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
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 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | CHW | AL | 6 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 110.7 | 90 | 32 | 32 | 57 | 2.60 | - |
| 1905 | CHW | AL | 8 | 3 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 136.7 | 121 | 33 | 29 | 71 | 2.17 | - |
| 1906 | CHW | AL | 17 | 13 | 41 | 31 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 278.3 | 215 | 58 | 58 | 171 | 1.88 | - |
| 1907 | CHW | AL | 24 | 18 | 56 | 46 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 422.3 | 341 | 75 | 87 | 206 | 1.60 | - |
| 1908 | CHW | AL | 40 | 15 | 66 | 49 | 42 | 11 | 6 | 464.0 | 343 | 73 | 56 | 269 | 1.42 | - |
| 1909 | CHW | AL | 15 | 11 | 31 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 230.3 | 166 | 36 | 50 | 127 | 1.41 | - |
| 1910 | CHW | AL | 18 | 20 | 45 | 36 | 33 | 7 | 5 | 369.7 | 242 | 52 | 61 | 258 | 1.27 | - |
| 1911 | CHW | AL | 27 | 18 | 56 | 37 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 368.7 | 327 | 91 | 72 | 255 | 2.22 | - |
| 1912 | CHW | AL | 27 | 17 | 62 | 41 | 32 | 6 | 10 | 393.0 | 332 | 94 | 94 | 254 | 2.15 | - |
| 1913 | CHW | AL | 8 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 97.7 | 91 | 28 | 39 | 34 | 2.58 | - |
| 1914 | CHW | AL | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 44.7 | 33 | 14 | 20 | 15 | 2.82 | - |
| 1915 | CHW | AL | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 27.0 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 1.33 | - |
| 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 | -362.3 |
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 | 212 | 0.193 | 0.230 | 0.255 | 0.485 | -4162.6 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | -294.7 |
| 1906 | CHW | AL | 42 | 99 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0.141 | -599.1 |
| 1907 | CHW | AL | 57 | 154 | 7 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0.162 | -806.5 |
| 1908 | CHW | AL | 66 | 157 | 10 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 38 | 0.172 | -582.1 |
| 1909 | CHW | AL | 32 | 84 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 26 | 0.214 | -165.2 |
| 1910 | CHW | AL | 52 | 138 | 12 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 0.217 | -453.4 |
| 1911 | CHW | AL | 63 | 158 | 23 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.215 | -955.5 |
| 1912 | CHW | AL | 62 | 136 | 12 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0.243 | -306.2 |
| 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 | P | 22 | 13 | 9 | 41 | 1 | 1 |
| 1905 | CHA | OF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 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 | P | 31 | 28 | 23 | 93 | 1 | 2 |
| 1909 | CHA | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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
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 |