George Nicol (baseball)

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George Nicol
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Batted: Right
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 23, 1890, for the St. Louis Browns
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1894, for the Louisville Colonels
MLB statistics
Win–loss record5–7
Earned run average7.19
Strikeouts45
Batting average.347
Teams
  • 1890
    )
  • 1891
    )
  • 1894
    )
  • 1894
    )

George Edward Nicol (October 17, 1870 – August 4, 1924) was an American

Chicago Colts, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Louisville Colonels from 1890 to 1894. Possessing the rare combination[1] of batting right-handed and throwing left-handed, he served primarily as a right fielder
when he did not pitch.

Signed by the Browns without having previously played any

minor league baseball, Nicol made his debut on September 23, 1890, and pitched—what was then considered to be—a no-hitter
. The following season, he joined the Chicago Colts in July after starting in the minor leagues. After a two-year sojourn away from the major leagues, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1894. In August of the same season, he was traded to the Louisville Colonels, with whom he played his final major league game on September 29, 1894.

Personal life

Nicol was born on October 17, 1870, in

semi-professional club in nearby Mount Sterling. There, he rose to fame as a left-handed pitcher[3]—probably due to rarity and valuableness of southpaws[4][5]—and eventually got the opportunity to play in the major leagues before he turned 20.[3]

After his professional baseball career ended, Nicol moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1896, he married his wife Lilian. Together, they had one son, George Jr., who was born in 1908. In order to support his new family, he became a machinist. During this time, he continued to play baseball—albeit amateur baseball—with the Milwaukee City League.[3]

On the night of August 3, 1924, Nicol died in his sleep at the age of 53. His death was treated as suspicious, as a

post-mortem examination found him to have four broken ribs that led to his death.[3] He was interred at the Union Cemetery in Milwaukee.[2]

Professional baseball career

St. Louis Browns (1890)

Nicol was signed by the

American Association (AA) that already had few players with major league experience to begin with. The league's precarious situation was not helped by the fact that they had to compete with both the well-established National League (NL) and the newly formed yet highly popular Players' League.[7] Although the latter league lasted just one season,[8] they were able to outdraw both the AA and NL in terms of attendance.[7] This put a dent in the fortunes of the American Association, whose teams consequently struggled to pay the players' salaries and thus, had to utilize amateur, semi-professional, or minor league players.[3]

Nicol made his major league debut for the Browns on September 23, 1890, starting the game against the Philadelphia Athletics that resulted in a 21–2 win. He did not allow a single hit to the Athletics through seven innings,[3] after which the game was called off due to darkness.[9] Although the game was previously considered a no-hitter,[3][9] a rule change made by the MLB's Committee on Statistical Accuracy in 1991 redefined the definition of a no-hitter; a no-hit game now had to span a minimum of nine innings.[10][11] As a result, Nicol's debut was one of fifty no-hitters deleted from the official record books.[10]

Three days after his debut, Nicol faced the Athletics again in his second major league start. He followed up his dazzling debut with another solid performance, giving up just one hit—a

1891 season with the Davenport Pilgrims, a minor league baseball team that competed in the Illinois–Iowa League.[3][6]

Chicago Colts (1891)

Nicol's tenure with the Pilgrims was successful, albeit brief. He compiled a 15–8 record with a 1.36 ERA in 23

Chicago Colts manager Cap Anson, who offered him a $225 a month contract. Nicol originally agreed to the deal, but subsequently wanted to renege, citing "a change of heart."[3] However, he was eventually forced to accept the offer when the Colts threatened to blacklist him. The Pilgrims, who were already struggling financially, received just $300 from the Colts for their ace and folded soon after he left the team.[3]

Nicol arrived in Chicago on July 20 and was penciled in to start on consecutive days against Charles Radbourn and Cy Young. Though he performed poorly in both games, the Colts still managed to win. He was shelled in the third inning by the Cincinnati Reds, and on the next day, he gave up seven runs to the Cleveland Spiders in only two innings. Because of these starts, he did not appear in another game until August 14, when he was used in relief to face the Brooklyn Dodgers. His control issues flared up, and he had trouble holding the Dodgers' baserunners. He was released one week later,[3] having walked 10 batters in the 11 innings he pitched for the Colts.[2] He ended the season playing for Marinette of the Wisconsin State League.[3][6]

Minor league sojourn

After 1891, Nicol went back to the Illinois–Iowa League and joined the Rockford Hustlers. He pitched well throughout the 1892 season—though his record was 16–16, he had a 1.47 ERA, 230 strikeouts in 288 innings pitched, and pitched five shutouts.[6] He limited his opponents to two hits in five different complete games and threw a one-hitter.[3] The league, however, was struggling financially, and after the end of the league's postseason, his request for release was granted.[3]

At the start of

Erie Blackbirds.[3] He continued his stellar pitching performances with a 13–9 record and a 1.80 ERA in 200 innings, while reducing the number of walks issued to 89.[6]

Pittsburgh Pirates and Louisville Colonels (1894)

Nicol signed for the

1894 season.[3] His stint with the team was dismal, as he posted a 3–4 record with a 6.22 ERA, while his control and strikeout ability continued to diminish, evident with his 39 walks issued against a mere 13 strikeouts in 9 games pitched.[2][3] On August 13, he was traded to the Louisville Colonels in exchange for Jock Menefee and $1000.[2]

In his first game for the Colonels, Nicol was battered by the opposing team, giving up 19 hits and 15 earned runs in a complete game.

runs batted in, and a .463 slugging percentage in 141 plate appearances, while striking out just 5 times.[2] At the conclusion of the season, he was released by the Colonels.[3]

Back to the minors

Nicol returned to minor league baseball, joining the

Western League.[6] After spending just one month with the team, he moved within the league to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he played for five seasons and was utilized exclusively as an outfielder from 1896 onwards.[3] In 1896, he was at the center of controversy when the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him and promised the Brewers that they would return him should they not be in need of his services. However, he was instantly outrighted to the Detroit Tigers, with the Phillies' president acknowledging that they were assisting and collaborating with the Tigers, who had requested the transaction. The case went to an arbitral tribunal, which ruled in favor of the Brewers.[12][13]

In

Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons of the Atlantic League. The league disbanded in June of that year, whereupon he joined the Detroit Tigers, who were now part of the American League.[3] He was released at the end of the season, having batted .258 in 73 games.[6] He returned to the now-expanded Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League in 1904 and played there for two seasons. His career after 1906 is unclear, although the Society for American Baseball Research writes that he signed with a Wisconsin State League team based in Freeport, Illinois, and played for them for the remainder of the year before retiring from professional baseball.[3]

References

  1. ^ Ballou, Bill (March 5, 2002). "Zounds! Sox have 2 righty-lefty ballplayers". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. p. D1. Retrieved February 27, 2013. (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "George Nicol Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Morris, Peter. "George Nicol". The Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  4. ISBN 9781742664842
    . Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  5. ISBN 9780786738847
    . Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "George Nicol Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9781589792548
    . Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  8. ISBN 9780786486885
    . Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c "Hurler Davis Of The Boston Braves Is In A Small And Select Class". The Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque. February 11, 1915. p. 11. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Is revised no-hitter rule a no-no". The Register-Guard. Eugene. April 14, 1992. p. 2D. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  11. ^ "MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics – Perfect games and No-hitters". MLB.com. 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  12. ISBN 978-0803209909
    . Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  13. ISBN 9780786439515
    . Retrieved January 2, 2013.

External links

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