Baseball Shorts: Drunk Pitchers And Arm Sore

In this episode of “Baseball Shorts” we go back to the 1880s when complete games were a common thing, even though it meant that pitchers would hurt their throwing arm.

We are writing 1884. On June 7 of that year, star pitcher of the Providence Grays, Charley Sweeney struck out 19 batters in a single game, a major league record that would stand for 102 years. After this game, however, arm trouble put him on the bench, so the bulk of the Providence Grays’ innings was put on the back of future Hall of Famer Charles Gardner (“Old Hoss”)Radbourn. Radbourn complained, and eventually Sweeney was forced to take the mound again. This resulted in what is likely the most incredible performance of old time baseball.

After a game in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, on July 21st, Sweeney got drunk and opted to stay in Woonsocket with a lady friend. As Sweeney woke up the next morning he realized that he had to start in Providence. He hurried to get to Providence, even though he was dead drunk. With an already tight pitching staff, the Grays had no choice but to put the drunk Sweeney on the mound.

After five effective innings, the Grays tried to pull him, but Sweeney refused to step off the mound. In those days, pitching anything less than a complete game brought your manliness into question. He pitched another two innings against the wishes of his manager. When again they tried to pull him before the 8th, with the threat of a $50 fine, Sweeney told them to stuff their $50 fine and his whole contract. Clearly not amused, he walked off the field and watched the rest of the game with a woman in each arm, presumed to be prostitutes. This was reason for the National League to kick him out of the league.

With Sweeney’s expulsion, this story doesn’t end. With the Grays being extremely thin in their pitching staff, Old Hoss Radbourn offered to pitch the remaining games of the season for a small salary raise and an exemption from the reserve clause. Radbourn started 40 of the remaining 43 games in the season, and won 36 of them. His arm became so sore that he couldn’t raise it over his shoulders. As a result, he had to warm up for hours before game time just to be able to pitch. Just to add to his spectacular feat, Radbourn started and won every single game of the 1884 “World Series,” sweeping the New York Metropolitans in a best-of-five series. Even though Radbourn’s eleven-year career wasn’t too shabby (only three losing seasons and a lifetime ERA of 2.68), his late 1884 season performance earned him his HOF plaque.

All this because Charley Sweeney spent the night with a lady on July 21, st, 1884.

_{Source: Reddit}