, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 106

Put Outs – 17

Assists – 81

Errors – 8

DP – 2

Pct. - .925

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Beaneaters went 95-57 to finish second in the NL, 8 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Superbas. The pitching staff led the league in fewest hits allowed (1273) and fewest runs allowed (645). Following a 7-6 April, the Beaneaters were 32-16 in May and June and put together a late-season 10-game winning streak to nail down second place.

Aftermath of 1899:

Willis had a lesser season in 1900, compiling a 10-17 record with a 4.19 ERA and 53 strikeouts while pitching 236 innings. Courted by the new American League in 1901, he backed out of an agreement to sign with the Philadelphia Athletics and returned to the Beaneaters for $2400. He returned to form with a 20-17 tally and 2.36 ERA in ’01 and tied for the league lead with 6 shutouts among his 305.1 innings pitched. Willis also recorded 133 strikeouts. He was even better in 1902, going 27-20 for the third-place Beaneaters with a 2.20 ERA while leading the NL in games pitched (51), starts (46), complete games (45), innings pitched (410), and strikeouts (225). Approached by the American League’s Detroit Tigers with a two-year contract offer, he again initially accepted until the Beaneaters matched the deal. While the Tigers protested, he was awarded to Boston following the peace agreement between the NL and AL that followed the season. With the Beaneaters dropping to 58-80 in 1903, Willis remained effective, posting a 12-18 record with a 2.98 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 278 innings pitched. The club was even worse in 1904 although Willis produced a fine 2.85 ERA despite an 18-25 record. While topping the league with 39 complete games, he also compiled 196 strikeouts over 350 innings. The situation was similar in 1905 as Willis went 12-29 with a 3.21 ERA for the 51-103 Beaneaters. In the offseason, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for three players. Dissatisfied with taking a pay cut from Boston in 1905, he reportedly received a salary boost to $4500 from Pittsburgh. With a stronger team in 1906, Willis pitched three consecutive shutouts early in the season on his way to a 23-13 record with a 1.73 ERA and 124 strikeouts and 32 complete games while accumulating 322 innings. With the second-place Pirates in 1907 he produced a 21-11 tally with a 2.34 ERA and 107 strikeouts while accumulating 292.2 innings. In 1908 he went 23-11 with a 2.07 ERA and 7 shutouts while the Pirates closely contended for the NL pennant. In the offseason, Willis threatened retirement over a salary dispute but returned to Pittsburgh for the 1909 season. The Pirates won the pennant and Willis contributed a 22-11 mark and 2.24 ERA. He also pitched the inaugural game at the new Forbes Field that year. He made two appearances in the World Series matchup with Detroit and went 0-1 with a 4.63 ERA. Pittsburgh went on to win the Series. It marked the only postseason action of Willis’ career. Waived by the Pirates prior to the 1910 season, he was claimed by the St. Louis Cardinals and went 9-12 with a 3.35 ERA. Let go again after the season, he retired. For his major league career, Willis compiled a 249-205 record with a 2.63 ERA, 388 complete games, 50 shutouts, and 1651 strikeouts in 3996 innings pitched. Following his playing career, Willis operated a hotel in Newark, Delaware and managed and coached semipro and youth baseball teams. He died in 1947 at age 71, 48 years before he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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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.