Except for a single game he lost for St. Louis in 1906, Adams pitched his entire
major league career with Pittsburgh. After a brief stay with the Pirates in 1907,
the quiet Hoosier rejoined the team as a 27-year-old rookie in 1909 and helped them
win the pennant with a 12-3 mark. The Pirates went into the
World Series against
Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers with staff ace
Howie Camnitz laid up with tonsillitis.
Even though Adams ranked fifth on the club in wins, manager
Fred Clarke chose him
as the opening game pitcher on a tip that the righthander's style resembled that
of
Dolly Gray, an AL pitcher who'd handled the Tigers well during the season. Adams
won Game One 4-1, Game Five 8-4, and, on two day's rest, clinched the series 8-0
to become the first pitcher to win three games in a seven-game series.
Over the
next half-dozen years, Adams was the Pirates' ace, winning 22 games in 1911 and 21
in 1913. A sore arm threatened his career in 1916, and he returned to the minors.
He was 34-16 in less than two minor league seasons before the Pirates brought him
back. In both 1919 and 1920 he posted 17-win totals. He led the NL with eight shutouts
in 1920. In 1925, when he was a 43-year-old reliever, he made
another World Series
appearance, pitching one scoreless inning against the Senators.
Adams was never
a hard thrower and his sore arm cost him what speed he had, but he could put the
ball exactly where he wanted to. In 1920, he walked only 18 men in 263 innings. He
allowed a mere 430 bases on balls for his career.
(BC)
Babe Adams
