Gus Weyhing
Encyclopedia
August "Gus" Weyhing was a pitcher
for nine professional baseball
teams in a career that spanned 14 years from to . He was small for a pitcher by today's standards, listed at 5 feet 10 inches tall and between 120-145 pounds
. He enjoyed quite a bit of success, winning
25 games or more for six years in a row, capped by a 32 win season in for the Philadelphia Phillies
. He completed 46 of his 49 starts that year, hurled six shutout
s, and logged 469 2/3 innings pitched
. He collected 216 wins in his first eight professional seasons. Weyhing was nicknamed "Cannonball", "Rubber Arm", and "Rubber-Winged Gus". Weyhing was known to be a poor hitter and suspect fielder. He holds the dubious honor of having hit the most batters in a career (277).
in any specific categories. He did have a few career highlights, however. In one memorable week in the 1888 season, Weyhing pitched three consecutive complete game victories against Brooklyn to eliminate that team from the pennant
race. In addition, Weyhing came close to throwing a perfect game when he hurled a no-hitter
on July 31, 1888, against the Kansas City Cowboys
. He walked one batter and another reached base via an error.
newspaper, tells the tale of Weyhing's possible involvement in a pigeon theft. The following report is from newspaper accounts in Louisville (Weyhing's hometown) in 1892:
It appears that Weyhing was either cleared of the charges, or found guilty and took care of the matter before the 1892 season commenced. He was with the Phillies all of 1892, and won 32 games.
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...
for nine professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
teams in a career that spanned 14 years from to . He was small for a pitcher by today's standards, listed at 5 feet 10 inches tall and between 120-145 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. He enjoyed quite a bit of success, winning
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
25 games or more for six years in a row, capped by a 32 win season in for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He completed 46 of his 49 starts that year, hurled six shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s, and logged 469 2/3 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. He collected 216 wins in his first eight professional seasons. Weyhing was nicknamed "Cannonball", "Rubber Arm", and "Rubber-Winged Gus". Weyhing was known to be a poor hitter and suspect fielder. He holds the dubious honor of having hit the most batters in a career (277).
Career
Weyhing was a solid pitcher, though he never led the leagueMajor 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...
in any specific categories. He did have a few career highlights, however. In one memorable week in the 1888 season, Weyhing pitched three consecutive complete game victories against Brooklyn to eliminate that team from the pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
race. In addition, Weyhing came close to throwing a perfect game when he hurled a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
on July 31, 1888, against the Kansas City Cowboys
Kansas City Cowboys (American Association)
The Kansas City Cowboys were a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri for two seasons from to in the American Association. They were the third, and last incarnation of this franchise name, following the Kansas City Cowboys of the Union Association in and the Kansas City...
. He walked one batter and another reached base via an error.
Accusations of theft
One odd report, taken from the local Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
newspaper, tells the tale of Weyhing's possible involvement in a pigeon theft. The following report is from newspaper accounts in Louisville (Weyhing's hometown) in 1892:
It appears that Weyhing was either cleared of the charges, or found guilty and took care of the matter before the 1892 season commenced. He was with the Phillies all of 1892, and won 32 games.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball saves champions
- MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen ListMLB All-Time Hit Batsmen ListThis is a list of top 100 Major League Baseball pitchers who have the most hit batsmen of all time. There is an of hitters who have been hit by pitch the most times.Active players are denoted in bold text.-The List:* Bold denotes active player...
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters