Ed Walsh, baseball player, 1904-1917

Ed Walsh

⭐ Hall of Fame 1946

Born: 5/19/1881 in Plains, PA, USA

Died: 5/26/1959 in Pompano Beach, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1904-05-07 | Final Game: 1917-09-11

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 193 lbs

Full name: Edward Augustine Walsh

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Biography

Ed Walsh, born in 1881, was a dominant pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1917. He is best remembered for his remarkable career achievements, including a win-loss record of 195-126 and an astounding earned run average (ERA) of 1.82, which places him among the finest pitchers in baseball history. Walsh's pitching style was characterized by an exceptional fastball and a devastating spitball, making him a formidable opponent during the deadball era, when pitchers often held the upper hand in games. His ability to strike out batters was evident in his total of 1,736 strikeouts, complemented by 35 saves throughout his career. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, Walsh's impact on the game extended beyond his impressive statistics. He set several records during his playing days, many of which stood for decades, and he was known for his durability on the mound, often pitching complete games. His contributions to the sport helped shape the role of pitchers in the early 20th century, as he exemplified the skill and competitive spirit that defined the era. Walsh's legacy continues to be celebrated by baseball historians and fans alike, marking him as one of the greats of the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
195 126 430 315 250 57 35 2964.3 2346 598 23 617 1736 1.82 0

Career ERA 1.82 vs. league average 2.83 across their career seasons — 35.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1904 CHW AL 6 3 18 8 6 1 1 110.7 90 32 32 57 2.60 2.66 (+2%) -
1905 CHW AL 8 3 22 13 9 1 0 136.7 121 33 29 71 2.17 2.82 (+23%) -
1906 CHW AL 17 13 41 31 24 10 2 278.3 215 58 58 171 1.88 2.68 (+30%) -
1907 CHW AL 24 18 56 46 37 5 4 422.3 341 75 87 206 1.60 2.50 (+36%) -
1908 CHW AL 40 15 66 49 42 11 6 464.0 343 73 56 269 1.42 2.40 (+41%) -
1909 CHW AL 15 11 31 28 20 8 2 230.3 166 36 50 127 1.41 2.55 (+45%) -
1910 CHW AL 18 20 45 36 33 7 5 369.7 242 52 61 258 1.27 2.79 (+55%) -
1911 CHW AL 27 18 56 37 33 5 4 368.7 327 91 72 255 2.22 3.37 (+34%) -
1912 CHW AL 27 17 62 41 32 6 10 393.0 332 94 94 254 2.15 3.36 (+36%) -
1913 CHW AL 8 3 16 14 7 1 1 97.7 91 28 39 34 2.58 3.07 (+16%) -
1914 CHW AL 2 3 8 5 3 1 0 44.7 33 14 20 15 2.82 2.93 (+4%) -
1915 CHW AL 3 0 3 3 3 1 0 27.0 19 4 7 12 1.33 2.90 (+54%) -
1916 CHW AL 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 3.3 4 1 3 3 2.70 — -
1917 BSN NL 0 1 4 3 1 0 0 18.0 22 7 9 4 3.50 2.69 (-30%) -367.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
459 1088 93 210 38 10 3 68 14 46 282 0.193 0.230 0.255 0.485 -4176.6

Career AVG .193 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 23.3% below league average.

Career OBP .230 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 26.9% below league average.

Career SLG .255 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 22.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.485 vs. league average 0.644 across their career seasons — 24.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1904 CHW AL 18 41 5 9 1 1 1 4 1 3 10 0.220 — — — — 0.0
1905 CHW AL 29 58 5 9 2 0 0 2 0 4 20 0.155 .248 (-37%) .307 (-28%) .322 (-41%) .629 (-35%) -294.4
1906 CHW AL 42 99 12 14 3 2 0 4 0 3 28 0.141 .247 (-43%) .307 (-43%) .315 (-33%) .622 (-38%) -603.8
1907 CHW AL 57 154 7 25 8 2 1 10 2 0 44 0.162 .245 (-34%) .304 (-45%) .308 (-16%) .613 (-30%) -805.1
1908 CHW AL 66 157 10 27 7 1 1 10 2 7 38 0.172 .240 (-29%) .298 (-27%) .306 (-19%) .605 (-23%) -595.3
1909 CHW AL 32 84 5 18 5 0 0 11 4 6 26 0.214 .244 (-12%) .306 (-13%) .312 (-12%) .618 (-13%) -167.1
1910 CHW AL 52 138 12 30 3 3 0 4 5 5 32 0.217 .249 (-13%) .317 (-23%) .326 (-14%) .644 (-18%) -455.2
1911 CHW AL 63 158 23 34 3 0 0 9 0 1 29 0.215 .266 (-19%) .336 (-33%) .356 (-34%) .693 (-34%) -953.8
1912 CHW AL 62 136 12 33 4 1 0 12 0 14 41 0.243 .268 (-10%) .335 (-7%) .358 (-20%) .694 (-14%) -302.0
1913 CHW AL 17 32 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 1 7 0.156 — — — — 0.0
1914 CHW AL 10 16 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0.062 — — — — 0.0
1915 CHW AL 5 11 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.364 — — — — 0.0
1916 CHW AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1917 BSN NL 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1906 WS CHA 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 2 2 0 15.0 7 1 6 17 0.60

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1906 WS CHA 2 0 2 2 0 15.0 7 1 6 17 0.60

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 6 2 4 1 1 0
P 430 211 233 1207 56 32

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1904 CHA P 18 8 8 35 1 2
1905 CHA OF 5 2 4 1 1 0
1905 CHA P 22 13 9 41 1 1
1906 CHA P 41 31 30 108 6 2
1907 CHA P 56 46 35 227 4 2
1908 CHA P 66 49 41 190 6 9
1909 CHA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1909 CHA P 31 28 23 93 1 2
1910 CHA P 45 36 21 154 9 5
1911 CHA P 56 0 27 159 8 5
1912 CHA P 62 0 22 140 15 3
1913 CHA P 16 0 6 32 3 1
1914 CHA P 8 0 7 15 1 0
1915 CHA P 3 0 3 4 0 0
1916 CHA P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1917 BSN P 4 0 1 7 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 431
Left Field 2
Center Field 1
Right Field 2

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1911 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1911 Baseball Magazine All-Star P6
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1909 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1908 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1908 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1912 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 30.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 35.0 64 0