Giants History: Remembering Charlie Faust

For most baseball players, it takes hard work, ability, and determination to reach the majors. In the case of former New York Giants pitcher Charlie Faust, it took the superstitious nature of manager John McGraw.

Charlie Faust should not have been a major league player. Born on this day in 1880, he was considered relatively slow witted in his youth, and was completely incapable of taking care of the family farm. His life likely would have passed in obscurity, had it not been for a trip to the county fair in 1911.

There, he met a fortune teller who convinced Faust that he would lead the New York Giants to the championship. He had just enough intellect to understand the concept, and made his way to New York, where he met manager John McGraw in a hotel lobby. The superstitious McGraw brought Faust to the ballpark for a tryout, and quickly saw that he was not a ballplayer. However, he had Faust run the bases, sliding into every base as a joke.

The problem was, the Giants won that day. McGraw brought Faust back over the next two days, and the Giants won those contests as well. However, after they finished the road trip after leaving Faust behind in St. Louis, New York struggled. When they returned home, the would be ballplayer was waiting at the Polo Grounds.

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For that point, the legend of Charlie Faust took off. The Giants went on a winning streak, winning 36 out of 38 games. He was a sideshow, the butt of the Giants practical jokes, but no one could doubt his influence on the team’s performance. Eventually, after New York clinched the pennant, Faust played in two games. He allowed just one run on two hits in his two innings on the mound. In his only plate appearance, Faust was hit by a pitch, then allowed to steal two bases before scoring a run. However, his value fell off as the Giants lost the World Series that year.

Faust surprisingly showed up to Spring Training the next year, attempting to latch on with the Superbas (Dodgers). He tried to teach himself to throw left handed, thinking he would be even more valuable to McGraw and the Giants as an ambidextrous pitcher. Brooklyn manager Bill Dahlen let Faust pitch a complete game in Hot Springs, where he only allowed four runs. Convinced that he could be a viable major leaguer, Faust returned to the Giants, even though he would have to pay his own way on road trips going forward.

Again, the Giants started off hot with Faust in tow. They were 54-11 in their first 65 games, but Faust continued to insist on pitching. McGraw tired on those demands, and permanently dismissed him from the team. That did not stop his dreams of returning to the majors, as Faust repetitively wrote to the Giants and Major League Baseball to request reinstatement.

Unfortunately, Faust’s tale does not have a happy ending. He had been in Seattle, staying with a brother, when he decided to rejoin the Giants in 1914, intent on walking to the Polo Grounds. Faust made his way to Portland, where he was committed after being found wandering the streets. He listed his profession as a professional ballplayer, and was found to be suffering from dementia. Although he was released to his brother’s care, he was soon returned to Western State Hospital, where he died of tuberculosis in 1915.

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There may never be another major league career quite like the one Charlie Faust had. For whatever reason, he was certainly good luck for the New York Giants.

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