Eddie Plank
The southpaw who never threw a curveball became one of baseball's first 300-game winners through sheer intelligence and control. Plank's 2.35 ERA across 17 seasons speaks to remarkable consistency in the dead-ball era, when his 126 ERA+ meant he was consistently 26% better than league average.
What separated "Gettysburg Eddie" from his contemporaries wasn't overpowering stuff but methodical precision. He threw fastballs, changeups, and a crossfire delivery that kept hitters off balance for over 4,400 innings. His 326 wins came during Philadelphia's dynasty years, anchoring Connie Mack's rotation alongside Chief Bender and Jack Coombs.
The numbers tell the story of durability few pitchers have matched. Plank struck out 2,246 batters when strikeouts were rare, averaging just over four per nine innings. His patient approach extended beyond pitching — he was notorious for taking his time between pitches, driving opponents to distraction long before gamesmanship had a name.
Career · Hitting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | PHA | 33 | 99 | 0 | 3 | .182 | — | — |
| 1902 | PHA | 36 | 120 | 0 | 16 | .292 | — | — |
| 1903 | PHA | 45 | 134 | 1 | 8 | .187 | — | — |
| 1904 | PHA | 46 | 129 | 0 | 11 | .240 | — | — |
| 1905 | PHA | 41 | 126 | 0 | 5 | .230 | — | — |
| 1906 | PHA | 26 | 73 | 0 | 6 | .233 | — | — |
| 1907 | PHA | 43 | 123 | 1 | 9 | .211 | — | — |
| 1908 | PHA | 36 | 89 | 0 | 4 | .180 | — | — |
| 1909 | PHA | 35 | 96 | 1 | 7 | .219 | — | — |
| 1910 | PHA | 38 | 86 | 0 | 8 | .128 | — | — |
| 1911 | PHA | 40 | 94 | 0 | 10 | .191 | — | — |
| 1912 | PHA | 37 | 90 | 0 | 9 | .267 | — | — |
| 1913 | PHA | 41 | 76 | 0 | 6 | .105 | — | — |
| 1914 | PHA | 34 | 60 | 0 | 5 | .150 | — | — |
| 1915 | SLF | 42 | 93 | 0 | 8 | .258 | — | — |
| 1916 | SLA | 37 | 81 | 0 | 5 | .185 | — | — |
| 1917 | SLA | 20 | 38 | 0 | 2 | .105 | — | — |
| Career | 630 | 1607 | 3 | 122 | .206 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | PHA | 33 | 260.7 | 17 | 13 | 3.31 | 105 | 90 | 1.235 |
| 1902 | PHA | 36 | 300.0 | 20 | 15 | 3.30 | 96 | 107 | 1.267 |
| 1903 | PHA | 43 | 336.0 | 23 | 16 | 2.38 | 130 | 176 | 1.137 |
| 1904 | PHA | 44 | 357.3 | 26 | 17 | 2.17 | 123 | 201 | 1.111 |
| 1905 | PHA | 41 | 346.7 | 24 | 12 | 2.26 | 125 | 210 | 1.044 |
| 1906 | PHA | 26 | 211.7 | 19 | 6 | 2.25 | 119 | 108 | 1.058 |
| 1907 | PHA | 43 | 343.7 | 24 | 16 | 2.20 | 114 | 183 | 1.068 |
| 1908 | PHA | 34 | 244.7 | 14 | 16 | 2.17 | 111 | 135 | 1.014 |
| 1909 | PHA | 34 | 265.3 | 19 | 10 | 1.76 | 145 | 132 | 1.044 |
| 1910 | PHA | 38 | 250.3 | 16 | 10 | 2.01 | 139 | 123 | 1.091 |
| 1911 | PHA | 40 | 256.7 | 23 | 8 | 2.10 | 160 | 149 | 1.223 |
| 1912 | PHA | 37 | 259.7 | 26 | 6 | 2.22 | 151 | 110 | 1.221 |
| 1913 | PHA | 41 | 242.7 | 18 | 10 | 2.60 | 118 | 151 | 1.104 |
| 1914 | PHA | 34 | 185.3 | 15 | 7 | 2.87 | 102 | 110 | 1.187 |
| 1915 | SLF | 42 | 268.3 | 21 | 11 | 2.08 | 139 | 147 | 0.991 |
| 1916 | SLA | 37 | 235.7 | 16 | 15 | 2.33 | 119 | 88 | 1.146 |
| 1917 | SLA | 20 | 131.0 | 5 | 6 | 1.79 | 150 | 26 | 1.092 |
| Career | 623 | 4495.8 | 326 | 194 | — | — | 2246 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.