Pud Galvin
Before Cy Young became synonymous with pitching excellence, there was Pud Galvin — the first pitcher to reach 300 wins and the workhorse who threw more innings than anyone in baseball history except Young himself. His 6,003 career innings came in an era when pitchers completed what they started, and Galvin's durability was legendary even by 19th-century standards.
The numbers tell the story of dead-ball dominance: a 2.85 ERA with an ERA+ of 115 means Galvin was consistently above average across 18 seasons, peaking with that monster 192 ERA+ campaign. He struck out 1,807 batters when strikeouts were rare, showcasing nasty stuff that baffled hitters who barely had time to see the ball in twilight games.
Galvin's 365 victories stood as the record until Young surpassed him, but his true legacy lies in being baseball's first great endurance pitcher. The Hall of Fame waited until 1965 to recognize him, but his place among the sport's foundational figures was never in doubt.
Career · Hitting
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | SL2 | 13 | 46 | 0 | 2 | .130 | — | — |
| 1879 | BFN | 67 | 265 | 0 | 27 | .249 | — | — |
| 1880 | BFN | 66 | 241 | 0 | 12 | .212 | — | — |
| 1881 | BFN | 62 | 236 | 0 | 21 | .212 | — | — |
| 1882 | BFN | 54 | 206 | 0 | 17 | .214 | — | — |
| 1883 | BFN | 80 | 322 | 1 | 19 | .220 | — | — |
| 1884 | BFN | 72 | 274 | 0 | 24 | .179 | — | — |
| 1885 | BFN | 44 | 160 | 1 | 12 | .169 | — | — |
| 1886 | PT1 | 50 | 194 | 0 | 21 | .253 | — | — |
| 1887 | PIT | 49 | 193 | 2 | 22 | .212 | — | — |
| 1888 | PIT | 50 | 175 | 1 | 3 | .143 | — | — |
| 1889 | PIT | 41 | 150 | 0 | 16 | .187 | — | — |
| 1890 | PTP | 26 | 97 | 0 | 12 | .206 | — | — |
| 1891 | PIT | 33 | 109 | 0 | 7 | .165 | — | — |
| 1892 | PIT | 24 | 80 | 0 | 5 | .088 | — | — |
| Career | 731 | 2748 | 5 | 220 | .201 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | SL2 | 8 | 62.0 | 4 | 2 | 1.16 | 192 | 8 | 0.871 |
| 1879 | BFN | 66 | 593.0 | 37 | 27 | 2.28 | 110 | 136 | 1.039 |
| 1880 | BFN | 58 | 458.7 | 20 | 35 | 2.71 | 87 | 128 | 1.221 |
| 1881 | BFN | 56 | 474.0 | 28 | 24 | 2.37 | 117 | 136 | 1.249 |
| 1882 | BFN | 52 | 445.3 | 28 | 23 | 3.17 | 88 | 162 | 1.159 |
| 1883 | BFN | 76 | 656.3 | 46 | 29 | 2.72 | 118 | 279 | 1.106 |
| 1884 | BFN | 72 | 636.3 | 46 | 22 | 1.99 | 156 | 369 | 0.988 |
| 1885 | BFN | 44 | 372.3 | 16 | 26 | 3.99 | 76 | 120 | 1.335 |
| 1886 | PT1 | 50 | 434.7 | 29 | 21 | 2.67 | 126 | 72 | 1.224 |
| 1887 | PIT | 49 | 440.7 | 28 | 21 | 3.29 | 127 | 76 | 1.264 |
| 1888 | PIT | 50 | 437.3 | 23 | 25 | 2.63 | 112 | 107 | 1.141 |
| 1889 | PIT | 41 | 341.0 | 23 | 16 | 4.17 | 94 | 77 | 1.378 |
| 1890 | PTP | 26 | 217.0 | 12 | 13 | 4.35 | 89 | 35 | 1.493 |
| 1891 | PIT | 33 | 246.7 | 15 | 14 | 2.88 | 122 | 46 | 1.289 |
| 1892 | PIT | 24 | 188.0 | 10 | 12 | 2.92 | 112 | 56 | 1.383 |
| Career | 705 | 6003.3 | 365 | 310 | — | — | 1807 | — | |
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