Jesse Joseph "Pop" Haines, (July 22, 1893 – August 5, 1978) was a right-handed Major League Baseball

Major 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...

 pitcher

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...

 and knuckleball

Knuckleball

A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...

er. He played briefly in 1918, then from 1920 to 1937.

Career

Haines was born in Clayton, Ohio

Clayton, Ohio

Clayton is a city in Montgomery and Miami Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 13,209 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. He saw brief Major League action in 1918 with the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

,but became a fixture in the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 starting rotation in 1920. Despite a 13-20 record, he pitched 301 2/3 innings

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...

, the highest output of his career, and recorded a 2.98 ERA

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

.

Haines's luck changed over subsequent seasons. Playing until 1937, at the age of 43, he won 20 games or more three times for the Cardinals and won three World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

 championships (in 1926

1926 World Series

The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball season, featuring the St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees...

,1931

1931 World Series

In the 1931 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Athletics in seven games, a rematch and reversal of fortunes of the 1930 World Series.The same two teams faced off during the 1930 World Series and the Athletics were victorious...

  and 1934

1934 World Series

The 1934 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" winning in seven games for their third championship in nine years....

). He retired with a 210-158 record, 3.64 ERA and 3208 2/3 innings pitched.

Haines threw 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 17, 1924 against the Boston Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

.

Hall of Fame induction

After failing to gain more than 8.3% of the votes for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame over a 12-year period, Haines was voted in by the Veterans Committee

Veterans Committee

The Veterans Committee is the popular name of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee to Consider Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players, a committee of the U.S...

 (VC) in 1970

Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1970

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1970 followed the system of annual elections in place since 1968.The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players andelected Lou Boudreau....

. Frankie Frisch

Frankie Frisch

Francis “Frankie” Frisch , nicknamed the "Fordham Flash" or "The Old Flash", was a German American Major League Baseball player of the early twentieth century....

, a member of the VC, also shepherded the selections of teammates Dave Bancroft

Dave Bancroft

David James "Beauty" Bancroft was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1930. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame....

 and Chick Hafey

Chick Hafey

Charles James "Chick" Hafey was an American player in Major League Baseball. Hafey was part of two World Series championship teams as a St. Louis Cardinal, and was selected by the Veteran's Committee for the Hall of Fame in .Playing for the St...

 in 1971

Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1971

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1971 featured a new committee on the Negro Leagues that met in February and selected Satchel Paige. The museum planned to honor Paige and those who would follow in a special permanent exhibit outside the Hall of Fame but controversy about the nature of the...

, Ross Youngs

Ross Youngs

Ross Middlebrook Youngs was a Major League Baseball outfielder best known for his superb defense and consistent hitting....

 in 1972

Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1972

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1972 followed the system established one year earlier.The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players and...

, George Kelly in 1973

Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1973

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1973 followed the system in place since 1971, except by adding the special election of Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve....

, and Jim Bottomley

Jim Bottomley

James Leroy Bottomley was born in Oglesby, Illinois and grew up in Nokomis, Illinois. Nicknamed "Sunny Jim" because of his cheerful disposition, he was a left-handed Major League Baseball player. He also served as player-manager for the St. Louis Browns in 1937.-Career:As a first baseman for the...

 in 1974

Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1974

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1974 followed the system in place since 1971.The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players andelected two, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle....

. Alex Remington of Yahoo! Sports

Yahoo! Sports

Yahoo! Sports was launched on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc., employs various writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American sport...

 has postulated that Haines may be "the worst player in the Hall of Fame."

See also

• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

External links