Baseball's Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame (35 page)

With the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals from 1932 to 1941, Lon Warneke won at least 20 games three times, and finished with at least 16 victories five other times. His four best years were with the Cubs, from 1932 to 1935. In 1932, Warneke won 22 games while losing only 6, and he also finished with an ERA of 2.37 and 25 complete games. The following season, he won 18 games and compiled a brilliant 2.00 ERA. He won 22 and 20 games the next two seasons, and only Carl Hubbell and Dizzy Dean were rated above him in the National League over that four-year period. He also had some fine seasons for the Cardinals from 1937 to 1941, and played on two pennant-winning teams in Chicago.

It would appear that Ferrell and Warneke may well have been just as good as Gomez. However, due to the ballpark he played in, and the team he pitched for, Gomez’s numbers—at least on a superficial level—are slightly more impressive. The same could be said for Ruffing. However, the bottom line is this: both Ruffing and Gomez were very good pitchers who, for the most part, were made better by the team they played on. Had they pitched for most other teams, there is a strong possibility that neither man would have been a legitimate Hall of Famer. But that was not the case, and they were both fortunate enough to pitch for the best team in baseball. Therefore, while neither Ruffing nor Gomez should be viewed as a clear-cut choice, it is difficult to find fault with their selections.

Stan Coveleski

Righthander Stan Coveleski had a winning record in eleven of his thirteen major league seasons and won at least 15 games nine times. Pitching for the Cleveland Indians from 1916 to 1924, Coveleski was one of the best pitchers in baseball for five consecutive seasons, beginning in 1917.

In that first season, Coveleski won 19 games while losing 14, compiled an ERA of 1.81, and threw 9 shutouts and 24 complete games. Only Walter Johnson and Chicago’s Ed Cicotte had better years in the American League. In 1918, Coveleski finished 22-13 with a 1.82 ERA. Only Johnson was better that year. The following season, he compiled a record of 24-12 and a 2.61 ERA. Again, only Johnson and Cicotte had better seasons. In 1920, Coveleski helped lead Cleveland to the American League pennant by finishing 24-14 with a 2.49 ERA. He also won three games against the Dodgers in the World Series. Only teammate Jim Bagby, who won 31 games, was better that year. The following season, Coveleski finished 23-13 and rivaled New York’s Carl Mays as the league’s best pitcher. He was once again among the league’s best pitchers in 1925 when, pitching for the Senators, he compiled a record of 20-5 and led the league with an ERA of 2.84.

In all, Coveleski was a 20-game winner five times, finished with an ERA under 3.00 six times, threw more than 300 innings three times, and completed more than 20 games six times. He led the league in ERA and shutouts twice each, and in strikeouts once. He ended his career with a won-lost record of 215-142 and an ERA of 2.89.

The arguments against Coveleski would be that he pitched on mostly good teams during his career, and that he had only six truly outstanding seasons. In his nine years with Cleveland, the team contended for the A.L. pennant four times and finished well above .500 six times. The Washington Senators team he pitched for in 1925 and 1926 won the A.L. pennant in ’25 and was strong once again the following year. It is also true that he had only six dominant-type seasons. However, he was a good pitcher in four of his five other seasons as a full-time starter. Overall, it would seem that, while Coveleski’s Hall of Fame credentials were not overwhelming, his 1969 selection by the Veterans Committee was a valid one.

Amos Rusie

Although his career was abbreviated by two bitter holdouts against the New York Giants that limited him to less than ten full seasons in the majors, Amos Rusie was still able to win 246 games and establish himself as the greatest strikeout pitcher of the 1890s. Even though both Cy Young and Kid Nichols would have been ranked ahead of him during the last decade of the 19th century, Rusie won more than 30 games four consecutive seasons, and finished with more than 20 victories four other times. Pitching during a hitter’s decade, he finished with an ERA less than 3.00 five times and struck out more than 300 batters three times. Rusie led the league in wins once, ERA twice, and strikeouts five times. His best season was 1894, when he led the National League with 36 wins (against only 13 losses), an ERA of 2.78, and 195 strikeouts. He finished his career with a won-lost record of 246-174 and an ERA of 3.07.

There are two valid arguments against Rusie being in the Hall of Fame. The first is that he actually spent only nine full seasons in the major leagues (he was 0-1 with the Cincinnati Reds in his final season of 1901). The second is that he had only five truly outstanding seasons. In 1891, he finished 33-20 with a 2.55 ERA and 337 strikeouts. Two years later, his record was 33-21, and he compiled an ERA of 3.23. His 1894 season was touched on earlier, and, in 1897, he finished 28-10 with a 2.54 ERA. He also had a fine season in 1898, when he compiled a 20-11 record with an ERA of 3.03. Although he won 32 games in 1892, he also lost 31 that year. In 1890, he won 29 games, but also lost 34, and, in 1895, he finished 23-23.

Should five outstanding seasons be enough to validate Rusie’s 1977 election by the Veterans Committee? That is a debatable issue. However, it would seem that, while his selection should probably be viewed as being somewhat questionable, he was not a bad choice. The Committee has made worse.

Rube Waddell

Due to a poor work ethic that exasperated Philadelphia Athletics manager and owner Connie Mack, flame-throwing lefthander Rube Waddell’s major league career lasted only 12 seasons, and he was a full-time starter in only nine of those. However, at his peak, Waddell was one of the very best pitchers in baseball.

The first great strikeout pitcher of the 20th century, Waddell led the American League in strikeouts for six consecutive seasons, beginning in 1902. He was the league’s best pitcher in both 1902 and 1905. In the first of those seasons, he finished with a won-lost record of 24-7, an ERA of 2.05, 210 strikeouts, and 26 complete games in 27 starts. Waddell surpassed those figures in 1905 by compiling a record of 27-10, a 1.48 ERA, and 287 strikeouts. He also won 21 games in 1903, while striking out 302 batters, and 25 games in 1904, while allowing just 1.62 earned runs a game and compiling 349 strikeouts, a 20th century record for lefthanders that stood until it was eventually eclipsed by Sandy Koufax. Waddell was among the five best pitchers in baseball in each of those seasons as well, and also in 1908, when, pitching for the Browns, he won 19 games, compiled an ERA of 1.89, and struck out 232 batters. In addition to leading the league in strikeouts six times, Waddell topped the circuit in wins once and in ERA twice. He won more than 20 games four times, finished with an ERA of less than 2.00 three times, and struck out more than 200 batters six times. He ended his career with a won-lost record of 193-143 and an ERA of 2.16.

The arguments against Waddell would be that his four 20-win seasons were his only true Hall of Fame type seasons and that, due to the relative brevity of his career, he only won 193 games. While there is a certain amount of validity to each of those arguments, it is also true that, in addition to his four 20-win seasons, Waddell won 19 games two other times. He was also considered to be one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, albeit for just a few seasons. As a result, while he should be viewed as a somewhat borderline Hall of Famer, Waddell’s 1946 selection by the Veterans Committee should be looked upon with only minor skepticism.

Addie Joss

The career of Addie Joss was the shortest of any player ever elected to the Hall of Fame, lasting only eight full seasons, and part of a ninth. Pitching exclusively for the Cleveland Indians from 1902 to 1909, Joss was stricken with tubercular meningitis during the 1910 campaign, and he later passed away on April 14, 1911. However, prior to that, he was able to compile the second lowest career earned run average (1.89) of any starting pitcher in history, and the highest career winning percentage (.623) of any pitcher with more than 200 decisions who was never on a pennant winner.

Joss had four truly great seasons with Cleveland, from 1905 to 1908, winning no fewer than 20 games, and finishing with an ERA no higher than 2.01. His two finest seasons were 1907 and 1908, when he finished with records of 27-11 and 24-11, respectively, and compiled ERAs of 1.83 and 1.16. He also had an outstanding year in 1906, when he won 21 games, while losing only 9, and finished with an ERA of 1.72. Joss led the league in wins once and ERA twice, and finished with an ERA under 2.00 five times. In all, he was a 20-game winner four times, won 18 games once, 17 once, and 14 twice, and he never finished with an ERA any higher than 2.77. His final won-lost record was 160-97.

Of course, the criticism of Joss would be that his career was too short. This is certainly a valid argument and prevents him from being considered anything more than a borderline Hall of Famer. However, he was arguably the best pitcher in the American League in both 1906 and 1907, he had an outstanding winning percentage, and he had a superb ERA, even for the era in which he pitched. These factors would seem to legitimize his place in Cooperstown.

Catfish Hunter

Jim “Catfish” Hunter accomplished something very few pitchers have over the last 50 years by winning more than 20 games for five consecutive seasons. Pitching for the Athletics and Yankees, Hunter was a 20-game winner each year, from 1971 to 1975. Over that five-year period, he was also among the top two or three pitchers in the American League, and among the five best in baseball.

Hunter won 21 games for the Athletics in 1971, and again in both 1972 and 1973, compiling an overall record during that three-year stretch of 63-23. He also finished with ERAs those three years of 2.96, 2.04, and 3.34. Each time, though, the Cy Young Award went to someone else—teammate Vida Blue in 1971, Cleveland’s Gaylord Perry in 1972, and Baltimore’s Jim Palmer in 1973. However, Hunter beat out Ferguson Jenkins for the award in 1974 by finishing 25-12 for the A’s, thereby leading the league in wins, and also topping the circuit with a 2.49 ERA. He also completed 23 games and threw 318 innings that year. After signing with the Yankees as a free agent, Hunter had another outstanding season in 1975, leading the league with 23 victories (against 14 defeats), 328 innings pitched and 30 complete games, while compiling a 2.58 ERA. That year, Hunter was again beaten out for the Cy Young Award by Palmer.

During his career, Hunter led American League pitchers in wins twice and in ERA, innings pitched and complete games once each. He was an eight-time All-Star and, in addition to his one Cy Young Award, he finished in the top five in the voting three other times. He also finished in the top 10 in the league MVP voting once. He ended his career with a record of 224-166 and an ERA of 3.26.

The problem with Hunter, though, is that those five 20-win seasons were the only truly outstanding ones he ever had. He had some other
good
years, but nothing that could be classified as Hall of Fame caliber. With Oakland in 1970, he finished 18-14, but his 3.81 ERA was hardly spectacular. With New York in 1976, he won 17 games but also lost 15, and his 3.53 ERA was only slightly better than the league average. In no other season did Hunter win more than 13 games. Part of the explanation for that last fact lay in the arm problems he experienced during his last three seasons in New York. Another factor was that the A’s teams he pitched for early in his career were quite poor, and winning 13 games for them— something he accomplished twice—was actually fairly impressive. On the other hand, from 1971 to 1978, Hunter was fortunate enough to pitch on some pretty good teams in Oakland and New York. Those teams won seven division titles, six pennants, and five world championships. The fact that Hunter was an outstanding big-game pitcher and an integral part of the success that those teams experienced is definitely a point in his favor. Nevertheless, the extent to which his won-lost record was improved playing on those squads should not be overlooked.

Hunter was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in 1987, in just his third year of eligibility. But another American League pitcher from the same era who was actually quite comparable to Hunter has yet to be voted in. That pitcher is Luis Tiant. A look at the numbers of both players indicates a remarkable similarity:

During a 19-season career, spent with six different teams, Tiant was a 20-game winner four times, and he also won 18 games once, and 15 once. Twice he finished with an ERA under 2.00— something Hunter never did—and three times he struck out more than 200 batters, something else Hunter never did. Unlike Hunter, Tiant never led the league in wins and never won the Cy Young Award. However, he had a truly remarkable season in 1968 that went largely unnoticed because of the great years turned in by both Bob Gibson and Denny McLain. Even though McLain won 31 games for the world champion Tigers that year, was named the recipient of the A.L. Cy Young and MVP Awards, and received far more notoriety, Tiant was arguably the better pitcher. Pitching for the light-hitting fourth-place Cleveland Indians (fellow Indians hurler Sam McDowell compiled a 1.81 ERA and struck out 283 batters that year, yet won only 15 of 29 decisions), Tiant finished 21-9, with 264 strikeouts and a league-leading 1.60 ERA and 9 shutouts. He was also among the league’s best pitchers in 1972, when, pitching for Boston, he won 15 games and compiled an ERA of 1.91, and in 1973, 1974, and 1976, winning at least 20 games in each of those seasons. Tiant was also named to three All-Star teams, finished in the top five in the Cy Young voting twice, and finished in the top 10 in the MVP balloting twice, making it into the top five once.