Al Orth
From BR Bullpen
Albert Lewis Orth (Smiling Al or The Curveless Wonder)
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
- School DePauw University
- Debut August 15, 1895
- Final Game September 20, 1909
- Born September 5, 1872 in Tipton, IN USA
- Died October 8, 1948 in Lynchburg, VA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Al Orth pitched fifteen seasons in the big leagues, winning 204 games, and also was a pretty good hitter. In addition to his 440 appearances as a pitcher, he was in 55 games as an outfielder, 8 as a shortstop, 6 as a second baseman, and 4 as a first baseman.
He wasn't a position player converted to pitcher in the majors; rather, he started out as a major league pitcher and, starting in his third season in the majors, always appeared each year (except 1908) in a few games as a position player along with being a pitcher.
He led the league in victories in 1906. In his best year with the bat, he hit .324 in 1907, the highest batting average on the 1907 New York Highlanders, whom he also led in victories.
He was known for his control. His 1.77 walks per nine innings is # 47 on the all-time list.
He is one of only two major league players to come out of DePauw University through 2006.
His obituary in the New York Times, which refers to him as "Smiling Al", says he won 28 games at Lynchburg in 1895 before coming up to the majors, where he won eight straight. When injuries eventually forced him out of the majors, in 1908-09 he became a manager of the Lynchburg Shoemakers in the Virginia League (not spending a full year either time) and a coach for Washington and Lee University and for the Virginia Military Institute. He was also a National League umpire. Source: Orth obituary
