Red Oldham
Encyclopedia
John Cyrus "Red" Oldham (July 15, 1893 – January 28, 1961) was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
who played five years with the Detroit Tigers
(1914–1915, 1920–1922) and two years with the Pittsburgh Pirates
(1925–1926). He pitched the final inning of the 1925 World Series
for the Pirates, striking out Goose Goslin
to end the game and the series.
, Oldham was drafted by the Detroit Tigers
on July 31, 1914. Boston Red Sox
owner Joseph Lannin
bought the Providence Grays
and Melrose Park from the Tigers for $75‚000. Detroit got to pick one player from the Providence roster and they selected Oldham‚ overlooking Carl Mays
.
Oldham made his debut for the Tigers at age 21 in August 1914 and pitched in nine games for the 1914 team—seven as a starter. He had a record of 2–4 with a 3.38 ERA (Adjusted ERA+
of 83) in 45.3 innings pitched.
In 1915, Oldham played in 17 games for Detroit, only two as a starter. He had a 3-0 record with a 2.81 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 107) in 57.7 innings pitched.
On April 5, 1916, the Tigers released Oldham to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League
"under optional agreement."
Oldham returned to the Tigers in 1920, playing in 39 games, including 22 as a starter. He had a record of 8-13 with a 3.85 ERA (Adjusted ERA+
of 97).
In 1921, Oldham was the #3 starter behind Dutch Leonard
and Hooks Dauss
on the 1921 Tigers team
that set all time American League
records with 1724 runs scored
and a team batting average
of .316. But without pitching, the 1921 team finished in sixth place, 27 games behind the Yankees. With a 4.24 ERA
(11-14 record), Oldham had the second lowest ERA on the 1921 team.
In 1921, Ty Cobb
became the Tigers' manager. Shortly after an interview in which he told a reporter that "his aim was to use tact and diplomacy" in dealing with players, Cobb called time-out from his position in center field, "ran in, wrested the ball from pitcher Red Oldham's hand, and gave him a dressing-down before calling in a reliever."
Oldham played his final season in Detroit in 1922, going 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 83).
on the charge of playing winter baseball in Los Angeles, had announced that he would retire from baseball and go into business.
There were also published reports that Odham signed on with the Santa Rita team in the Copper League. It was reported that during the 1924 season, the Santa Rita team had signed up Oldham to pitch. Santa Rita tried to sneak him into the game under the assumed name of Miller. The El Paso team, however, caught them at their game and refused to play if Oldham participated.
. He appeared in 11 games and had a record of 3–2 in 53 innings pitched. His ERA
in 1925 was 3.91, well below the league average, for a career high Adjusted ERA+
of 115.
Oldham accompanied the Pirates to the 1925 World Series
against the Washington Senators
. He pitched the final inning of Game 7 on October 15, 1925, before 42,856 fans at Forbes Field
in Pittsburgh
. In the 8th inning, AL MVP Roger Peckinpaugh
homered to put the Senators on top 7–6. In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Pirates scored three runs to take a 9–7 lead. Then, in the top of the 9th inning, Oldham entered the game with the heart of the Washington lineup coming to bat. Oldham proceeded to pitch a masterful 1-2-3 inning against three future Hall of Famers. He struck out Sam Rice
looking, got Bucky Harris
on a lineout to second base, and finished the game by striking out Goose Goslin
looking. The Pirates won the game and the World Series with Oldham on the mound. Walter Johnson
was the losing pitcher for the Senators.
In 1926, Oldham's ERA soared to a career high 5.64 (Adjusted ERA+ of 70). He played his last major league game on July 8, 1926.
of 4.15.
Oldham died in Costa Mesa, California
at age 77 in 1961.
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...
who played five years with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1914–1915, 1920–1922) and two years with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1925–1926). He pitched the final inning of the 1925 World Series
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...
for the Pirates, striking out Goose Goslin
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin was a left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his powerful left-handed swing and dependable clutch hitting. He played 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until...
to end the game and the series.
Detroit Tigers
Born in Zion, MarylandZion, Maryland
Zion is an unincorporated community in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The Isaac England House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980....
, Oldham was drafted by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
on July 31, 1914. Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
owner Joseph Lannin
Joseph Lannin
Joseph John Lannin was a Canadian-born American baseball entrepreneur.-Biography:He was born in Lac-Beauport, Quebec, Canada, the son of Irish immigrants....
bought the Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
and Melrose Park from the Tigers for $75‚000. Detroit got to pick one player from the Providence roster and they selected Oldham‚ overlooking Carl Mays
Carl Mays
Carl William Mays was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. Despite impressive career statistics, he is primarily remembered for throwing a beanball on August 16, 1920, that struck and killed Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians, making Chapman one of two people to die...
.
Oldham made his debut for the Tigers at age 21 in August 1914 and pitched in nine games for the 1914 team—seven as a starter. He had a record of 2–4 with a 3.38 ERA (Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
of 83) in 45.3 innings pitched.
In 1915, Oldham played in 17 games for Detroit, only two as a starter. He had a 3-0 record with a 2.81 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 107) in 57.7 innings pitched.
On April 5, 1916, the Tigers released Oldham to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
"under optional agreement."
Oldham returned to the Tigers in 1920, playing in 39 games, including 22 as a starter. He had a record of 8-13 with a 3.85 ERA (Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
of 97).
In 1921, Oldham was the #3 starter behind Dutch Leonard
Dutch Leonard (left-handed pitcher)
Hubert Benjamin "Dutch" Leonard, was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career from 1913–1921, 1924-1925. He played for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, and holds the major league modern-era record for the lowest single-season ERA of all time — 0.96...
and Hooks Dauss
Hooks Dauss
George August "Hooks" Dauss was a Major League pitcher who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. Nicknamed 'Hooks' or 'Hookey' because of his hard-to-hit curveball...
on the 1921 Tigers team
1921 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers finished in sixth place in the American League, 27 games behind the Yankees, with a record of 71-82. Despite their sixth place finish, the 1921 Tigers amassed 1,724 hits and a team batting average of .316—the highest team hit total and batting average in American League history...
that set all time American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
records with 1724 runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
and a team batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .316. But without pitching, the 1921 team finished in sixth place, 27 games behind the Yankees. With a 4.24 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...
(11-14 record), Oldham had the second lowest ERA on the 1921 team.
In 1921, Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
became the Tigers' manager. Shortly after an interview in which he told a reporter that "his aim was to use tact and diplomacy" in dealing with players, Cobb called time-out from his position in center field, "ran in, wrested the ball from pitcher Red Oldham's hand, and gave him a dressing-down before calling in a reliever."
Oldham played his final season in Detroit in 1922, going 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 83).
Minor leagues
On November 24, 1922, the New York Times reported that Oldham, who was under investigation by Judge LandisKenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
on the charge of playing winter baseball in Los Angeles, had announced that he would retire from baseball and go into business.
There were also published reports that Odham signed on with the Santa Rita team in the Copper League. It was reported that during the 1924 season, the Santa Rita team had signed up Oldham to pitch. Santa Rita tried to sneak him into the game under the assumed name of Miller. The El Paso team, however, caught them at their game and refused to play if Oldham participated.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oldham made it back to the big leagues in 1925 with the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. He appeared in 11 games and had a record of 3–2 in 53 innings pitched. His 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...
in 1925 was 3.91, well below the league average, for a career high Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+
Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
of 115.
Oldham accompanied the Pirates to the 1925 World Series
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...
against the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. He pitched the final inning of Game 7 on October 15, 1925, before 42,856 fans at Forbes Field
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. In the 8th inning, AL MVP Roger Peckinpaugh
Roger Peckinpaugh
Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox...
homered to put the Senators on top 7–6. In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Pirates scored three runs to take a 9–7 lead. Then, in the top of the 9th inning, Oldham entered the game with the heart of the Washington lineup coming to bat. Oldham proceeded to pitch a masterful 1-2-3 inning against three future Hall of Famers. He struck out Sam Rice
Sam Rice
Edgar Charles "Sam" Rice was an American pitcher and right fielder in Major League Baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963....
looking, got Bucky Harris
Bucky Harris
Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris was a Major League Baseball player, manager and executive. In 1975, the Veterans Committee elected Harris, as a manager, to the Baseball Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
on a lineout to second base, and finished the game by striking out Goose Goslin
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin was a left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his powerful left-handed swing and dependable clutch hitting. He played 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until...
looking. The Pirates won the game and the World Series with Oldham on the mound. Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...
was the losing pitcher for the Senators.
In 1926, Oldham's ERA soared to a career high 5.64 (Adjusted ERA+ of 70). He played his last major league game on July 8, 1926.
Career statistics and death
In his seven major league seasons, Oldham appeared in 176 games (92 as a starter) and had a record of 39-48 with 292 walks, 267 strikeouts, and an ERAEarned 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...
of 4.15.
Oldham died in Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
at age 77 in 1961.