If you’re under certain age and have ever even heard of Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn, it most likely occurred via twitter. @OldHossRadbourn is probably the greatest anonymous accounts ever. Tweeting from either heaven or hell, the account is a steady stream of satire and jokes from the would-be 160 year old pitching legend, as he offers hot takes on the latest MLB news. I had been enjoying the account for sometime before I finally checked out the Baseball-Reference page linked to in the twitter bio. Even being well aware that baseball was an extremely different game during the 1880’s, the numbers that Old Hoss put up are still completely staggering. 309 Ws and 488 CGs in just 11 seasons while maintaining a golden 2.38 ERA. One season jumps off the page like no other, 1884. In what was the second largest workload for any pitcher ever, Radbourn pitched 678.2 innings all by himself in route to 59 victories and a pennant for his Providence Grays.
Before Babe Ruth hit 60 HRs in a season, Cy Young collected his 511 Ws, or Dimaggio earned a hit for 56 consecutive games, Radbourn’s 59 wins in 1884 was widely regarded as the most incredible feat a pro ballplayer has ever accomplished. The long passage of time has made Radbourn’s feat less famous, but has made it even that much more incredible. In Fifty-Nine in ‘84, historian and Providence Journal op-ed editor Edward Achorn pieces together the details of the remarkable season by sourcing original newspaper reports and other first hand accounts. Achorn’s immense knowledge of Providence in the 1880’s, as well as the day-to-day life of ballplayers at the time, really makes the story come to life. The result is a compelling and fun-to-read book that not only provided an insightful portrait of the mystical Radbourn, but also provides a comprehensive history lesson on the early days of professional baseball.
Radbourn wasn’t quite as outlandish as the parody account made in his memory would proport, but the real life Radbourn was still a mean S.O.B. He was a heavy drinker, sullen and withdrawn from his teammates. Once, in response to reports that his arm had become lame, Old Hoss tortured his catcher by intentionally crossing signals and throwing as hard as could. Throughout the game, he constantly knocked his battery-mate off his perch and turning his fingers into crooked jelly. In addition to other documented instances of anger, according to to Achorn’s research, Radbourn is the first person to ever be photographed while flashing the middle finger.
Despite being an infamous malcontent, Old Hoss was widely regarded as the best pitcher in the game, and was beloved by Providence boosters for his grit and determination. However when he began to struggle on the mound in early ‘84, a rookie teammate strung together a series of dominating starts for the Grays and quickly emerged as the team’s uncontested ace. Radbourn was filled with jealousy, and when he felt that the rookie was receiving too much special treatment, Radbourn was angry enough to quit the Grays and join up with a team in the new Union Association league. The rookie who had stolen Radbourn’s thunder, Charles Sweeney, also had a drastic reaction to his new found fame, a massive swelling of the head. After showed up to the park drunk and in the company of two noted prostitutes, he refused to play that day and then quit the Grays after a heated argument with the team’s manager, a decision that he would regret once he sobered up.
What happened after Sweeney’s departure is truly stranger than fiction. Radbourn agreed to come back and pitch virtually every inning left on the schedule. He agreed to rejoin the team only if his salary would be doubled and if he’d be granted free agency after the season, the latter of which would not become common in professional baseball until ninety years later. Radbourn would wake up each day unable to lift his right hand above his waist, but somehow managed to get loose enough to throw by game-time. The pain Radbourn experienced was terrible, but the results were brilliant.
Achorn’s book details each a game and the events surrounding Radbourn as he made good on his end of the contract. More than just a season recap, the book delves deep into the mystical Radbourn’s biography, separating fact from fiction and providing backstory behind many of his more famous attributes. But perhaps my favorite aspect of the book is the fact that its scope is much larger than Radbourn; Achorn paints portraits of dozens of other players, managers, umpires, and team owners, with many of their personalities as outlandish as Radbourn’s.
For fans of early professional baseball, Victorian America, badasses. Buy this book from Amazon here.
