Larry Cheney Stats & Facts

Player

Larry Cheney Essentials

Positions:
Bats: R Throws: R
73 Weight: 185
Born: 5 2, 1886 in Belleville, KS USA
Died: 1 6 1969 in Daytona Beach, FL USA
Debut: 9/9/1911
Last Game: 9/26/1919
Full Name: Laurence Russell Cheney

 

“I was as wild as a hawk,” recalled Larry Cheney, a former pitcher who routinely ranked among the National League leaders in both strikeouts and walks during his nine-year MLB career. In fact, Cheney led the league in wild pitches six times, a record later tied by Nolan Ryan and Jack Morris. That tidbit isn’t the only thing he has in common with the pair of Hall of Famers: Cheney, for a brief time, was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Utilizing a speedy fastball, fluttering knuckler, and a spitter he learned from Ed Walsh, Cheney was a force to be reckoned with from day one. The Cubs rookie put on a clinic during his first big league start in 1911, striking out 10 over 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball before his day was ended by a Zack Wheat line drive that broke two digits on his pitching hand.

Cheney’s first full season came in 1912, and the Cubs hurler didn’t disappoint. That year the 6-foot-1 inch, 185-pound righty led the NL in wins (26) and CGs (28); his 303 IP (3rd) and 140 Ks (8th) also ranked among the league leaders. In 1913, Cheney went 21-14 with 25 CGs, a 2.57 ERA, and an NL-best 11 saves. He followed that by going 20-18 with a 2.54 ERA in 1914, his third consecutive 20-win campaign. Cheney struggled in 1915, winning only eight games before being dealt to Brooklyn. The Robins were quite pleased with the trade, as Cheney put up one of his best seasons in 1916, going 18-12 with a 1.92 ERA while leading the NL in fewest hits allowed (6.3) and most Ks (5.9) per nine innings as Brooklyn took home the pennant.

In 1917, Cheney went 8-12 with 14 CGs and an impressive 2.35 ERA while splitting time between the rotation and bullpen. The 32-year-old enjoyed his last good season in 1918, going 11-13 with a 3.00 ERA. Cheney’s final big league campaign would be a peripatetic one, as he spent time with the Robins, Braves, and Phillies in 1919, posting a 3-10 record to go along with a career-worst 4.18 ERA. With hopes of returning to the majors, Cheney spent the next two years putting up impressive numbers in the Sally League: 23-6 with a 2.63 ERA in 1920; 19-5 with a 2.23 ERA in 1921. Following a disappointing 1922 season in which his ERA ballooned to 3.98, the 36-year-old saw the writing on the wall and decided to hang up his spikes for good. Including his 116 big league victories, Cheney won 234 games over an 18-year pro career.

◾Source: https://www.baseball-reference.com + https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a84493b5