Books and articles about Fred Toney

Toney was a 6'6" 245-lb workhorse who, pitching 340 innings, went 24-16 for the Reds in 1917. That May 2, in one of baseball's all-time classic pitching duels, Toney threw ten innings of no-hit, shutout ball to defeat the Cubs' Hippo Vaughn, who did not give up a hit or a run until the tenth inning. Toney again displayed his skill and stamina on July 1, 1917, when he pitched both ends of a doubleheader, defeating the Pirates 4-1 and 5-1. He had hurled a 17-inning no-hitter as a 21-year-old in the Blue Grass league in 1909, striking out 19 and walking one.

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Toney went 15-6 in 1915 with a 1.58 ERA - second in the league to Grover Cleveland Alexander. He had dropped to 6-10 in 1918 when he was sold in mid-season to the Giants, for whom he went 21-11 in 1920. He followed with an 18-11 mark for the 1921 World Champions, but didn't make it through the third inning in either of his World Series starts. He faded to 5-6 in 1922, refused to report when the Giants traded him to the Braves that July, and was waived to the Cardinals in October. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 10, 1909: Organized baseball's longest no-hitter takes place in a Blue Grass League contest between the Lexington Colts and the Winchester Hustlers. Fred Toney, later to pitch in the only double no-hitter, throws a 17-inning no-hitter for Winchester, winning 1-0. He fans 19 opponents and walks only one, in beating Lexington's Baker, who allows seven hits. A squeeze play ends the game. » August 3, 1911: Against the Cubs, visiting Brooklyn gets three homers in the 5th inning as Eddie Zimmerman, Tex Erwin, and Zack Wheat connect, not consecutively, in the 5–3 win. Zim's and Erwin's come against Lurid Lew Richie, while Fred Toney serves up Wheat. The trio will total six homers on the year. » September 26, 1912: Trailing 9–0 going into the 9th inning at Chicago, the Reds stage a terrific comeback against Jimmy Lavender. Lavender gives up five runs and is lifted with the bases loaded. Reliever Fred Toney then walks three straight before Larry Cheney is brought in. The Reds then take an unlikely 10–9 lead as Cheney walks two straight. Reds pitcher Ralph Works catches the fever walking one Cub and hitting another. Reliever Rube Benton quickly relieves and follows suit, walking three batters in a row to give the Cubs the 11–10 decision. » April 12, 1916: In the opener at Cincinnati, the Cubs trounce the Reds, 7–1, behind the pitching of George McConnell. Fred Toney takes the loss. » September 16, 1916: The Reds Fred Toney pitches 12 innings in the nitecap against Brooklyn before the game is called at 1–1 apiece. Zack Wheat goes hitless to end his hit streak at 29 consecutive games. He'll put together a streak of 26 in 1919. » May 2, 1917: The Cubs lefthander Hippo Vaughn and righthander Fred Toney of the Reds toe the mound in Chicago for a one-of-a-kind game. The Reds put up an all righthanded batting order, benching Edd Roush, who will lead the NL with a .341 BA. At the end of 9, both pitchers have no-hitters. With one out in the top of the 10th, Larry Kopf lines the first hit of the game. One out later, Hal Chase lines to Cy Williams, who drops the ball for an error. Chase then steals 2B, and with runners on 2B and 3B, Jim Thorpe hits a swinging bunt near the mound. Vaughn picks it up and, with no play at 1B, fires home, but C Art Wilson, not expecting the throw, freezes and the ball hits his chest protector. Kopf slides in for the only run. Toney sets the Cubs down in order and has the 4th 10-inning no-hitter to date. The run scored by the Reds is their first in 34 innings. » May 23, 1917: Grover Alexander of the Phils allows the Reds only two hits; he collects three himself, including a home run and a sacrifice, and wins, 5–1, over Fred Toney. » June 24, 1917: Cincinnati splits a pair with the Cardinals, losing 4–2 before winning 15–4. The Reds Fred Toney is caught stealing three times in one game, tying a NL record. A Cards catcher will do the same to Hy Myers in two months. » July 1, 1917: Reds Fred Toney pitches a doubleheader, beating the Pirates 4–1 and 5–1. He walks one and allows three hits in each game, the fewest hits allowed by any pitcher winning two games in one day. » December 31, 1918: Giants pitcher Fred Toney is sentenced to four months in jail after he pleads guilty to violating the Mann Act, which prohibits taking a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. » February 5, 1919: Charges brought in 1918 by Reds owner Garry Herrmann and manager Christy Mathewson against Hal Chase for betting against his team and throwing games in collusion with gamblers are dismissed by National League president John Heydler. Heydler decides Chase's sometimes indifferent play was due to "carelessness." Two weeks later John McGraw trades 1B Walter Holke and C Bill Rariden to the Reds for Chase, but the Giants will also have their problems with him. In September, McGraw will send Chase and Heinie Zimmerman home without explanation; during the investigation of the Black Sox scandal in 1920, McGraw will testify that the dismissal was because both players had thrown games and tried to enlist Fred Toney and Benny Kauff in their scheme. » September 6, 1920: Hal Chase and Heinie Zimmerman are indicted on bribery charges as an aftermath of the investigation into the 1919 World Series. John McGraw testified that he dropped the two after the 1919 season for throwing games and trying to entice Fred Toney, Rube Benton and Benny Kauff to join them. Zimmerman denies the charges, Chase ignores them, but the duo will be banned for life from baseball by Judge Landis. » September 11, 1921: The Giants whip Brooklyn 11–3 behind Fred Toney in relief of Phil Douglas. The win moves the Giants into 1st place ahead of Pittsburgh. » October 11, 1921: Miller Huggins gambles in Game six with lefty Harry Harper (4-3), and the Yankees drive Fred Toney (18-11) to cover with three in the first. But the Giants come back with three in the 2nd, and continue the attack against Bob Shawkey while Jess Barnes slams the door, striking out 10, including seven in a row sandwiched around four walks. Emil "Irish" Meusel and Frank Snyder homer for the Giants in an 8–5 win. It is Barnes' 2nd World Series win in relief. » July 30, 1922: The Giants send pitchers Fred Toney and Larry Benton to the Braves with $100,000 and bring back righthander Hugh McMillan. Toney refuses to report and stays in New York. When Benton develops into a consistent pitcher, the Giants will buy him back. » March 7, 1923: After sitting out most of last season, 35-year-old Fred Toney signs for one more year with the Cards. » May 4, 1923: In St. Louis, Marty Callaghan's swipe of home in the bottom of the 10th wins it, 2–1 for the Cardinals. Virgil Cheeves is victorious over the Cubs Fred Toney. » November 10, 1930: Veteran Jim Vaughn is reinstated by Judge Landis after eight years of ineligibility. Vaughn, who had lost a double no-hitter to Fred Toney in 1917, had jumped the Cubs in 1922. He chose to pitch for a semipro team following a salary dispute with Chicago. He will go to spring training with the Cubs in 1931 but will fail to make the team at age 43. » June 29, 1990: Oakland's Dave Stewart and the Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela both throw no-hitters today, the first time this has happened since Hippo Vaughan and Fred Toney's double no-hitter in 1917. Stewart blanks the Blue Jays 5–0, and a few hours later Valenzuela beats the Cardinals 6–0. The only threat to Stewart is a fly ball by Fred McGriff that Dave Henderson catches with his back pinned to the wall. Fernando almost loses his no-hitter with one out in the 9th when Pedro Guerrero hits a grounder up the middle with a runner on. Valenzuela, a former Gold Glover deflects the ball to 2B where SS Alfredo Griffin starts a DP.