Ray Collins (baseball)
| Ray Collins | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: February 11, 1887 Colchester, Vermont |
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Died: January 9, 1970 (aged 82) Burlington, Vermont |
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| MLB debut | |||
| July 19, 1909, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 7, 1915, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 84–62 | ||
| Strikeouts | 511 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.51 | ||
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Ray Williston Collins (February 11, 1887 – January 9, 1970) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Colchester, Vermont, Collins batted and threw left-handed. He debuted on July 19, 1909, and played his final game on October 7, 1915.
In a seven-season career, Collins posted an 84–62 record with 511 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA in 1336 innings, including 19 shutouts and 90 complete games.
A graduate of the University of Vermont, Collins was a good-hitting pitcher and an outstanding fielder, but the key to his success was his remarkable control. He consistently ranked among the American League leaders in fewest walks allowed per nine innings, finishing third in the league in 1912 (1.90), second in 1913 (1.35) and fourth in 1914 (1.85). He also averaged 16 wins from 1910 to 1914, including a combined 39 wins in 1913–14, and was a member of the 1912 Red Sox world champion team.
Collins became a regular in Boston rotation in 1910. In his first full season, he pitched a one-hitter against the Chicago White Sox and compiled a 13–11 record, making him the second-winningest pitcher on the Red Sox behind Eddie Cicotte (15–11). He was 3–6 at one point in 1911, but turned his season around, finishing at 11–12 with a 2.40 ERA.
Collins missed the first two months of the 1912 season with a knee injury, during which time the Red Sox christened their new stadium, Fenway Park. He did not start a game until early June, but won two games in three days over the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park, 7–3 on July 3 and 5–3 on July 5. Collins finished fifth in the AL with four shutouts, by all of them came in the second half of the season. He compiled a 13–8 mark and his ERA stood at 2.53, fifth-best in the league. The only left-hander in Boston rotation, Collins was considered the second-best on the pitching staff behind Smoky Joe Wood (34–5) as the Red Sox clinched the American League pennant. Collins started Game Two of the World Series against Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants. He led 4–2 after seven innings and was pulled in the eight with only one out after the Giants rallied for three runs. The game was called on account of darkness after 11 innings with the score tied 6–6. Collins was supposed to start again in Game Six, but Red Sox manager Jake Stahl opted by Buck O'Brien, coming off a 20–13 season. The Giants shelled him for five runs in the first inning. Then, Collins relieved in the second and pitched shutout ball for seven innings in a 5–2 lost cause.
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