Athletics History: Bruno Haas Sets Walk Record in MLB Debut
Every player wants their major league debut to be memorable. In the case of Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Bruno Haas, his debut was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
The Philadelphia Athletics had their moments when they were truly desperate for pitching. After selling off his talent following a loss in the 1914 World Series, Connie Mack was desperate for pitching. His son Roy, who was in high school, wrote his father about a pitcher who he felt had a great deal of potential, Bruno Haas. Taking his son’s recommendation, Mack signed the pitcher, who would make his debut in the second game of a double header on this day in in 1915.
Haas would have quite the memorable debut, although it was not in the way that either Mack would have hoped for. Facing the Yankees that day, he threw a complete game, but that was just about the only positive. In addition to allowing 15 runs, eight earned, Haas also allowed 13 hits and threw three wild pitches.
As disastrous as those numbers were, that was not the statistic that drew attention. In that debut outing, Haas walked 16 batters, eclipsing the American League record that had been held by Boardwalk Brown, who had also pitched for the Athletics. That total also tied the major league record, set by Bill George in 1887.
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Unsurprisingly, Haas took the loss in the outing, the only decision of his major league career. He went on to appear in a total of six games on the mound, for a total of 14.1 innings. Haas had a 11.93 ERA and a 3.558 WHiP, walking 28 batters while striking out seven.
After that one season with the Athletics, Haas went on to a long career in the minor leagues. Interestingly, he spent most of that time as an outfielder, becoming a star for the St. Paul Saints. Haas returned to the mound again in 1937, when he was with the Winnipeg Maroons. He would make his final appearance on the mound in 1946 at 55 years old, allowing just two runs in 13 innings for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins.
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Bruno Haas had a long and productive minor league career, but he is remembered for his debut. On this day in 1915, Haas tied the major league record by issuing 16 walks in his outing for the Athletics.