Baseball History: Remembering Larry Corcoran
One of the bright pitching stars in the early days of baseball history, Larry Corcoran was responsible for quite a few firsts. Born on this day in 1859, let us take a look back at his career.
Larry Corcoran burst on the scene as a 27 year old rookie in 1880. A part of the first true pitching rotation in baseball history, Corcoran paired with Fred Goldsmith to give the Chicago White Stockings (as the Cibs were called in those days) quite the formidable duo. He led the league with 99 walks, but also had a league leading 268 strikeouts in his 536.1 innings. Corcoran also placed second in the league with 43 wins, training only Jim McCormick, and threw a no hitter. It was quite the impressive debut.
He continued to impress over the next few years. In 1881, Corcoran was not quite the same pitcher, but he did lead the league with 31 victories. The following year, he captured the ERA title, posting a 1.95 ERA and a 0.967 WHiP to go along with a 27-12 record. He also became the first pitcher in baseball history to throw two no hitters in a career.
Corcoran continue to steam right along over the next two seasons. He won over 30 games and threw over 470 innings both years, continuing his reputation as a workhorse. He threw a third no hitter that year, establishing a major league record that would not be surpassed until Sandy Koufax had his fourth no hitter in 1965.
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That no hitter was not Corcoran’s only feat of the 1884 campaign. On June 16, 1884, he developed a swollen right index finger during a game. Instead of exiting, he began throwing with both arms over the final four innings, making him the first ambidextrous pitcher in baseball history. He was also credited with developing catcher signals, alerting his backstop as to what pitch was coming by moving his wad of chewing tobacco around in his mound.
Unfortunately, that 1884 season would be the last effective one for Corcoran. After throwing over 2200 innings in five seasons, his arm was dead, leaving him a shell of his former self. He bounced around the majors for three more seasons before being let go, his major league career over at 27 years old.
Even with that brief time, Corcoran was still an impressive player. He ended his career with a 177-89 record, along with a 2.36 ERA and a 1.105 WHiP. In his 2392.1 innings, he struck out 1086 batters against 496 walks. Considering that most of those numbers were accumulated during those first five years, Corcoran could have been an all time great if his arm stayed healthy. Unfortunately, Corcoran was felled by Bright’s Disease after his playing days, and passed away at 32 years old.
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Larry Corcoran made quite the impact in his brief major league career. His career is certainly worthy of being remembered.