february nicknamed american left handed pitcher played seasons philadelphia_phillies cincinnati_reds major_league_baseball best known national_league leader career victories left wins surpassed total attended star pitcher discovered umpire convinced sign directly phillies bypassing minor league baseball entirely time phillies marked won games led league losses twice phillies played world series lost appearance traded reds prior season won games season times including league leading posted consecutive winning seasons skills declining season record earned run average pitched seasons retiring season intellectual taught high school latin season earning nickname southern elected died month election early life born virginia age father banker moved family virginia congressman surgeon general united_states_navy attended played basketball baseball member brother bill played baseball virginia season umpire worked assistant coach university recognized talent tried sign philadelphia_phillies originally declined saying wanted chemist insisted offering substantial portion bonus received signing player family financial trouble accepted deal national_league hearing deal created rule prohibits signing players received signing bonus baseball career philadelphia_phillies joined phillies season playing single game minor league baseball time phillies marked went year earned run average era complete games games pitched hit shutout chicago_cubs july losing end hitter september season chicago_cubs new manager offered huge sum manager declined offer prior season notified phillies desire finish studies graduate june negotiation decided sign contract joined team shortly season began season appeared games started winning games earned run average record worsened earned run average increased record improved earned run average phillies won national_league pennant played boston_red_sox world series game series replaced starter final innings game allowed runs final innings lost went era career high strikeouts june pitched hit shutout new_york_giants facing minimum batters double plays player caught stealing despite having earned run average led league pitching losses handled chances single error hated losing known destroying team locker room disappearing days time loss missed season serve united_states army war effort struggled returning baseball going earned run average leading league losses prior season rumours circulated manager cincinnati_reds interested trading relationship manager good known desire trade stayed phillies season working delivery pitcher admitted helped pitching delivery november traded cincinnati_reds exchange record seasons phillies wins losses cincinnati reds traded reds prior season season reds won games set major_league record allowing home run innings pitched seasons victories season league leading total led league innings pitched hits allowed wins followed seasons wins production began decline went era pitched fewer innings time pitched little exclusively pittsburgh_pirates season reds pitcher winning record reds finished national_league record retired prior season stating manager wasn giving work completed career wins losses era appeared games completed wins saves relief pitcher cincinnati catcher gave great great pitcher fielder competitor look outstanding player came contact entire career approach game exemplified following quote dumb hitters league years batting count balls strikes looking fastball legacy originally trouble controlling speed eventually feared pitchers baseball according reporters considered pitcher peculiar motion rarely walked batter long career pound teammates fans dry wit big southern nickname capture roots personality writers thought real likely invented philadelphia sportswriter called fourth best pitcher reds history teammate career victories record wins left handed pitcher national_league broke losses time record left handed pitchers held longevity record seasons pitched national_league left broke time passed support inducted grew inducted finished teammate later inducted year election hall_of_fame january quoted saying barrel aren named reds fans greatest left handed pitcher reds history summed career best left pitch reds record complete games era seasons inducted class childhood home stands suffered damage virginia earthquake personal life married cincinnati children grandchildren retirement baseball worked father law successful insurance company cincinnati eventually president company died heart attack february month election hall_of_fame player die election induction hall_of_fame interred ohio started playing considered came family college educated rare era wrote poetry took graduate school classes chemistry mathematics latin season latin teacher alexandria virginia considered best athletes time period subject years majors eventually teamed college graduates degree
Eppa Rixey