Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as a 25 year old rookie out of Gettysburg College in 1901, he was the winningest lefthander in Major League history until Warren Spahn. Pitching mostly for Connie Mack's great Philadelphia A's teams, he won 327 games between 1901 and 1917. Eddie was famous for his sidearm curve known as the "cross-fire" that cut across the plate at an angle disconcerting to batters. Although The A's had other pitchers that were more glamorous like Rube Waddell and Chief Bender, Plank was the work horse and a consistent winner year in and year out. Connie Mack considered Plank to be the greatest lefthanded pitcher ever, and the consistent winner of his Philadelphia teams. Babe Ruth considered Eddie Plank to be the toughest pitcher he ever had to face, and Ty Cobb ranked him as the greatest lefthanded pitcher of the pre-war era. By the time his career ended with the St. Louis Browns in 1917, he had accrued a 327-193 won-loss record, with a remarkable 2.34 era, 69 shutouts (fifth all-time), and 412 complete games. He was very unlucky in World Series play, only because he usually went head to head with fellow Pennsylvanian Christy Mathewson. His World Series record was only 2-5 with a 1.32 ERA over 54 innings. A serious, self-contained man, he was deliberate on the mound, often talking to the baseball before he threw it. He was well respected and loved by his teammates, especially fellow pitchers Chief Bender and Jack Coombs and second baseman Eddie Collins. After his retirement, he pitched in the Bethlehem Steel League and later opened a car dealership in Gettysburg. He passed away one day after suffering a stroke at his home in Gettysburg at the age of 50.
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as a 25 year old rookie out of Gettysburg College in 1901, he was the winningest lefthander in Major League history until Warren Spahn. Pitching mostly for Connie Mack's great Philadelphia A's teams, he won 327 games between 1901 and 1917. Eddie was famous for his sidearm curve known as the "cross-fire" that cut across the plate at an angle disconcerting to batters. Although The A's had other pitchers that were more glamorous like Rube Waddell and Chief Bender, Plank was the work horse and a consistent winner year in and year out. Connie Mack considered Plank to be the greatest lefthanded pitcher ever, and the consistent winner of his Philadelphia teams. Babe Ruth considered Eddie Plank to be the toughest pitcher he ever had to face, and Ty Cobb ranked him as the greatest lefthanded pitcher of the pre-war era. By the time his career ended with the St. Louis Browns in 1917, he had accrued a 327-193 won-loss record, with a remarkable 2.34 era, 69 shutouts (fifth all-time), and 412 complete games. He was very unlucky in World Series play, only because he usually went head to head with fellow Pennsylvanian Christy Mathewson. His World Series record was only 2-5 with a 1.32 ERA over 54 innings. A serious, self-contained man, he was deliberate on the mound, often talking to the baseball before he threw it. He was well respected and loved by his teammates, especially fellow pitchers Chief Bender and Jack Coombs and second baseman Eddie Collins. After his retirement, he pitched in the Bethlehem Steel League and later opened a car dealership in Gettysburg. He passed away one day after suffering a stroke at his home in Gettysburg at the age of 50.
Bio by: Frank Russo
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Plank memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
