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Ed Walsh and Baseball’s Corned Beef and Cabbage Eaters Society
The former MLB pitcher loved to get together with former teammates and opponents to discuss how much better the game was when they played
Right-handed pitcher Ed Walsh was one of the most dominant players in the early part of the 20th century. A 14-year career (1904–1917) spent primarily with the Chicago White Sox resulted in his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. However, once he had thrown his final pitch, he and many of his player peers came to disdain the game they had once dominated. They gathered annually to reminisce about much better the game was when they played.
Walsh accumulated a career record of 195–126. Sadly, he didn’t become a regular until he was 25, and because of injuries, his career was all but over by the time he was 31. He won an amazing 40 games with a 1.42 ERA in 1908, also leading the American League with 11 shutouts and six saves. His career ERA of 1.82 is still the best of all time, while his 1.00 WHIP is second. Relying on a devastating spitball, at his peak, he was as feared as any hurler in baseball.
Playing in the Deadball Era, Walsh saw the game drastically change shortly after his career ended. As might be imagined, he and a number of his peers didn’t…
