Addie Joss (1978)


Date of Birth: 4/12/1880
Date of Death: 4/14/1911
Birthplace: Woodland, Wisconsin
College: Sacred Heart College / University of Wisconsin at Madison

Addie Joss played baseball in college and then advanced to semi-pro baseball. In March, 1902, Joss signed with the Cleveland Bronchos (Indians).

Cleveland Bronchos/Naps (Indians)

Joss pitched in 32 games with the Bronchos in 1902. He finished the season with a 17-13 record, 106 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a 2.77 ERA.

In 1903, the Bronchos changed their name to the Naps. That season, Joss had a 2.19 ERA in 32 games. He had 18 wins and 13 losses and 120 strikeouts to 37 walks in 283.2 innings.

Joss led the AL in ERA in 1904 with 1.59. He had a 14-10 record and 83 strikeouts to 30 walks in 192.1 innings in 25 games. The next year, he had a career high in strikeouts with 132 (to 46 walks). He finished the 1905 season with 20 wins and 12 losses and a 2.01 ERA in 286.0 innings in 33 games. He had another strong season in 1906, when he finished with a 1.72 ERA in 34 games. He won 21 games and lost 9 and he struck out 106 batters and walked 43 in 34 games.

Joss led the AL in wins in 1907. That year, he had career highs in games played (42), innings pitched (338.2), and wins (27 to 11 losses). He had a 1.83 ERA.

Joss pitched in a career high 42 games again in 1908. He led the AL in ERA that year. He had 24 wins and 11 losses, 130 strikeouts to 30 walks, and a career low ERA of 1.16 in 325.0 innings. He pitched a perfect game on October 2, 1908.

Joss had an ERA of 1.71 in 1909. He finished that season with 14 wins and 13 losses in 242.2 innings in 33 games.

Joss suffered an injury in 1910, and he played in just 13 games that year. It turned out to be his last season because he died tragically from meningitis in 1911 at the age of just 31. At the time of his death, Joss had the second lowest career ERA in major league baseball history.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Led AL in ERA (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Joss in 9 seasons (1902-1910) in the major leagues include:

  • 4 seasons with 20 or more wins, with a high of 27 in 1907
  • 9 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.16 in 1908

Career pitching statistics for Joss include:

  • 286 games played
  • 2,327.0 innings pitched
  • 160-97 win-loss record
  • 920 strikeouts to 364 walks
  • 1.89 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Addie Joss
ESPN - Addie Joss
Baseball Reference - Addie Joss

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