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Jesse Tannehill
Pitcher
Batted: Both Threw: Left
Born: July 14, 1874
MLB Debut
June 17, 1894 for the Cincinnati Reds
Final game
April 12, 1911 for the Cincinnati Reds
Career Statistics
Pitching Record     197-116
Earned run average     2.79
Strikeouts     940
Teams
Career Highlights and Awards
  • National League pennant: 1901, 1902
  • American League pennant: 1904
  • National League ERA champion: 1901
  • 6 20-win seasons

Jesse Tannehill was a deadball-era left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Highlanders, Boston Red Sox and Pilgrims, and the Washington Senators. Tannehill was among the best pitchers of his era and was one of the best-hitting pitchers of all time. In fact, Tannehill was such a good hitter that he was used in the outfield 87 times in his career.

Biography[]

Tannehill was born on July 14, 1874 in Dayton, KY. He broke into the National League at the age of 19 with the Cincinnati Reds; however, he struggled in 29 innings and did not reappear in the major leagues until three years later. After a partial season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1897, Tannehill, in 1898, set a career high in both innings pitched (326 2/3) and wins (25). Tannehill had several good years with the Pirates until his career year in 1901, when he lead the National League in ERA at 2.18. Tannehill posted an even better ERA in 1902––1.95––but as the league ERA had dropped even more precipitously, he did not lead the National League in ERA.

After six years with the Pirates in the National League, Tannehill got involved in a salary dispute with Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss. As a result, Tannehill jumped to the startup American League franchise, the New York Highlanders. After the season, he was traded by the Highlanders to the Boston Americans for Tom L. Hughes. Tannehill still had some good years left, however. He was an important part of the Pilgrims championship team of 1904, pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on August 17, 1904 (his brother Lee went 0 for three for Chicago) and continued to be an above average pitcher until 1907. After this, however, Tannehill went into precipitous decline, as he was traded to the Washington Senators for Case Patten. Jesse Tannehill retired from Major League Baseball in 1911, with a career ERA of 2.79 and 197 career wins. He died on September 22, 1956.

See also[]

External links[]

Preceded by:
Rube Waddell
National League ERA Champion
1901
Succeeded by:
Jack Taylor
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