Ed Walsh made his debut on May 7, 1904 and over the next two seasons got modest time on the mound. In 1904, he threw in 110 2/3 innings and while he had an ERA of 2.60, that was less then the adjusted league average (ERA+ of 95). The next year, in 1905, he did a little better in more innings. He threw 136 2/3 innings with an even better ERA of 2.17 (113 ERA+) and he also got his strikeout rate up (71 vs.57).
1906 was a breakout year of sorts. Walsh was second on the team and seventh in the league with a miniscule ERA of 1.88 and he was third in the league in strikeouts with 171. He was fourth in the league in WHIP (0.981) and he led the league with 10 shutouts. His record wasn’t all that great (17-13) considering he blanked the other team 10 times, but he got the job done and had a great World Series (two wins, seven hits and one earned run in 17 innings).
After 1906, Ed Walsh went on to have a spectacular, if somewhat short career. In 1907 and 1908, he logged 422 2/3 and 464 innings respectively. In 1908, he won 40 games, had 42 complete games and he did it all with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.860 WHIP.
Walsh’s workload dropped in 1909, but he had outstanding seasons in 1910 through 1912. After that though, he was pretty much done. He held on for five more seasons but never threw more then 100 innings in any of them.
Ed Walsh’s career ERA of 1.82 is the best of any player in modern baseball history. Only one other player, Addie Joss, had an ERA below 2.00 (his was 1.89). Walsh’s ERA+ of 145 is the seventh best mark of all time, just ahead of Roger Clemens who has a 143 ERA+ to date. Walsh’s career WHIP of 1.00 is the second best mark of all time, just behind Addie Joss.
Just a quick note on Ed Walsh and Addie Joss, the two squared off near the end of the 1908 season on October 2 and the game is billed as one of the greatest pitching duals of all time. Walsh gave up a single run on four hits and Joss pitched a perfect game. The sole run scored on a passed ball.
Here’s a look at Ed Walsh’s numbers in 1906:
Wins 17
Losses 13
Games 41
Games Started 31
Complete Games 24
Innings Pitched 278.1
Hits 215
Runs 83
Earned Runs 58
Walks 58
Strikeouts 171
ERA 1.88
Runs Saved Above Average 15
Shutouts 10
H/9 6.95
BR/9 9.05
SO/9 5.53
BB/9 1.88
SO/BB 2.95
Neutral Wins 18
Neutral Losses 12
