American baseball player (1864?1930)
Baseball player
Larry Twitchell
|
---|
|
Outfielder
|
Born:
(
1864-02-18
)
February 18, 1864
Cleveland, Ohio
, U.S.
|
Died:
April 23, 1930
(1930-04-23)
(aged 66)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
|
Batted:
Right
Threw:
Right
|
|
April 30, 1886, for the Detroit Wolverines
|
|
July 7, 1894, for the Louisville Colonels
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|
Batting average
| .263
|
---|
Home runs
| 19
|
---|
Runs batted in
| 384
|
---|
|
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|
|
|
|
Lawrence Grant Twitchell
(February 18, 1864 ? April 23, 1930) was an American professional
baseball
player from 1886 to 1896. He played nine seasons in
Major League Baseball
, primarily as an
outfielder
but occasionally as a
pitcher
, with seven different major league clubs. His best seasons were spent with the
Detroit Wolverines
from 1886 to 1888, the
Cleveland Spiders
in 1889, and the
Louisville Colonels
from 1893 to 1894.
Known for his strong throwing arm, Twitchell once reportedly threw a baseball 407 feet, further than any other 19th century player. He also served as the manager of the
Milwaukee Brewers
during the 1895 and 1896 seasons.
Early years
[
edit
]
Twitchell was born in
Cleveland
,
Ohio
in 1864.
[1]
He first built his reputation as a baseball player while playing for the
Oberlin College
team.
[2]
Professional baseball career
[
edit
]
Detroit Wolverines
[
edit
]
Twitchell's major league career began inauspiciously in 1886 as a
pitcher
for the
Detroit Wolverines
. He was the starting pitcher in four games, threw two complete games, and compiled an 0?2 record with a 6.48
earned run average
(ERA). He had one hit and two strikeouts in 16 at bats for a .063 batting average.
[1]
In 1887, Twitchell spent his first full major league season with the
1887 Detroit team
that won the
National League
pennant and defeated the
St. Louis Browns
in the
1887 World Series
.
[3]
Twitchell continued to pitch for Detroit in 1887 and also appeared in 53 games as an
outfielder
, mostly in center field. As a pitcher, he compiled the best winning percentage (.917) on the championship team with an 11?1 record. He appeared in 15 games as a pitcher, 12 as a starter, pitched 11 complete games, and had a 4.33 ERA. Twitchell also proved valuable as a batter with a .333 batting average, six triples, 51 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Twitchell also hit well in the World Series where he hit a home run and scored five runs.
[1]
In 1888, Twitchell completed his evolution from pitcher to outfielder. He appeared in 131 games in Detroit's outfield and pitched only four innings in relief. However, his batting average dropped by 90 points from .333 in 1887 to .244 in 1888. He also contributed 19 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 67 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
[1]
After winning the pennant in 1887, the 1888 team finished in fifth place with a 68?63 record.
[4]
With high salaries owed to the team's star players, and gate receipts declining markedly, the team folded in October 1888 season with the players being sold to other teams. Twitchell was sold in December 1888 to the
Cleveland Spiders
along with
Ed Beatin
,
Henry Gruber
and
Sy Sutcliffe
.
[1]
Twitchell was known for his strong throwing arm, contributing to his success as both a pitcher and an outfielder. One newspaper account published in 1905 states that he held the unofficial record for the longest throw of a baseball at 407 feet, two feet further than
Ed Crane
's official record of 405 feet.
[5]
Cleveland Spiders
[
edit
]
Twitchell appeared in a career high 134 games as an outfielder for the Cleveland Spiders in 1889. He compiled a .275 batting average with 16 doubles, 11 triples, four home runs, 95 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He ranked eighth in the National League in both triples and RBIs. The high point of his career came on August 15, 1889, when he
hit for the cycle
, getting six hits and 16 total bases (a home run, three triples, a double and a single) in six
at bats
off
Mike Madden
of the
Boston Beaneaters
.
[6]
[7]
Twitchell also turned a double play from the outfield and scored five runs in the game, as Cleveland beat Boston by a 19?8 score.
[8]
Players' League
[
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]
In 1890, Twitchell jumped to the new
Players' League
where he started the season with the
Cleveland Infants
and finished it with the
Buffalo Bisons
. In mid-July, the Infants sold him to the Bisons. In a total of 100 Players' League games, he compiled a .222 batting average with four home runs and 53 RBIs. Twitchell also returned to pitching in a significant way in 1890. He pitched in 13 games for the Bisons, threw 12 complete games, and compiled a 5?7 record with a 4.57 ERA.
[1]
Columbus and Washington
[
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]
Twitchell began the 1891 season in the minor leagues with Omaha of the Western Association, compiling a .264 average with eight triples in 66 games.
[9]
On July 20, 1891, he signed with the
Columbus Solons
of the American Association.
[10]
In 57 games for Columbus, Twitchell hit .277 with four triples, two home runs, 35 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.
[1]
In 1892, Twitchell returned to the National League with the
Washington Senators
. He appeared in 51 games for the Senators, compiling a disappointing .218 batting average with five triples and 20 RBIs.
[1]
Twitchell also spent part of the 1892 season in the minor leagues playing for the
Milwaukee Brewers
and
Indianapolis Hoosiers
of the
Western League
.
[9]
Louisville
[
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]
In 1893, Twitchell staged a brief comeback, having one of the best seasons of his career with the
Louisville Colonels
of the National League. He compiled a .310 batting average and .377
on-base percentage
and, in 45 games, contributed 11 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 31 RBIs and seven stolen bases. Applying sabermetrics to his 1893 season, his
Offensive Wins Above Replacement
rating was the tied with the 1887 season for the highest of his career.
[1]
Twitchell concluded his major league career with Louisville in 1894. He compiled a .267 batting average in 52 games and appeared in his last major league game on July 7, 1894.
[1]
Milwaukee Brewers
[
edit
]
After his major league career had ended, Twitchell continued playing in the minor leagues. He appeared in 185 games for the
Milwaukee Brewers
of the
Western League
during the 1894 and 1895 seasons.
[9]
He also served as a player/manager for the Brewers in 1895 and 1896.
[11]
[12]
[13]
Later years
[
edit
]
After retiring from baseball, Twitchell worked as a commercial salesman in Ohio.
[2]
On July 21, 1921, Twitchell played in the outfield for an old-timers team in a game against veteran sandlot players to celebrate Cleveland's 125th anniversary as a city.
Cy Young
and
Chief Zimmer
made up the battery, and Hall of Famers
Nap Lajoie
and
Elmer Flick
also played.
[14]
Twitchell died in Cleveland in 1930. He was buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery in
Rocky River, Ohio
.
[1]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
"Larry Twitchell Statistics and History"
.
baseball-reference.com
. Retrieved
June 10,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Expert: Fencers Will Come Together; Contest Arranged by the S.E.A.C.; Larry Twitchell a Commercial Drummer".
Akron Daily Democrat
. February 22, 1901. p. 6.
- ^
"1887 Detroit Wolverines"
.
baseball-reference.com
. Retrieved
May 12,
2014
.
- ^
"1888 Detroit Wolverines"
.
baseball-reference.com
. Retrieved
May 12,
2014
.
- ^
"Baseball Records".
The Comet (Tennessee)
. February 9, 1905. p. 1.
- ^
"Bancroft Joins Bunch of Big Record Holders: Giants' Shortstop Fifteenth to Get Six Blows in National League Game".
The Washington Times
. July 3, 1920. p. 16.
- ^
"Old Time Player Called By Death In Cleveland: Larry Twitchell, A Famous Slugger, Passes On".
The Portsmouth Times (Ohio)
. April 24, 1930.
- ^
"Oh! What A Drubbing: The Clevelanders Simply Knock the Bostons Out of Sight".
Pittsburg Dispatch
. August 16, 1889. p. 6.
- ^
a
b
c
"Larry Twitchell Minor League Statistics"
.
baseball-reference.com
. Retrieved
June 10,
2014
.
- ^
"New Man for Columbus".
St. Paul Daily Globe
. July 21, 1891. p. 8.
- ^
"Milwaukee Items: Twitchell's Team Not Coming up to Brewerytown Expectations"
(PDF)
.
Sporting Life
. June 18, 1895. p. 12.
- ^
"Base Ball Gossip".
People's Voice (Wellington, Kansas)
. July 2, 1896. p. 4.
- ^
"Milwaukee Hopes: Larry Twitchell Goes East for Players".
St. Paul Daily Globe
. December 4, 1895. p. 5.
- ^
"Cy Young, Over 50, Fans Two Batters in Return To Game".
New York Tribune
. July 30, 1921. p. 8.
External links
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]