SF Hess Sweeney -

My information indicates that this card mfgr. has produced the only cards depicting this player.
And this player may be considered important by collectors whose accumulations are based on historical incidents.
Charlie Sweeney is one of (a surprisingly) quite a few pitchers who have achieved 40 wins in a season.
He also set the record for Ks in a game which would not be broken by the Big Train, Feller or anyone else for over 100 years (until Clemens).
The book which Jerry came across seems to me, to paint this player as a Doc Holliday, while Rhett's analysis reads more like a touch of realism.
We recognize that this was a 21 year old Californian who was a bit immature and a bit out of his element ....... but doing extremely well: hitting .300+ and getting write-ups from back home like -
"He was the first and only man that I ever saw who would curve an out-ball to a left hand batsman. Several of the pitchers can get a shoot, but his was a clean curve. He has the unequaled record, up to the present day, of nineteen strike-outs in one game." — Tim Murran, The California Spirit of the Times & Underwriter’s Journal, September 17, 1887.
Of course, the season in question is 1884, but I do not have any of those articles handy, however, it appears certain that favorable reviews were offered.
In any event, Sweeney did not capitalize on his baseball talents, apparently favoring a more rowdy lifestyle to that of a ballplayer. In additiion to 41 wins, a 19K game and .300+BA, Sweeney recorded a 1.70 ERA and walked 42 in nearly 500 innings pitched during 1884. As strange as it is, Hugh Daily of the Chicago Browns also struck out 19 batters in a game - one month after Sweeney.
Steve Carlton was the next to do that.

Just my take.

I'd much rather have a card of a player like Sweeney that has a interesting story (accomplishments) than a player that had a cup of Coffee in the bigs with not much of a story.

I don't mean to Hijack this thread but would I would like to tell a short story about a PCL player whose card I own. The Player is "Kid Mohler"

Kid Molher holds the career minor league record for games played at second base (2,871 games) even though he threw left-handed. He played just three games in the majors with the 1894 Washington Senators, but during the course of his minor league career, he hit .264 with 769 stolen bases (second all-time).
In 1909 , The 5'4" Left Handed 2nd sacker was Captain of the SF Seals that won the PCL Flag with a record of 132-80. Man did PCL teams play a long schedule, or what.

After his playing days ended, Mohler was head baseball coach at the United States Naval Academy for many years

This is one of the great aspects of this Hobby , learning about players such as Sweeney & Mohler. Guys that have great stories albeit in the Minor Leagues.

I have a hard time getting my brain around a Left-Handed 2nd baseman especially one as good as the Kid obviously was. The only thing weirder in my mind would be a left-Handed Catcher or a One-Armed Right fielder but Hey, there was a One-Armed Right fielder.

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Good stuff, guys. Jerry, no worries about a hijack here, I'm sure everyone likes to hear stories about old time ball players that appear on our cards. I've always kinda dug that T212 Mohler portrait pose, nice to hear some background on him.

On a related note, did anyone catch the 1884 Scorecard for Charlie Sweeney’s Record 19 Strikeout Game in REA? I'm not gonna go for it as a companion piece to the N321 (had to break the piggy bank for that one), but a neat piece of history nonetheless.

1884 was the year of many occurences in baseball including the White Stockings team setting the season HR record that would not be broken until the Yankees of the thirties.
Similarly, eight pitchers won 40 or more games; thirteen struck out more than 300 batters, with an additional 4 recording 400 or more Ks.

The Union Association was formed, and played it's only year. Pitching rules were changed to allow overhand pitching. However in order to try to keep the mix somewhat balanced, baseball allowed the continuance of the batter's right to demand a high or low pitch through 1886:

1876 ...
The batsman, on taking his position, must call for a 'high,' 'low,' or 'fair' pitch, and the umpire shall notify the pitcher to deliver the ball as required; such a call cannot be changed after the first pitch is delivered.
High - pitches over the plate between the batter's waist and shoulders
Low - pitches over the plate between the batter's waist and at least one foot from the ground.
Fair - pitches over the plate between the batter's shoulders and at least one foot from the ground.


This is the matrix which young Charlie Sweeney entered and produced his noteworthy season.

In three years the batter calling for a high or low pitch will be abolished, and six years after that, the pitching distance will be installed where it is today.

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TheRiddler wrote:1884 .... Pitching rules were changed to allow overhand pitching. However in order to try to keep the mix somewhat balanced, baseball allowed the continuance of the batter's right to demand a high or low pitch through 1886:

1876 ...
The batsman, on taking his position, must call for a 'high,' 'low,' or 'fair' pitch, and the umpire shall notify the pitcher to deliver the ball as required; such a call cannot be changed after the first pitch is delivered.
High - pitches over the plate between the batter's waist and shoulders
Low - pitches over the plate between the batter's waist and at least one foot from the ground.
Fair - pitches over the plate between the batter's shoulders and at least one foot from the ground.

While it is true that overhand pitching was allowed, the pitching distance was set at little league size.
Prior to overhand pitching, varieties of underhand deliveries were seen; mostly due to a sizable pitcher's box. Pitchers ran toward the batters before releasing the ball - to increase the velocity of their delivery and to intimidate and deceive the hitter.

Many pitchers just took a few running steps and flung the ball as hard as they could. Others were more inventive. Reportedly Guy Hecker incorporated twirls, screaming, and arm waving in his charge toward the batter. Silver King started in the back left corner of the box, stepped to his right, then threw side arm across his body, to effectively hide the ball from the batter.

Must have been something to see. I can visualize a batter ducking a pitch heading toward his skull; which from the short distance could break over the plate.
But the change to overhand in 1884 may have caught the batters unprepared (I have not checked out all of the numbers yet - ?)