Ed Walsh (1946)


Date of Birth: 5/14/1881
Date of Death: 5/26/1959
Birthplace: Plains Township, Pennsylvania
College: Fordham University

Ed Walsh started his professional baseball career in 1902, in the minor leagues. He played in the Connecticut State League in 1902 and 1903, and then moved to the Eastern League in 1903. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in September, 1903.

Chicago White Sox

Walsh played with the White Sox from 1904 through 1916. In his first season in the major leagues, he pitched in 18 games and he had a 6-3 record with 57 strikeouts to 32 walks and a 2.60 ERA in 110.2 innings.

Walsh had a 2.17 ERA in 22 games in 1905. He had 8 wins and 3 losses and 71 strikeouts to 29 walks in 136.2 innings. The following season, he pitched in 41 games. He finished the 1906 season with 17 wins and 13 losses, 171 strikeouts to 58 walks, and a 1.88 ERA in 278.1 innings.

Walsh led the AL in games played (56), innings pitched (422.1), complete games (37), and ERA (1.60) in 1907. He had 24 wins and 18 losses, and he struck out 206 batters and walked 87. He also played well defensively, leading AL pitchers in assists with 227.

Walsh had his best season in 1908, when he led the Al in games played, innings pitched, complete games, wins, and strikeouts. He had career highs in games played (66, with 49 as a starting pitcher), innings pitched (464.0), wins (40 to 15 losses), and strikeouts (269 to 56 walks). He had a 1.42 ERA, and he pitched 42 complete games that year. His defensive numbers were also good, and he led AL pitchers in assists with 190 and in putouts with 41.

In 1909, Walsh had a 1.41 ERA in 31 games. He had 15 wins and 11 losses and 127 strikeouts to 50 walks in 230.1 innings in 31 games. The following season, he again led the AL in games played with 45 and in ERA with a career low of 1.27. He finished the 1910 season with 18 wins and 20 losses and 258 strikeouts to 61 walks in 369.2 innings. He again led AL pitchers in assists with 154.

Walsh again led the AL in games played in 1911 (56) and 1912 (62) and in innings pitched in 1911 with 368.2 and in 1912 with 393.0. He finished the 1911 season with 27 wins and 18 losses, 255 strikeouts to 72 walks, and a 2.22 ERA. The following season, he again had 27 wins (to 17 losses), 254 strikeouts to 94 walks, and a 2.15 ERA. He led AL pitchers in assists with 159 in 1911, and with 140 in 1912.

Injuries limited Walsh's playing time with the White Sox significantly from 1913 through 1916. He played in 16 games in 1913 and just 11 games total for the following three seasons (8 games in 1914, 3 games in 1915, and 2 games in 1916).

Boston Braves

The White Sox released Walsh on December 31, 1916. He signed with the Boston Braves on July 20, 1917. He pitched just 18.0 innings in 4 games with the Braves that season. He was released by them on December 28, 1917.

MLB Records

  • Led AL in ERA (2 times)
  • Led AL in strikeouts (2 times)
  • Led AL in innings pitched (4 times)
  • Led AL in complete games (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Walsh in 10 full seasons (1904-1913) in the major leagues include:

  • 4 seasons with over 20 wins, with a high of 40 in 1908
  • 5 seasons with over 200 strikeouts, with a high of 269 in 1908
  • 10 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.27 in 1910

Career pitching statistics for Walsh include:

  • 430 games played
  • 2,964.1 innings pitched
  • 195-126 win-loss record
  • 1,736 strikeouts to 617 walks
  • 1.82 ERA

Post Playing Career

Walsh played in the American Association in 1919. The following season, he was a player-manager for a team in the Eastern League.

Walsh returned to the White Sox as their manager for three games in 1924. He led the team to one win and two losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ed Walsh
ESPN - Ed Walsh
Baseball Reference - Ed Walsh

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