Addie Joss
Adrian "Addie" Joss (April 12, 1880 – April 14, 1911), nicknamed The Human Hairpin due to his unique windup pitching motion, was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher for the Cleveland Bronchos (later during his career known as the Naps). Joss, who was 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg), pitched the fourth perfect game in baseball history. He played his entire nine-year baseball career, which lasted from 1902 to 1910, for Cleveland. His 1.89 career earned run average (ERA) is the second-lowest in MLB history.
American League (AL) president Ban Johnson called Joss "one of the greatest pitchers the game has ever seen." In addition to his pitching performances, which included two no-hitters and several one-hitters (sources state five, six, and seven), Joss was a sports columnist for two Ohio newspapers. "Many a player has taken a dab at the newspaper end. It would not be surprising if Addie Joss would be in for keeps as soon as his ball playing days are over." But Joss would not get a chance to continue his writing career as he died from tuberculous meningitis in April 1911 at the age of 31.
Joss, who was known as "the American League's Christy Mathewson," had played nine seasons in the major leagues, missing significant portions of various seasons due to illnesses and ailments, including malaria and back pain. National Baseball Hall of Fame requirements for player eligibility included 10 seasons in the majors. However, in 1977, the Hall of Fame's Board of Director's passed a special resolution which granted Joss eligibility. He was inducted by way of the Veterans Committee in 1978.
Read more about Addie Joss: Early Life, Journalism and Engineering Interests, Death and Benefit Game, Recognition, Footnotes