Pete Dowling
Henry Peter Dowling (July 15, 1876 – June 30, 1905) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1901. He played for the Louisville Colonels, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cleveland Blues.[1]
Pete Dowling | |||
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Pitcher | |||
Born: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | July 15, 1876|||
Died: June 30, 1905 28) Hot Lake, Oregon, U.S. | (aged|||
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MLB debut | |||
July 17, 1897, for the Louisville Colonels | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 28, 1901, for the Cleveland Blues | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 39–65 | ||
Earned run average | 3.87 | ||
Strikeouts | 299 | ||
Teams | |||
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Early life
Dowling was the eldest child of Michael J. and Ellen Dowling of St. Louis, Missouri.[2]
Career
Dowling, a left-handed pitcher, made his major-league baseball debut with the Louisville Colonels on July 17, 1897.[2] In his first season, he had 30 starts, of which he won 13 and lost 20, with a 4.16 ERA.[2] After the ousting of Louisville from the National League following the 1899 season, Dowling had planned to play with the Pittsburgh club, but began to develop a serious drinking problem that put his career in limbo.[2]
He relocated to Kentucky, where his family lived, before playing with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1900.[2] He would later play in Sacramento, California as well, but his alcoholism further jeopardized his career, and he was terminated.[2] Afterward, Dowling played with the Butte Miners, and later with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1904.[2]
On June 30, 1901, pitching for the Cleveland Blues against the Brewers, Dowling threw what may have been the first no-hitter in the American League's young history.[3][4] He walked four batters and struck out none. The status of this game was disputed for 119 years, as Wid Conroy reached base in the seventh inning and some sources credit him with an infield single.[5][6] Conroy's career statistics do not credit him with a hit in this game.[7] As of December 18th, 2020, Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference have awarded Dowling with the no-hitter, but the Elias Sports Bureau (the official statisticians of Major League Baseball) has not recognized it.[8]
Death
On June 30, 1905, Dowling was on his way to La Grande, Oregon, where he had joined a semipro team. Dowling missed his train at Fox Lake station in Union County, and decided to walk along the tracks en route to the game.[2] While walking on the track in Hot Lake, Dowling was struck by an oncoming train which decapitated him.[9] He was interred at Odd Fellows Cemetery in La Grande.[9]
References
- "Baseball Reference-Pete Dowling Statistics". Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- "Pete Dowling". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- "Cleveland's Pete Dowling tosses the American League's first no-hitter — or does he?". Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- "Cleveland Blues at Milwaukee Brewers Box Score, June 30, 1901". Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- "Dowling Has A Puzzle". The St. Paul Globe. July 1, 1901.
- "American League". The Minneapolis Journal. July 1, 1901.
- "Wid Conroy stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- "He got his no-hitter, 119 years after throwing it". MLB.com. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- Lee 2009, p. 109.
Sources
- Lee, Bill (2009). The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of More Than 7,600 Major League Players and Others. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-44239-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Noodles Hahn |
No-hitter pitcher June 30, 1901 (disputed) |
Succeeded by Christy Mathewson |