George Edward "Stump" Wiedman (February 17, 1861 – March 2, 1905) was a Major League Baseball pitcher and outfielder for 9 years from 1880 to 1888.
Born in Rochester, New York, Stump appeared in 279 games as a right-handed pitcher but also appeared in 122 games as an outfielder. He began his Major League career in 1881 with the Buffalo Bisons, where he went 0–9 in 13 starts. Over the five seasons that followed (1881–1885), Wiedman played for the Detroit Wolverines. He led the National League in ERA in 1881 while playing for Detroit. For his career, he compiled a 101–156 record in 279 appearances, with a 3.60 ERA and 910 strikeouts.
In 1881, pitching for the Detroit Wolverines, Wiedman had the lowest ERA in the National League at 1.80. He also had the lowest WHIP rating (walks + hits per inning pitched) at 1.043.
Wiedman had another strong year in 1882, winning 25 games, pitching 411 innings and 43 complete games with a WHIP rating of 1.046 (4th best in the National League).
While he won 25 games in 1882, Wiedman also ranked among the league leaders with 20 losses. Wiedman lost at least 20 games for five consecutive seasons from 1882 to 1886, ranking among the league leaders in losses for each of those seasons.
In 1886, Wiedman played for the Kansas City Cowboys, losing 36 games—the 9th highest single season loss total in Major League history.
In 1887, Wiedman returned to the Wolverines, where he went 13–7 helping them to the 1887 National League pennant. However, he was purchased mid-year by the New York Metropolitans and finished his major league career in 1888 with the New York Giants.
Wiedman died in New York City at the age of 44. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, in Rochester, New York.
Famous quotes containing the word stump:
“The birch stripped of its bark, or the charred stump where a tree has been burned down to be made into a canoe,—these are the only traces of man, a fabulous wild man to us. On either side, the primeval forest stretches away uninterrupted to Canada, or to the “South Sea”; to the white man a drear and howling wilderness, but to the Indian a home, adapted to his nature, and cheerful as the smile of the Great Spirit.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)