Jim Devlin
| Jim Devlin | |||
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| Pitcher / First baseman | |||
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Born: June 6, 1849 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Died: October 10, 1883 (aged 34) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 21, 1873, for the Philadelphia White Stockings | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 6, 1877, for the Louisville Grays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 72-76 | ||
| Earned run average | 1.90 | ||
| Strikeouts | 286 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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James Alexander Devlin (June 6, 1849 – October 10, 1883) was an American Major League Baseball player who played mainly as a first baseman early in his career, then as a pitcher in the latter part. He played for three teams during his five-year career; the and the of the National Association, and the Louisville Grays of the National League. However, after admitting to throwing games and costing the Grays the pennant in the 1877 Louisville Grays scandal, he and three of his teammates were banished permanently from Major League Baseball.
Jim Devlin began his career in the first organized professional league, the National Association, as an infielder for his hometown Philadelphia White Stockings team in 1873, and the Chicago White Stockings in the 1874 and 1875 seasons. In 1876, the National Association folded and was replaced by the National League that lives on to this day. In this year, Devlin began pitching for the Louisville Grays, starting 68 games with an impeccable 1.56 ERA and leading the Grays in batting with .315. His best pitch was a "drop pitch", now known as a sinker, which Devlin may have been the first to throw. In 1877, Devlin pitched every inning of his team's games, the only pitcher ever to do so.
Led by Devlin and slugger George Hall, the Grays opened up a four-game lead in the NL pennant race by mid-August. However, the Grays suffered a horrendous road trip and endured a seven-game losing streak, which was characterized by uncharacteristic "bonehead" plays and poor pitching. The Grays relinquished their lead and eventually finished second, seven games behind the Boston Red Caps (who tore up the league afterwards, winning 20 of 21 games to end the season). Meanwhile, certain Grays were seen around town wearing fancy new jewelry and ostentatiously dining at exclusive restaurants.
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Wikipedia