1900 â The New York Times publishes a letter to the editor from Joseph Mann regarding Cap Ansonâs book A Ballplayersâs Careerâ reviewed a week earlier. Ansonâs is the first autobiography by a major league player. According to Mannâ Ansonâs book credits himâ while a pitcher at Princetonâ as the first pitcher to throw the curve ballâ and the pitcher writes to expand on that. He says it was he who should receive creditâ not Candy Cummings or Charles Avery of Yaleâ who he beat 3 â 0 on May 29â 1875â allowing no hits. He relates that in 1874 the Philadelphia team played at Princeton andâ before the game and between innings Candy Cummings would stand at home plate and throw overhand down to second base curving the ball. Cummings also pitched that day and Mann says that Candyâs catcher said that sometimes Candyâs pitches curvedâ but not always. Mann says that day he got âtwo base hits and three singles against Cummingsâ and that he saw no curvesâ but was intrigued by the throws to second base. Mann says he worked on the curve that fall and over the winter unveiling it that spring. Mann ends his letter with: âI think Iâve said enough to establish the fact that I was the one who initiated the movement and revolutionized the pitching department of baseball.â A Mr. Rankin will answer Mannâs claims with a September 26 letter citing newspaper accounts of Alphonse Martinand Candy Cummings throwing curves in 1870.
On June 10, 1900 1900 â The New York Times publishes a letter to the editor from Joseph Mann regarding Cap Ansonâs book A Ballplayersâs Careerâ reviewed a week earlier. Ansonâs is the first autobiography by a major league player. According to Mannâ Ansonâs book credits himâ while a pitcher at Princetonâ as the first pitcher to throw the curve ballâ andâŠ
