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savafan · 05-12-2006, 01:53 AM

While seriously considering all candidates, Satchel Paige, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Lefty Grove, Bob Gibson, Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, etc. I have finally, after doing a bit of research, concluded who I would pick to pitch that one game if I had to choose.

Amos Rusie. He threw so hard they had to move the mound back 10 feet 6 inches to the 60 feet 6 inches that it is today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Rusie

Amos Wilson Rusie (May 30, 1871 - December 6, 1942), nicknamed "The Hoosier Thunderbolt", was a hard-throwing right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher during the late 19th century. The 6-foot-1, 200 pounder strongman terrorized batters, catchers and umpires with the hottest -- and wildest-- heat ever seen in the game at that time. This is quantified by Rusie leading the league in strikeouts five times and walks five times. He nearly killed Hall of Fame Shortstop Hughie Jennings with a bean ball; Jennings remained comatose for four days before pulling through. This incident was a catalyst for officials to change the distance from the pitching rubber to home plate from 50 feet to the current 60 feet, 6 inches. This ruling was made at the start of the 1893 season, right at the peak of Amos Rusie’s pitching prowess.

Born in Moorseville, Indiana, Rusie was 17 when he made his major league debut with the National League Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1889 and posted a 12-10 record. Indianapolis disbanded at the conclusion of the season and Rusie was transferred to the New York Giants.

Rusie would remain with New York until 1900. In 1890, Rusie was the National League leader in strikeouts with a career best 341. Albeit, he punched out a lot of batters, he also gave up a lot of walks. His 266 walks also led the league and Rusie finished that year with a losing record, 28-33.

From 1891-1894, Rusie was the best pitcher in baseball, winning at least 30 games in each of those seasons. In 1891, Rusie went 33-20, leading the league in strikeouts (337) and shutouts (6). In 1892, his performance dipped a bit, breaking out even with a 31-31 record.

With the strike zone being moved back in 1893, Rusie’s strikeout total dropped from 288 to 208. Still he was league leader. The 1893 campaign was a truly extraordinary one for Amos Rusie. He had 50 complete games out of 52 starts and went 33-21.

In 1894, Amos Rusie won pitching’s triple crown. He led the league in wins, going 36-13, strikeouts with 195, and a league best ERA of 2.78 (especially spectacular considering the league average that year was 5.32). After the conclusion of the 1894 regular season, a Pittsburgh sportsman named William C. Temple sponsored a trophy for the winner between the regular season 1st and 2nd place teams in the National League. The runner-up Giants swept the Baltimore Orioles, who featured Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson, 4-0. Amos Rusie was virtually untouchable in the Temple Cup, giving up only one earned run while winning two complete games and compiling a 0.50 ERA; if that wasn’t enough, he even batted .429. Amos Rusie’s win total that year was fourth best in baseball history, since the modern pitching distance of 60’-6” was established.

Amos Rusie won his last strikeout crown in the 1895 campaign with 201. However, he finished with a mediocre (by Rusie's standards) 23 wins and 23 losses. After a bitter contract dispute with Giants' owner Andrew Freedman, Rusie responded by publicly thumbing his nose at Mr. Freeman, which was the 19th century variant of the middle finger. He was fined $200 (he made only $2,500). Rusie refused to play until Freedman returned his money and ended up holding out for the entire 1896 season. It was a fiasco for baseball; fans boycotted and the press railed against the owners. Owners implored Rusie and Freedman to compromise; neither would budge. The holdout was finally settled just prior to the 1897 season, as the owners collaborated for recoupment of the garnished wages, as well as a $5,000 settlement. This was partially out of respect for Mr. Rusie. However, the primary motivator was the threat of legal action against the reserve clause had his case gone to court.

Following the 1898 season, a combination of hearing damage from a line drive to the head, arm trouble, and personal problems kept him out of baseball for two years. In 1900, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. In 1901, Rusie pitched poorly in three games before retiring. He finished his career with 245 wins, 174 losses, 1934 strikeouts and a 3.07 ERA.

Rusie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

Code:

Year Ag Tm  Lg  W   L   G   GS  CG SHO  GF SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  WP  BFP  IBB  BK  ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
 1889 18 IND NL  12  10  33  22  19   1  11  0  225.0  246  181  133  12  116  109   9   9   953       0  5.32  4.18   79 1.609
 1890 19 NYG NL  29  34  67  63  56   4   5  1  548.7  436  300  156   3  289  341   0  36     0       0  2.56  3.49  136 1.321
 1891 20 NYG NL  33  20  61  57  52   6   4  1  500.3  391  244  142   7  262  337   0  17     0       1  2.55  3.21  126 1.305
 1892 21 NYG NL  31  31  64  61  58   2   3  0  532.0  405  288  170   7  267  288   0  24     0       0  2.88  3.22  112 1.263
 1893 22 NYG NL  33  21  56  52  50   4   4  1  482.0  451  260  173  15  218  208   0  26     0       0  3.23  4.66  144 1.388
 1894 23 NYG NL  36  13  54  50  45   3   4  1  444.0  426  228  137  10  200  195   0  10     0       0  2.78  5.26  189 1.410
 1895 24 NYG NL  23  23  49  47  42   4   2  0  393.3  384  248  163   9  159  201   0  10     0       0  3.73  4.63  124 1.381
 1897 26 NYG NL  28  10  38  37  35   2   1  0  322.3  314  143   91   6   87  135  11   6     0       0  2.54  4.14  163 1.244
 1898 27 NYG NL  20  11  37  36  33   4   1  1  300.0  288  149  101   6  103  114   9  13     0       0  3.03  3.46  114 1.303
 1901 30 CIN NL   0   1   3   2   2   0   0  0   22.0   43   25   21   1    3    6   0   2   107       0  8.59  3.19   37 2.091
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
 10 Yr WL% .585 245 174 462 427 392  30  35  5 3769.7 3384 2066 1287  76 1704 1934  29 153  1060       1  3.07  3.98  130 1.350
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
 162 Game Avg    18  13  35  32  29   2   2  0  288.3  258  158   98   5  130  147   2  11    81   0   0  3.07  3.98  130 1.350
 Career High     36  34  67  63  58   6  11  1  548.7  451  300  173  15  289  341  11  36   953   0   1  2.54  5.26  189 1.244

245 wins by the age of 27. That's pretty impressive.

05-12-2006, 01:53 AM	#55
savafan Maple SERP Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 17,485	Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher While seriously considering all candidates, Satchel Paige, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Lefty Grove, Bob Gibson, Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, etc. I have finally, after doing a bit of research, concluded who I would pick to pitch that one game if I had to choose. Amos Rusie. He threw so hard they had to move the mound back 10 feet 6 inches to the 60 feet 6 inches that it is today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Rusie Amos Wilson Rusie (May 30, 1871 - December 6, 1942), nicknamed "The Hoosier Thunderbolt", was a hard-throwing right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher during the late 19th century. The 6-foot-1, 200 pounder strongman terrorized batters, catchers and umpires with the hottest -- and wildest-- heat ever seen in the game at that time. This is quantified by Rusie leading the league in strikeouts five times and walks five times. He nearly killed Hall of Fame Shortstop Hughie Jennings with a bean ball; Jennings remained comatose for four days before pulling through. This incident was a catalyst for officials to change the distance from the pitching rubber to home plate from 50 feet to the current 60 feet, 6 inches. This ruling was made at the start of the 1893 season, right at the peak of Amos Rusie’s pitching prowess. Born in Moorseville, Indiana, Rusie was 17 when he made his major league debut with the National League Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1889 and posted a 12-10 record. Indianapolis disbanded at the conclusion of the season and Rusie was transferred to the New York Giants. Rusie would remain with New York until 1900. In 1890, Rusie was the National League leader in strikeouts with a career best 341. Albeit, he punched out a lot of batters, he also gave up a lot of walks. His 266 walks also led the league and Rusie finished that year with a losing record, 28-33. From 1891-1894, Rusie was the best pitcher in baseball, winning at least 30 games in each of those seasons. In 1891, Rusie went 33-20, leading the league in strikeouts (337) and shutouts (6). In 1892, his performance dipped a bit, breaking out even with a 31-31 record. With the strike zone being moved back in 1893, Rusie’s strikeout total dropped from 288 to 208. Still he was league leader. The 1893 campaign was a truly extraordinary one for Amos Rusie. He had 50 complete games out of 52 starts and went 33-21. In 1894, Amos Rusie won pitching’s triple crown. He led the league in wins, going 36-13, strikeouts with 195, and a league best ERA of 2.78 (especially spectacular considering the league average that year was 5.32). After the conclusion of the 1894 regular season, a Pittsburgh sportsman named William C. Temple sponsored a trophy for the winner between the regular season 1st and 2nd place teams in the National League. The runner-up Giants swept the Baltimore Orioles, who featured Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson, 4-0. Amos Rusie was virtually untouchable in the Temple Cup, giving up only one earned run while winning two complete games and compiling a 0.50 ERA; if that wasn’t enough, he even batted .429. Amos Rusie’s win total that year was fourth best in baseball history, since the modern pitching distance of 60’-6” was established. Amos Rusie won his last strikeout crown in the 1895 campaign with 201. However, he finished with a mediocre (by Rusie's standards) 23 wins and 23 losses. After a bitter contract dispute with Giants' owner Andrew Freedman, Rusie responded by publicly thumbing his nose at Mr. Freeman, which was the 19th century variant of the middle finger. He was fined $200 (he made only $2,500). Rusie refused to play until Freedman returned his money and ended up holding out for the entire 1896 season. It was a fiasco for baseball; fans boycotted and the press railed against the owners. Owners implored Rusie and Freedman to compromise; neither would budge. The holdout was finally settled just prior to the 1897 season, as the owners collaborated for recoupment of the garnished wages, as well as a $5,000 settlement. This was partially out of respect for Mr. Rusie. However, the primary motivator was the threat of legal action against the reserve clause had his case gone to court. Following the 1898 season, a combination of hearing damage from a line drive to the head, arm trouble, and personal problems kept him out of baseball for two years. In 1900, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. In 1901, Rusie pitched poorly in three games before retiring. He finished his career with 245 wins, 174 losses, 1934 strikeouts and a 3.07 ERA. Rusie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. Code: Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA lgERA ERA+ WHIP +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 1889 18 IND NL 12 10 33 22 19 1 11 0 225.0 246 181 133 12 116 109 9 9 953 0 5.32 4.18 79 1.609 1890 19 NYG NL 29 34 67 63 56 4 5 1 548.7 436 300 156 3 289 341 0 36 0 0 2.56 3.49 136 1.321 1891 20 NYG NL 33 20 61 57 52 6 4 1 500.3 391 244 142 7 262 337 0 17 0 1 2.55 3.21 126 1.305 1892 21 NYG NL 31 31 64 61 58 2 3 0 532.0 405 288 170 7 267 288 0 24 0 0 2.88 3.22 112 1.263 1893 22 NYG NL 33 21 56 52 50 4 4 1 482.0 451 260 173 15 218 208 0 26 0 0 3.23 4.66 144 1.388 1894 23 NYG NL 36 13 54 50 45 3 4 1 444.0 426 228 137 10 200 195 0 10 0 0 2.78 5.26 189 1.410 1895 24 NYG NL 23 23 49 47 42 4 2 0 393.3 384 248 163 9 159 201 0 10 0 0 3.73 4.63 124 1.381 1897 26 NYG NL 28 10 38 37 35 2 1 0 322.3 314 143 91 6 87 135 11 6 0 0 2.54 4.14 163 1.244 1898 27 NYG NL 20 11 37 36 33 4 1 1 300.0 288 149 101 6 103 114 9 13 0 0 3.03 3.46 114 1.303 1901 30 CIN NL 0 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 22.0 43 25 21 1 3 6 0 2 107 0 8.59 3.19 37 2.091 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 10 Yr WL% .585 245 174 462 427 392 30 35 5 3769.7 3384 2066 1287 76 1704 1934 29 153 1060 1 3.07 3.98 130 1.350 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 162 Game Avg 18 13 35 32 29 2 2 0 288.3 258 158 98 5 130 147 2 11 81 0 0 3.07 3.98 130 1.350 Career High 36 34 67 63 58 6 11 1 548.7 451 300 173 15 289 341 11 36 953 0 1 2.54 5.26 189 1.244 245 wins by the age of 27. That's pretty impressive. __________________ This is the Cal Ripkin Jr. of typos. If you ask me to join your fantasy baseball league and I select Legolas in the first round, don't be angry at me. It's not my fault I've read up on the players and you haven't.