Radbourn, Charles G.
Baseball
b. Dec. 9, 1853, Rochester, NY
d. Feb. 5, 1897
"Old Hoss" Radbourn, "the greatest of all nineteenth century pitchers" according to his Hall of Fame plaque, entered major-league baseball as an outfielder with the National League's Buffalo team in 1880, but was released after batting only .143 in 6 games.
He returned as a pitcher with the Providence Grays during the 1881 season and had a 25-11 record. At the time, pitchers were required to throw underhanded, and he kept on pitching that way even after the rule was changed to allow overhanded deliveries in 1884.
As was common then, the 5-foot-9, 168-pound Radbourn often played other positions on days when he didn't pitch. Usually an outfielder on his off days, he also played every infield position at one time or another.
After going 33-20 in 1882, Radbourn led the league in victories with a 48-25 record in 1883, when he threw the ninth no-hitter in NL history, beating Cleveland 8-0 on July 25.
Radbourn and Providence's other pitcher, Charles Sweeney, were feuding when the 1884 season opened, and Radbourn was unhappy with other teammates because of their poor fielding. He was suspended after deliberately not giving his best in a 5-2 loss on July 16.
Sweeney, now the team's only pitcher, got drunk shortly afterward and was also suspended. Radbourn rejoined the team and was given a raise. He pitched every game from July 23 to the end of the season on September 24, winning 18 in a row at one point and compiling a 60-12 record with 11 shutouts, 441 strikeouts in 678 2/3 innings, and a 1.38 ERA. His 60 victories is a baseball record that will never be broken.
Radbourn never came close to that effort again. He had a 28-21 record in 1885 and went to the Boston NL team when the Providence franchise folded after that season. He won 20 or more games in four of the nextfive years, then went to the Boston club in the Players' League in 1890, when he was 27-12. Radbourn ended his career the NL's Cincinnati team in 1891, when he was 11-13.
He was suffering from syphilis when he retired. Three years later, his face was disfigured and he was partially paralyzed in a hunting accident. Radbourn became a recluse, living in the back room of a pool hall he owned in Bloomington, IL, for the rest of his short life.