Joe McGinnity (1946)
Date of Birth: 3/20/1871
Date of Death: 11/14/1929
Birthplace: Cornwall Township, Illinois
Joe McGinnity worked in the coal mines as a child and he played baseball with a coal miners' team. He started pitching in 1888 while playing semi-pro baseball. In 1893, he started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues but then followed that with five years back with semi-pro baseball teams.
Baltimore Orioles (NL)
McGinnity finally made it to the major leagues in 1899 with the Baltimore Orioles of the National League. That season he played in 48 games with a 28-16 record, 74 strikeouts to 93 walks, and a 2.68 ERA. His 28 wins led the NL.
Brooklyn Superbas (Dodgers)
In 1900, McGinnity joined the Brooklyn Superbas. That season, he led the NL in wins and innings pitched. He had 28 wins and 8 losses and a 2.94 ERA in 343.0 innings in 44 games. Although he pitched well, he had control issues, walking 113 batters while striking out 93.
Baltimore Orioles (AL)
The following year, he played again with an Orioles team, this time in the American League (not the modern day Orioles). He led the AL in games played in 1901. He finished the season with 26 wins anad 20 losses, 75 strikeouts to 96 walks, and a 3.56 ERA in 382.0 innings in 48 games.
New York Giants
The Orioles released McGinnity in July, 1902, and he then signed with the New York Giants. He pitched in 25 games with the Orioles and 19 games with the Giants in 1902, and he had 21 wins and 18 losses, 106 strikeouts to 78 walks, and a 2.84 ERA in 351.2 innings.
McGinnity had his best season in 1903, when he had career highs in games played (55), innings pitched (434.0), strikeouts (171 to a career high 109 walks), and complete games pitched (44). He led the NL in wins with 31 (to 20 losses), games played, innings pitched, and complete games. Defensively, he led all NL pitchers in putouts with 31.
McGinnity had another strong season in 1904. He finished the year with a career high 35 wins (to just 8 losses), 144 strikeouts to 86 walks, and a career low ERA of 1.61 in 408.0 innings in 51 games. He again led the NL in wins, games played, and innings pitched. Defensively, he also played well, leading NL pitchers in assists with 127.
In 1905, McGinnity's ERA went up to 2.87. He once more led the NL in games played with 46. He finished the season with 21 wins and 15 losses and 125 strikeouts to 71 walks in 320.1 innings.
McGinnity led the NL in wins and games played in 1906, when he had 27 wins to 12 losses and a 2.25 ERA in 339.2 innings in 45 games. The following season, he again led the NL in games played with 47. He finished the 1907 season with 18 wins and 18 losses, 120 strikeouts to 58 walks, and a 3.16 ERA in 310.1 innings.
In 1908, his last season in the major leagues, McGinnity had 11 wins and 7 losses and a 2.27 ERA in 186.0 innings in 37 games.
MLB Records
- Led the NL in wins (5 times)
- Led the NL in innings pitched (3 times)
Career Statistics
Statistics for McGinnity in 10 seasons (1899-1908) in the major leagues include:
- 8 seasons with over 20 wins, with a high of 35 in 1904
- 8 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.61 in 1904
Career pitching statistics for McGinnity include:
- 465 games played
- 3,441.1 innings pitched
- 246-142 win-loss record
- 1,068 strikeouts to 812 walks
- 2.66 ERA
Post Playing Career
After retiring as a major league pitcher, McGinnity owned, managed, and played for minor league teams from 1909-1917, and from 1922-1925. In 1926, he was a coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe McGinnity
ESPN - Joe McGinnity
Baseball Reference - Joe McGinnity