MLB Forgotten Greats: Remembering Mickey Welch
The third player in MLB history to win 300 games, it only took Mickey Welch eleven years to reach that milestone. Let us take a look back at the Giants star, who was born on this day in 1859.
Mickey Welch made an immediate impact as a 20 year old rookie with the Troy Trojans in 1880. He completed each of his 64 games, posting a 34-30 record with a 2.54 ERA despite leading the league with 162 earned runs. That ERA was a shade below league average, but Welch proved to be a solid addition to the team. Interestingly, he appeared to have a brighter future as a hitter, since his 20 doubles ranked seventh in the National League.
While Welch would never have another season like that with the bat, he would establish himself as a relatively solid starter. He would go 69-64 during his three seasons with Troy, with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.226 WHiP. However, it was not until he joined the New York Giants that he would blossom into a star.
He showed steady improvement in both 1883 and 1884 before putting together his best season in 1885. That year, Welch was 44-11, with a 1.66 ERA and a 1.022 WHiP. Once again, he completed every game he started, and in his one relief appearance, he recorded a save. Welch led the National League with a .800 winning percentage, and was second in both wins and ERA.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Although Welch would never hit those heights again, he was still a solid pitcher. He continually completed nearly every game he started, ending his career with 525 complete games in 565 starts. Welch also proved to be a consistent starter, winning 20 or more games and throwing 300 or more innings in nine of his 13 seasons.
That consistency helped Welch as he became the third pitcher in MLB history to reach the 300 win plateau. He did so in eleven years, and at just 30 years old, appeared to have quite the bright future. Instead, he would only win seven more games in his career after notching his 300th victory, as those innings took a toll on his arm.
Despite winning 300 games, Welch faded away in the annuls of the game. Although he lived until 1941, five years after the Hall of Fame was established, Welch was essentially ignored. Of course, as the prime of his career happened 50 years earlier, there were few people in the baseball world left who had seen him pitch. Likewise, he did not have that one transcendent season to put him over the top and to keep him in the consciousness of the BBWAA. Eventually, Welch was enshrined in 1973, an honor that was far overdue.
Welch also holds another unique distinction. On August 10, 1889, he became the first pinch hitter in MLB history, when he went to bat for Hank O’Day in the bottom of the fifth inning. As Welch did play 59 games in the outfield, including 38 games in 1883, it may not be that much of a surprise that a pitcher was the first pinch hitter in the history of the game.
Next: Breaking down the NL Final Vote
One of the top pitchers in his day, Mickey Welch may not have led the league any major category, but he was one of the more consistent pitchers of his time. the third 300 game winner was born on this day in 1859.