adrian april april nicknamed human american pitcher major_league_baseball mlb pitched later known feet inches weighed pounds pitched fourth perfect game baseball history career earned run average era second lowest mlb history born raised wisconsin attended played baseball mary played league caught attention sign team attracted major league interest winning games mud strong season offseason contract dispute cleveland debuted cleveland club april led league year completed consecutive win seasons field worked newspaper sportswriter death pitched perfect game tight pennant race saw cleveland finish half game place closest came world series berth season missed year injury april ill died month finished career wins complete games strikeouts played seasons missed significant playing time passed special resolution waived typical year minimum playing career hall_of_fame eligibility voted hall_of_fame early life born woodland wisconsin parents jacob née worked farmers father involved local politics emigrated switzerland heavy alcohol died liver complications years old remained sober life result father death attended elementary school high school wisconsin age finished high school began teaching offered scholarship attend known sacred heart college played school baseball team attended studied engineering officials impressed quality play mary team circuit time circuit employed unique pitching involved hiding ball moment delivery sent scout watch later offered young pitcher job playing albany club declined played team earning week today dollars player salaries frozen team owners joined junior team split teams second baseman soon promoted senior squad developed pitcher seen scout mud accepted position team month ohio considered best amateur pitcher state started mud season opener april earned win team victory won games club contract dispute midway season american_league offered buy contract national_league matched boston offer rejected offers continued pitch mud end season won games strikeouts sources games known god season ended returned wisconsin led wisconsin baseball state championship squad enrolled played american football reported signed national_league early august received advance denied receiving money owner stated signed mud players season august protection national_league september ended offered exchange manager scout cleveland agreed member american_league paying premium baseball talent rival national_league dodgers owner invited meeting declined let known told play mud season received advance february march signed cleveland took exception writing voluntarily signed contract season cleveland showed bill forgot pledge like later argued returned advance returning entire advance charged pursued legal action major league debut april days later arrived turn accompanied majority owner american_league vice president court set bond filed civil suit stating business interfered agreed withdraw charges july accepted pitcher major_league career major league debut known hit shallow pop fly direction right fielder home plate umpire ruled harvey clean catch credited hit harvey witnesses said ball hit ground finished major league debut hitter compiled record era major league rookie season led american_league october married monroe michigan attendance professional debut mud couple son norman daughter following conclusion season selected americans star team american_league played exhibition games counterparts national_league begin season cleveland organization changed team honor shortstop second year went lowered era season walks plus hits inning pitched whip mlb low season year old went era home run season illness season reduced starts win seasons ended season record era finished career high strikeouts era league finished record tied career high begin season won starts threw hitters season september detroit_tigers second september versus teammate threw hitter september marked second time pitchers team thrown hitters finished season career wins finished innings pitched win total tied highest american_league whip second best young complete game shutout totals best league season perfect game season started home field expanded seats detroit_tigers chicago_white_sox engaged race post season described closest exciting known games remained regular season half game detroit_tigers headed october match chicago_white_sox trailed game game attendance announced labeled sportswriter excellent turnout weekday faced future hall_of_fame pitcher recorded hits struck times scored team run came inning tension described writer mouse working way floor sounded like concrete ninth inning retired batters faced pinch hitter anderson hit line drive resulted double gone foul hit ball baseman bradley throwing baseman dug ball ground preserve lead win recorded perfect game second american_league history accomplished feat pitches lowest known pitch count achieved perfect game fans field game said fielding birmingham base running needed lucky strikes win season averaged walks innings pitchers mlb history average walk innings season ending whip fifth lowest single season mark mlb history finished record half game detroit closest got world series appearance final years consecutive win seasons struggled result fatigue september shut season finished year record innings pitched recorded era finished fourth american_league era whip pitched second hitter april pitcher mlb history hit team twice feat matched san_francisco_giants hit san_diego_padres second inning hit ball base failed field ball throw base time parent initial ruling field base hit later changed error gave walks recorded assists appearances season torn right elbow appearance season july left game fifth inning arm finished final major league season finished record innings finished year marked fifth time years franchise finished losing record career marks major league wins career era ranked second time whip lowest career whip mlb history finished record complete games strikeouts repertoire included fastball slow ball today known extremely effective curve baseball historians ranked fastball sixth major leagues explained believed mastered deliveries acquire great control success strain arm era filled pitchers achieved success altering baseball threw motion described exaggerated motion shortstop described turn batter wound hiding ball whip fire illness injury accompanied professional career high fever forced miss month season contracted malaria april missed starts injury journalism engineering interests concerned supporting family baseball career ended players day little education job skills abilities diamond sportswriter wrote handful players rough stirring early days major leagues arrived campuses shock great 1890s bore heavily called college boy set hired sports columnist season news bee served sunday sports editor writings proved popular sales paper increased special phone line installed office field large volume calls received fans increased popularity gave advantage negotiating season club agreed pay player salaries averaged later wrote covered world series news bee press press introduced columns way baseball players land far away best qualified work scholarly man entertaining writer observer game biographer scott wrote writer known editorial blade said taking seriously return taken seriously people recognized man usual intelligence adorned profession elected engage worked designing electric later known indicator decided install allowed spectators monitor balls strikes league park death benefit game attended spring training cleveland start season collapsed field heat april exhibition game tennessee taken local hospital released day early april press reports taken note ill health speculated poisoning nervous traveled exhibition games april went home street seen personal physician thought suffering nervous food poisoning april severe changed diagnosis reported able play month need days rest recover stand speech april sought second opinion team doctor performed diagnosed disease spread brain died april age liked peers baseball fans hearing death press wrote train brings flowers floral tributes hourly arriving home sections country family arranged funeral place april day face detroit_tigers tigers home opener players signed petition stating attend game instead attend funeral asked game rescheduled tigers request american_league president initially supported tigers position ultimately sided owner players attended funeral player turned star game played benefit family july invited players seven american_league teams play visiting club players involved game included home run baker speaker street want family johnson said washington senators manager volunteered manage stars memory sacred came contact man wore uniform greater credit sport said game attended approximately fans raised nearly help family members pay remaining medical bills lost recognition boston_globe sports editor campaigned induction hall_of_fame starting 1950s sportswriter red smith wrote support write history baseball mentioning ought measure man fitness hall_of_fame measure chairman hall_of_fame pointed baseball historian induction hall required participation championship seasons cleveland roster participated spring training falling ill regular season play commenced argued participated season tenth waived eligibility requirements member commissioner office worked allow eligible hall succeeded inducted player hall_of_fame regular season playing career lasted fewer years included book greatest baseball players time described called joe wood syndrome player truly exceptional talent career curtailed injury illness argued player included greatest time players spite career statistics rank time believed career era proof greatness included baseball author wrote remembered remarkably low career era noted pitched time earned runs compiled official career ended american_league introduced new baseball leading nearly percent increase runs scored inducted july inducted class
Addie Joss