Tim Keefe
Tim Keefe | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. | January 1, 1857|
Died: April 23, 1933 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 76)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
August 6, 1880, for the Troy Trojans | |
Last MLB appearance | |
August 15, 1893, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 342–225 |
Earned run average | 2.62 |
Strikeouts | 2,562 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Member of the National | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1964 |
Election method | Veterans Committee |
Timothy John Keefe (January 1, 1857 – April 23, 1933), nicknamed "Smiling Tim" and "Sir Timothy", was an American
Keefe's career spanned much of baseball's formative stages. His first season was the last in which pitchers threw from 45 feet, so for most of his career he pitched from 50 feet. His final season was the first season in which pitchers hurled from the modern distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.
Early life
Keefe was born on January 1, 1857, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His father, Patrick, was an Irish immigrant who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was a prisoner of war for several years.[1] All four of Patrick's brothers were killed in the war; Tim had been named after two of them. Tim's brother became a major and fought in the Spanish–American War.[2]
After the war, Patrick had high expectations for his son, and the two frequently fought over Tim's pursuit of baseball. With the help of local former pitcher Tommy Bond, Keefe persisted and became known as a standout local pitcher by 1876.[1] Keefe's early professional career included minor league stints in Lewiston, Clinton, New Bedford, Utica, and Albany.[3]
Major league career
Keefe entered the major leagues in 1880 with the
In 1883, after the Trojans folded, Keefe rose to stardom with the
He had arguably his greatest season in 1888, when he led the league with a 35–12 record, 1.74 ERA and 335 strikeouts (see
Keefe was very well paid for his career, yet he was a leading member of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players, an early players' union that fought for the welfare of players. He assisted his brother-in-law
Shortly before the Players' League was founded, Keefe had started a sporting goods business in New York with W. H. Becannon, a former employee of baseball owner and sporting goods entrepreneur Albert Spalding. Keefe and Becannon manufactured the Keefe ball, the official baseball of the league. Spalding and the other NL owners fought against the new league, employing legal and financial maneuvers (such as slashing NL ticket prices) that made competition difficult.[6] The Players' League folded after one season.[5]
In the 1891 preseason, Keefe refused a salary offer of $3,000 from New York; he had earned $4,500 in the previous season. Keefe said, "I want to play in New York, but I never will for a $3,000 salary... To tell you the truth, however, I do not think I am wanted in the New York team, and this cutting method is being pursued to keep me out."[7] Keefe ultimately signed with the team for a $3,500 salary.[5]
During the 1891 season, Keefe was released by New York. He was drawing a high salary and was not meeting the expectations of the team's leadership. After his release, Keefe said, "I hate to leave New York, am very fond of it, and would do all in my power for New York, but what am I to do? I have been systematically done by the New York Baseball Club... They would not let me play, and when I did get a chance, I worked under a disadvantage. I feel that I am just as good a player as I ever was."[8]
Keefe moved to the Philadelphia Phillies after his release from the Giants. He retired after the 1893 season with 342 wins (10th all time), a 2.62 ERA, and 2,562 strikeouts. His 2,562 strikeouts were a major league record at the time of his retirement. He was also the first pitcher to achieve three 300-plus strikeout seasons, done during his dominating prime in the 1880s in which he won the most games of the decade with 291. He still holds the record for having wins in the most ballparks, with 47.
Keefe was nicknamed "Sir Timothy" because of his gentlemanly behavior on and off the field. He never drank or smoked.[9]
Later life and legacy
Late in his playing career, Keefe began to coach college baseball and he continued in this capacity after his retirement as a player. Beginning in the spring of 1893, Keefe began to work as a pitching coach for Harvard.[10] Keefe also worked as an umpire for a total of 243 major league games; his most active year was 1895, when he umpired 129 games. He was also involved in real estate. He died in his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 76.
Keefe was inducted into the
Career statistics
- Official career statistics as recognized by Baseball-Reference.com.
W
|
L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO
|
SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WP | HBP |
342 | 225 | 2.62 | 600 | 594 | 554 | 39 | 2 | 5047.2 | 4439 | 2468 | 1472 | 81 | 1220 | 2562 | 233 | *96 |
- ' * ' denotes stats that were not officially recognized during parts or all of his career, and are incomplete.
See also
- 300 win club
- Top 100 Major League Baseball strikeout pitchers
- Major League Baseball Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of most hit batsman by MLB pitcher
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0786453047.
- ISBN 0810834545.
- ^ "Old-Time Star of Big League Taken by Death". The Evening Independent. April 24, 1933. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ISBN 0761139435.
- ^ a b c Bevis, Charlie. "Tim Keefe". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ISBN 0786423552.
- ^ "He Won't Be Missed". The Morning Herald. March 1, 1891. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ ""Tim" Keefe Released" (PDF). The New York Times. July 22, 1891. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4422-3639-4.
- ^ "Harvard's Baseball Nine" (PDF). The New York Times. May 15, 1893. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- Pittsburgh Press. July 25, 1964. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
External links
- Tim Keefe at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- The Deadball Era
- Tim Keefe at Find a Grave