Ed Poole
Encyclopedia
Edward Isaih Poole was a pitcher
in Major League Baseball
. He played from 1900 to 1904 with the Pittsburgh Pirates
, Cincinnati Reds
, and Brooklyn Superbas
. Poole stood at 5' 10" and weighed 175 lbs.
. He started his professional baseball career in 1897 and played in the Interstate League
for four seasons. In 1900, he went 20-15 for the Wheeling Stogies. He also played in the infield and outfield when he didn't pitch and batted
.257. Poole was then acquired by the Pirates and made his major league debut in October of that year.
In 1901, Poole pitched sparingly for Pittsburgh, making 10 starts and going 5-4. The Pirates won their first National League
pennant. In April 1902, Poole was traded to Cincinnati and immediately had his greatest success in the major leagues. He made 16 starts for the Reds and completed all 16, while going 12-4 with a 2.15 earned run average
.
In 1903, Poole suffered from a sore arm early in the season. His record dropped to 7-13, and his ERA went up to 3.28. He was sold to Brooklyn in 1904, but the reasons for the trade apparently had nothing to do with his pitching. According to the Reds' president, Garry Herrmann
, Poole had a habit of reading books in the dugout.
Poole's troubles did not end in Cincinnati. Playing baseball on Sunday was not allowed in New York at the time, but Brooklyn Superbas owner Charles Ebbets tried to circumvent the law. For a game played on Sunday, April 24, Poole had the misfortune of being the starting pitcher. Just as the game got underway, policemen marched onto the field and arrested him, along with two other players. Poole had to go to court and was eventually fined for violating the blue law
s. He then pitched again on Sunday, May 29, and was arrested for the second time. That case went to trial and became known as The People of New York v. Poole.
Poole started off 8-14 for Brooklyn that season, and he pitched the last major league game of his career on July 27. He spent the rest of the year hunting rabbits and quail near his home in Canton. Poole returned to baseball the following season and played in the minor leagues from 1905 to 1908. In 1905, he pitched a career-high 298 innings and won a career-high 21 games for the Providence Clamdiggers
of the Eastern League
. He then won 14 and 17 games the next two seasons but just 4 in 1908, after which his career ended.
Poole later became a merchant
. He died of diabetes mellitus
in 1919 in Malvern, Ohio
, and was interred in Bethlehem Cemetery in that town.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He played from 1900 to 1904 with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, and Brooklyn Superbas
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Poole stood at 5' 10" and weighed 175 lbs.
Career
Ed Poole was born in Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He started his professional baseball career in 1897 and played in the Interstate League
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. The longest tenured of these was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor...
for four seasons. In 1900, he went 20-15 for the Wheeling Stogies. He also played in the infield and outfield when he didn't pitch and batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.257. Poole was then acquired by the Pirates and made his major league debut in October of that year.
In 1901, Poole pitched sparingly for Pittsburgh, making 10 starts and going 5-4. The Pirates won their first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant. In April 1902, Poole was traded to Cincinnati and immediately had his greatest success in the major leagues. He made 16 starts for the Reds and completed all 16, while going 12-4 with a 2.15 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
.
In 1903, Poole suffered from a sore arm early in the season. His record dropped to 7-13, and his ERA went up to 3.28. He was sold to Brooklyn in 1904, but the reasons for the trade apparently had nothing to do with his pitching. According to the Reds' president, Garry Herrmann
August Herrmann
August Garry Herrmann was an American executive in Major League Baseball.-Biography:He was born on May 3, 1859. He served as president of the Cincinnati Reds of the National League from 1902 to 1927...
, Poole had a habit of reading books in the dugout.
"One day, when we were playing in Cincinnati, I noticed that Poole was deeply engrossed in a book while sitting on the players' bench in uniform ... The next day and the next I noticed that Poole had the same book, and then I began to grow suspicious. Inquiry developed the fact that instead of a rule book he had a novel, which he was reading daily. That settled his chances for remaining with the Reds, and when Brooklyn asked for him we parted with him willingly. Novels and baseball don't mix when a game is being played on the field." - Garry Herrmann
Poole's troubles did not end in Cincinnati. Playing baseball on Sunday was not allowed in New York at the time, but Brooklyn Superbas owner Charles Ebbets tried to circumvent the law. For a game played on Sunday, April 24, Poole had the misfortune of being the starting pitcher. Just as the game got underway, policemen marched onto the field and arrested him, along with two other players. Poole had to go to court and was eventually fined for violating the blue law
Blue law
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and, formerly, in Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping...
s. He then pitched again on Sunday, May 29, and was arrested for the second time. That case went to trial and became known as The People of New York v. Poole.
Poole started off 8-14 for Brooklyn that season, and he pitched the last major league game of his career on July 27. He spent the rest of the year hunting rabbits and quail near his home in Canton. Poole returned to baseball the following season and played in the minor leagues from 1905 to 1908. In 1905, he pitched a career-high 298 innings and won a career-high 21 games for the Providence Clamdiggers
Providence Grays (minor league)
The minor league Providence Grays was the name of several minor league baseball teams between and . These teams were unconnected to the Major League Baseball Providence Grays....
of the Eastern League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
. He then won 14 and 17 games the next two seasons but just 4 in 1908, after which his career ended.
Poole later became a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. He died of diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
in 1919 in Malvern, Ohio
Malvern, Ohio
Malvern is a village in Carroll County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,218 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Malvern is located at , along Sandy Creek....
, and was interred in Bethlehem Cemetery in that town.