Dodgers History: Elmer Stricklett Throws First Spitball in MLB
By David Hill
The spitball has earned a mystique around the game, likely as it is one of the few pitches that has ever been banned. Yet, it was not until this day in 1905, when Dodgers pitcher Elmer Stricklett debuted his ‘mystery pitch’ that the spitter first appeared.
After Carl Mays accidentally hit Ray Chapman in the head with a pitch on August 16, 1920, resulting in Chapman’s untimely and tragic passing, changes were made to the game. Scuffing and otherwise doctoring the baseball became illegal, with the spitball becoming banned. However, those pitchers who were currently in the majors at the time were grandfathered in, allowed to continue to throw the pitch until they retired.
Interestingly, the spitball did not have a long history in the majors at the time it was banned. In fact, it was not until this day in 1905, when Elmer Stricklett debuted his ‘mystery pitch’ as the Superbas, as the Dodgers were called back then, face the New York Giants. That pitch was later to be called the spitball, marking the first time the pitch had been used in the majors.
However, Stricklett himself did not invent the pitch. Instead, George Hildebrand, who later became a long time umpire, showed the young pitcher how to throw the ball. Hildebrand, in turn, learned the pitch from Frank Corridon, who had a six year career himself. While he was in the majors before Stricklett, there is no proof that he used the spitter in a game prior to then.
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Given the movement and effectiveness of the pitch, Stricklett popularized the spitter. He, along with Corridon and Hildebrand, began to teach the ball to others. Players such as Ed Walsh, Burleigh Grimes, and Jack Chesboro, rode the spitter to Hall of Fame careers.
Stricklett, meanwhile, would have been a relatively anonymous pitcher if not for his part in bringing the spitter to the forefront. He only spent four years in the majors, posting a 35-51 record with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.269 WHiP. He was, however, far more effective in the minors, where it is estimated that he won over 200 games in his career.
There is an aura of mystique surrounding the spitter, due to its illegal nature and the unpredictably of the offering. On this day in 1905, Elmer Stricklett became the first player to use the pitch in the majors, helping to revolutionize the game, for a time, in the process.