Addie Joss, Cleveland Broncos
Photographer: Carl Horner
Image Subject:: Addie Joss during his rookie season with the Cleveland Bronchos (soon to be the Naps)
Fun Fact: Addie Joss was 6’3” tall and tipped the scale at an unimpressive 185 pounds (soaking wet); he was said to resemble a “human hairpin”. But it was on October 2, 1908 that he pitched in one of baseball’s most remarkable pitching duels against White Sox legend Ed Walsh.
The match-up featured Ed Walsh, who had amassed 40 wins in 1908 (the last MLB pitcher to have a 40-win season) against Addie Joss, a 24-game winner in 1908 with an AL best ERA of 1.16. With three games left in the 1908 season, only 1½ games separated the Cleveland Naps, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. This was definitely a high-pressure game.
Walsh pitched an impressive four-hitter, striking out fifteen Cleveland batters and allowed only one unearned run. But that was not good enough to win the game as Joss, in just 74 pitches, threw the second perfect game in modern baseball history.
Painting Detail: Printed on 8½” x 11” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details were made using Prismacolor pencils.
Acknowledgement: Addie Joss and the Perfect Game, Misc. Baseball