Tim Keefe
The changeup was barely a twinkle in baseball's eye when Keefe perfected his "slow ball," using it to become the first pitcher to strike out 2,000 batters. His 2,564 career strikeouts stood as the all-time record until Walter Johnson broke it in 1921 — remarkable considering Keefe pitched in an era when batters rarely swung and missed.
Keefe's 1888 season remains one of the most dominant pitching campaigns ever recorded. He posted a microscopic 1.74 ERA with a 276 ERA+, meaning he was nearly three times better than the average pitcher that year. His 342 career wins came during baseball's dead-ball infancy, when pitchers routinely threw complete games and hitters treated strikeouts like personal failures.
The Irish-born right-hander combined pinpoint control with his revolutionary off-speed pitch to befuddle hitters for 14 seasons. Modern fans should know Keefe as baseball's first strikeout king — a craftsman who proved you could dominate without overpowering velocity.
Career · Hitting
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | TRN | 12 | 43 | 0 | 3 | .233 | — | — |
| 1881 | TRN | 46 | 152 | 0 | 19 | .230 | — | — |
| 1882 | TRN | 53 | 189 | 1 | 19 | .228 | — | — |
| 1883 | NY4 | 70 | 259 | 0 | 0 | .220 | — | — |
| 1884 | NY4 | 62 | 210 | 3 | 0 | .238 | — | — |
| 1885 | NY1 | 47 | 166 | 0 | 12 | .163 | — | — |
| 1886 | NY1 | 64 | 205 | 1 | 20 | .171 | — | — |
| 1887 | NY1 | 56 | 191 | 2 | 23 | .220 | — | — |
| 1888 | NY1 | 51 | 181 | 2 | 8 | .127 | — | — |
| 1889 | NY1 | 47 | 149 | 0 | 8 | .154 | — | — |
| 1890 | NYP | 30 | 92 | 2 | 11 | .109 | — | — |
| 1891 | PHI | 19 | 50 | 0 | 2 | .140 | — | — |
| 1892 | PHI | 39 | 117 | 1 | 3 | .085 | — | — |
| 1893 | PHI | 22 | 79 | 0 | 6 | .228 | — | — |
| Career | 618 | 2083 | 12 | 134 | .187 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | TRN | 12 | 105.0 | 6 | 6 | 0.86 | 276 | 39 | 0.800 |
| 1881 | TRN | 45 | 403.0 | 18 | 27 | 3.24 | 85 | 103 | 1.283 |
| 1882 | TRN | 43 | 376.0 | 17 | 26 | 2.49 | 112 | 111 | 1.184 |
| 1883 | NY4 | 68 | 619.0 | 41 | 27 | 2.41 | 134 | 359 | 0.963 |
| 1884 | NY4 | 58 | 483.0 | 37 | 17 | 2.25 | 138 | 334 | 0.934 |
| 1885 | NY1 | 46 | 400.0 | 32 | 13 | 1.58 | 192 | 227 | 1.005 |
| 1886 | NY1 | 64 | 535.0 | 42 | 20 | 2.56 | 132 | 297 | 1.086 |
| 1887 | NY1 | 56 | 476.7 | 35 | 19 | 3.12 | 134 | 189 | 1.124 |
| 1888 | NY1 | 51 | 434.3 | 35 | 12 | 1.74 | 170 | 335 | 0.937 |
| 1889 | NY1 | 47 | 364.0 | 28 | 13 | 3.36 | 117 | 225 | 1.291 |
| 1890 | NYP | 30 | 229.0 | 17 | 11 | 3.38 | 115 | 89 | 1.371 |
| 1891 | PHI | 19 | 133.3 | 5 | 11 | 4.46 | 79 | 64 | 1.568 |
| 1892 | PHI | 39 | 313.3 | 19 | 16 | 2.36 | 139 | 136 | 1.203 |
| 1893 | PHI | 22 | 178.0 | 10 | 7 | 4.40 | 106 | 56 | 1.584 |
| Career | 600 | 5049.6 | 342 | 225 | — | — | 2564 | — | |
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