Pittsburgh Pirates History: Ed Doheny Disappears from Team
The Pittsburgh Pirates were a juggernaut, and Ed Doheny was one of their finer pitchers. On this day in 1903, Doheny suddenly disappeared from the team.
In the early 1900s, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a juggernaut. Using players that they raided from the now defunct Louisville Colonels, the Pirates built one of the better teams in the game at the time. Given the talent on the roster, it was not a surprise that players would find success in Pittsburgh.
One of those players that turned their careers around was pitcher Ed Doheny. Noted for his excellent velocity, Doheny also had a lack of command that led to a career 37-69 record with the New York Giants. Frustrated with his inability to harness his stuff, the Giants cut Doheny free on July 15, 1901. He was picked up by the Pirates ten days later, and his career immediately took off.
He quickly became a top pitcher on the talented Pirates, With his stuff harnessed, he became one of the better arms in the National League. However, Doheny still had his personal demons, plagued by mental illness that began to surface in 1903. On this day that year, he abruptly left the team, convinced that he was being followed by detectives. The Pittsburgh Gazette did not hold back, with their headline proclaiming that the talented hurler was deranged.
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Doheny eventually returned to the team. He pitched well, but was given a leave of absence on September 7 after violently attacking several people, never to pitch again. He missed the World Series that season, and that may well have been the difference in the Pirates surprising loss to the Red Sox in eight games.
As for Doheny, the remainder of his life was a tragic one. He was committed to Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts, after being declared mentally insane. The rest of his life was spent in various asylums, before he passed away on December 29, 1916, in the Medfield Insane Asylum. His body was sent back to his native Northfield, Vermont, where he was laid to rest in Old Catholic Cemetery.
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Ed Doheny turned his career around with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately, his mental health began to suffer, leading his eventually spending the rest of his life in various asylums.