- Howie Camnitz
Samuel Howard (Howie) Camnitz (
August 22 ,1881 -March 2 ,1960 ) was astarting pitcher inMajor League Baseball and thePhiladelphia Phillies (1913 [end] ) in theNational League and for thePittsburgh Rebels (1914-15) in theFederal League . A native ofCovington, Kentucky , he batted and threw right handed.In an 11-season career, Camnitz posted a 133-106 record with 915strikeout s and a 2.75 ERA in 2085.1innings pitched .Camnitz pitched briefly with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1904 and 1906. In his first full season in 1907, he had a 13-8 record with a 2.15 ERA in 180 innings, including a five-inning
no-hitter against the New York Giants on August 23rd. The next year he went 16-9 with a 1.56 ERA and 15complete game s in 19 starts.With a workhorse approach and an excellent
curveball , Camnitz collected three 20-win seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909-12, leading his team to the1909 World Series after winning 25 games in the regular season and tyingChristy Mathewson for the National League leadwinning percentage (.806).Camnitz pitched at least 240 innings for seven consecutive years (1908-14) with a career-high 283 innings in 1909, winning 20 games in 1911 and 22 in 1912. After a 6-17 start in 1913, he was sent by the Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies in the midseason. He pitched in just nine games for them and had a 3-3 record, then jumped to the Pittsburgh Rebels in the Federal League in 1914 and posted a 14-19 mark. After battling arm problems, he retired from playing in 1915.
Camnitz died in
Louisville, Kentucky , at age of 78.Sources
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/features/topteams/1909pirates.stm 1909 Pirates]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/C/Camnitz_Howie.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/camniho01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.deadball.com/camnitz.htm Legends of the Game]
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