Tim Keefe (1964)


Date of Birth: 1/1/1857
Date of Death: 4/23/1933
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Tim Keefe started his professional baseball career in 1880 with the Troy Trojans, pitching in 12 games that season. He stayed with the Trojans through 1882. He pitched in 45 games in 1881 and he had a 3.25 ERA, and in 1882, he had a 2.50 ERA in 43 games.

New York Metropolitans

In 1883, Keefe moved to the New York Metropolitans of the American Association. That season, he led the American Association in games played, innings pitched, complete games, and strikeouts. He finished the season with career highs in games played (68), innings pitched (619.0), and strikeouts (361). He pitched 68 complete games and he had a 2.41 ERA and 41 wins and 27 losses.

Keefe pitched in 57 games in 1884. He finished the season with 37 wins and 17 losses, 317 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a 2.26 ERA in 482.2 innings.

New York Giants

In 1885, Keefe went to the New York Giants. In his first season with the Giants, he led the NL in ERA with 1.58. He finished the 1885 season with 32 wins and 13 losses and 227 strikeouts to 102 walks in 400.0 innings in 46 games.

Keefe led the NL in games played, innings pitched, complete games, and wins in 1886. He had a career high 42 wins to 20 losses, 297 strikeouts to 102 walks, and a 2.56 ERA in 535.0 innings in 64 games. He pitched 62 complete games.

Keefe pitched in 56 games in 1887. He had 35 wins and 19 losses, 189 strikeouts to 108 walks, and a 3.12 ERA in 476.2 innings. The next year, he won the NL Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. He finished the 1888 season with 35 wins and 12 losses, 335 strikeouts to 90 walks, and a 1.74 ERA in 434.1 innings in 51 games.

In 1889, Keefe had a 3.31 ERA in 47 games. He had 28 wins and 13 losses and 225 strikeouts to 151 walks in 364.0 innings.

Players League

Keefe moved to the newly formed Players League in 1890. He pitched in 30 games for them and he had a 3.38 ERA, 17 wins and 11 losses, and 88 strikeouts to 85 walks.

Philadelphia Phillies

Keefe returned to the New York Giants in 1891, but he played in just eight games with them before moving to the Philadelphia Phillies and playing in eleven games with them. He finished the season with 5 wins and 11 losses and a 4.46 ERA.

In 1893, his last season as a major league player, Keefe pitched in 22 games. He had 10 wins and 7 losses and a 4.40 ERA in 178.0 innings.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Triple Crown
  • Led the NL in wins (2 times)
  • Led the NL in ERA (3 times)
  • Led the NL in strikeouts (2 times)
  • Led the NL in games played (2 times)
  • Led the NL in innings pitched (2 times)
  • Led the NL in complete games (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Keefe in 14 seasons (1880-1893) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 20 wins, with highs of 41 in 1883 and 42 in 1886
  • 6 seasons with over 200 strikeouts, with a high of 361 in 1883
  • 8 seasons with an ERA below 3.00, with lows of 0.86 in 1880 in 12 games and 1.58 in 1885 in 46 games

Career pitching statistics for Keefe include:

  • 599 games played
  • 5,047.1 innings pitched
  • 342-225 win-loss record
  • 2,545 strikeouts to 1,224 walks
  • 2.62 ERA

Postseason statistics for Keefe include:

  • 3 postseasons
  • 8 games played
  • 61.0 innings pitched
  • 4-3 win-loss record
  • 1 save
  • 46 strikeouts to 14 walks
  • 2.66 ERA

Post Playing Career

After retiring from major league baseball, Keefe umpired and coached at three prestigious universities (Harvard, Princeton, Tufts).

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Tim Keefe
ESPN - Tim Keefe
Baseball Reference - Tim Keefe

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