Lester: Cannonball Dick Redding, Iron Man IV
From SABR member Larry Lester at The National Pastime Museum on May 5, 2014:
Cy Young did it. John Clarkson and Old Hoss Radbourn also did it. Ed Walsh, Pud Galvin, Amos Rusie, and Grover Alexander did it twice. However, among Major League pitchers, the top prize goes to Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity, who won complete games of doubleheaders three times during his Hall of Fame career. Considering that today’s millionaire mound-masters are sometimes limited to 100 pitches, the aforementioned men set a standard that may never be tested again.
Could a fellow named Richard “Cannonball Dick” Redding have been McGinnity’s Negro League counterpart? Time travelers discovered that Redding pitched both games of doubleheaders twelve times between 1911 and 1932. On half of these occasions, he pitched complete games, and in the process won both contests four times, one more than mighty Joe.
Redding’s first iron-man feat came on September 24, 1911. As a member of the New York Lincoln Giants, he defeated the Brooklyn Royal Giants twice. With masked man Louis “Big Bertha” Santop behind the plate, Redding won the first game 4–1, struck out eight, walked one, and gave up five hits. In the second game, he shutout the Royal Giants 4–0, struck out nine, walked one, and gave up nine hits.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/cannonball-dick-redding-iron-man-iv
Originally published: May 5, 2014. Last Updated: May 5, 2014.