Pud Galvin

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#000080
bgcolor2=#000080
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Pud Galvin


position=Pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=December 25, 1856
deathdate=death date and age|1902|3|7|1856|12|25
debutdate=May 22
debutyear=by|1875
debutteam=St. Louis Brown Stockings (NA)
finaldate=August 2
finalyear=by|1892
finalteam=St. Louis Brown Stockings (NL)
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat1value=364-310
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=2.86
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1,806
teams=
*St. Louis Brown Stockings (NA) (by|1875)
*Buffalo Bisons (by|1879-by|1885)
*Pittsburg Alleghenys (by|1885-by|1889)/Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1891-by|1892)
*Pittsburgh Burghers (by|1890)
*St. Louis Brown Stockings (NL) (by|1892)
highlights=
*364 career wins
*Pitched two no-hitters: 8/20/1880, 8/4/1884
hofdate=1965
hofmethod=Veteran's Committee

James Francis "Pud" Galvin (December 25, 1856 – March 7, 1902), an American professional baseball pitcher, was Major League Baseball's first 300-game winner. The nickname "Pud" supposedly originated because he made the hitters "look like Pudding". Galvin was also nicknamed "The Little Steam Engine", a tribute to his durability.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Pud played in an era where 2-man pitching rotations were common - hence his 6,003 innings pitched and 646 complete games, both of which are second only to the career totals of Cy Young. Incredibly, Pud pitched over 70 complete games in both by|1883 and by|1884 and 65 in by|1879. He is the only player in baseball history to win 20 or more games in 10 different years without winning a pennant, finishing his career with a total of 364 wins and 310 losses.

Professional career

Galvin debuted for St. Louis of the National Association in by|1875, the franchise's inaugural season. He spent the next 6½ seasons with Buffalo in the International Association and later of the National League before being traded to the Pittsburg Alleghenys midseason in by|1885. He pitched for the Allegheny ballclub from by|1885 to by|1889. Pud jumped to the Pittsburgh Burghers before the 1890 season, but returned to the Alleghenys (now named the "Pirates") after only one season. On June 14, 1892 Galvin was traded to the St. Louis Browns. He retired after the by|1892 season.

Post-retirement

Pud Galvin died poor at age 45 on March 7, 1902 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, as a Roman Catholic, is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in by|1965 by the Veterans Committee.

Trivia

*On August 20, 1880, Galvin became the first major league pitcher to throw a no-hitter on the road, leading his Buffalo Bisons to a 1-0 victory over the Worcester Ruby Legs.

*Galvin is the first baseball player to be widely known for using performance enhancing drugs. In 1889, over 100 years before the current steroid controversy in Major League Baseball, Galvin openly used the Brown-Séquard elixir, which contained monkey testosterone. R. Smith, [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5314753 "A different kind of performance enhancer"] , NPR. Retrieved 11 December 2007.]

Notes

ee also

* 300 win club
* Top 100 winning pitchers of all time
* List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
* Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
* List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

External links

* [http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/Galvin_Pud.htm Baseball Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.pudgalvin.com PudGalvin.com] - site dedicated to the Hall of Fame pitcher
* [http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters_1400/1632_ch1.pdf Bio page]