12. Kid Nichols, 361 wins, 2.96 ERA, 5,067 1/3 innings, 1,881 strikeouts, 116.1 bWAR
After an incredible career in Midwest amateur and semipro leagues, Nichols created a bit of a bidding war between Boston and Cincinnati for his services before the 1890 season. In spite of that, few knew who the excellent young rookie was until he and ace pitcher Amos Rusie of the New York Giants tangled in a May 12th matchup that went 13 innings before Nichols gave up the winning run, and journalists ate up the incredible pitchers’ duel, giving Nichols plenty of note from that point forward.
Nichols would go on to toss 424 innings his rookie season at age 20 and win 27 games. He would win 30 or more every season thereafter until 1899 except one. While he was incredibly successful on the mound, Nichols had a penchant for pushing the envelope in the game, and after his age-31 season, he left major league baseball to co-own and manage a team in a new league that was challenging the majors in its style of play. While the new league would fold, many of its innovations would be adopted into the modern game as the 20th century began.
Nichols also enjoyed teaching the game, managing multiple collegiate squads after the season was over and then playing the game as a player/manager or just a wise veteran for many years in semi-pro and amateur baseball after he retired following the 1906 season. He had a major influence on New York baseball in the 1950s and 1960s as he mentored a young Casey Stengel, who was Nichols’ neighbor, and he began a youth baseball league that became the proving ground for Mickey Mantle.
When the Hall of Fame began inducting classes, major names began to step forward to insist that Nichols be included, and when none other than Ty Cobb insisted that Nichols was the pitcher that frustrated him the most in his playing career, he was finally elected to the Hall of Fame in 1949.
Next: 11. Knucksie