Fred Goldsmith
From BR Bullpen
Fredrick Ernest Goldsmith
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut October 23, 1875
- Final Game September 10, 1884
- Born May 15, 1856 in New Haven, CT USA
- Died March 28, 1939 in Berkley, MI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
The Chicago White Stockings dominated baseball from 1880 to 1882, and Fred Goldsmith was one of the reasons.
He started with the 1879 Troy Trojans, in the same year that Dan Brouthers broke in. In 1880, he went 21-3 with Chicago, as the # 2 pitcher behind Larry Corcoran. The White Stockings won the pennant by 15 games.
In 1883, the White Stockings finished second and in 1884 they faded to fifth. Goldsmith also started to struggle, and in August 1884 the White Stockings sold him to the American Association Baltimore Orioles, where he finished his major league career.
Prior to his major league career, he pitched for London in the International Association, a league made up of U.S. and Canadian teams.
He insisted that he was the inventor of the curveball, having been the first to show it in public demonstration (reportedly in 1870).
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Winning Percentage Leader (1880)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 4 (1880-1883)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (1880-1884)
- 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1881-1883)
- 400 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1882)
