Books and articles about Jim McCormick

McCormick was a burly, Scottish-born, underhand pitcher during baseball's pioneering era, when most teams carried only two or three pitchers. As a 23-year-old playing manager in 1879, he recorded a National League-high 40 wins, starting 60 of Cleveland's 82 games. The following year, he led the league with 45 wins, working 657 innings. He then relinquished his managing job to concentrate on pitching. In 1882, as he had in 1880, he recorded league highs in wins (36), appearances, starts, innings pitched, hits allowed, and - for the third consecutive season - complete games. His 466 career complete games put him among the all-time leaders.

RELATED LINKS Submissions » The Union Association: At A Glance by Steve "Gimpy" Bowles

In 1883 and 1884, McCormick led the NL in ERA (1.84 and 2.37) and winning percentage (.675 and .615). His 40-25 mark in '84 included ten shutouts, and was bolstered by a 21-3 record in the short-lived Union Association. His final winning campaign came with Chicago in 1886, when he won 16 straight to finish 31-11. McCormick's teams were shut out in 43 of his 214 career losses. In 1880 he was on the losing end of ten shutouts, including a 1-0 loss to Worcester's Lee Richmond, who threw a perfect game. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 29, 1880: Cleveland beats Boston 6–5 with Sid Gardner pitching his first league game for the season. Jim McCormick had pitched complete games in all of Cleveland's 31 previous National League games. » February 6, 1887: At Hot Springs, Arkansas, Albert Spalding meets with the Chicago players and exacts from each man a pledge of total abstinence from drinking during the coming season. With the entire outfield gone from last year's team and P Jim McCormick holding out at home in NJ, the champion White Stockings will have to rely on young players. » January 10, 1918: Acknowledging that Ty Cobb, Speaker, and Collins are all good ball players, Cap Anson picks his all-time team, leaving them off. In the current issue of TSN, Anson selects, C–Buck Ewing and King Kelly; P–Amos Rusie, John Clarkson, Jim McCormick; 1B-himself; 2B–Fred Pfeffer; 3B–Ed Williamson; SS–Ross Barnes; OF–Bill Lange, George Gore, Jimmy Ryan, and Hugh Duffy.