Mickey Welch

Positions: Pitcher and Outfielder
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-8, 160lb (173cm, 72kg)
Born: July 4, 1859 in Brooklyn, NY
Died: July 30, 1941 in Concord, NH
Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Queens, NY
Debut: May 1, 1880 (451st in major league history)
Last Game: May 17, 1892
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1973. (Voted by Veteran’s Committee)
View Mickey Welch’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: Michael Francis Welch
Nicknames: Smiling Mickey
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1880

Tim Keefe
Roger Connor
Mickey Welch
Old Hoss Radbourn
Buck Ewing
Harry Stovey
Fred Dunlap
Arlie Latham
Larry Corcoran

The Mickey Welch Teammate Team

C:   Buck Ewing
1B: Roger Connor
2B: Danny Richardson
3B: Denny Lyons
SS: John Ward
LF: Mike Tiernan
CF: Jesse Burkett
RF: Jim O’Rourke
SP: Amos Rusie
SP: Tim Keefe
SP: Silver King
M:   Jim Mutrie

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Notable Events and Chronology

SearchSearch Events, Dates and More Date (Newest)Title (A - Z)

September 21, 1880

 Harry Stovey hits a pair of homer runs to take the league lead with 6. Harry adds a single and double as Worcester beats Troy’s Mickey Welch‚ 17-2.

July 4, 1881

On his birthday, Mickey Welch throws two complete game victories when Troy sweeps a doubleheader from the Bisons

August 28, 1884

New York Gotham pitcher Mickey Welch strikes out the first nine Cleveland Blues hitters to come to the plate, establishing a major league record. The mark will last until 1970, when Mets right-hander Tom Seaver strikes out the last ten San Diego he faces in a Shea Stadium contest.

July 3, 1886

Jim McCormick loses his first game of the season as Mickey Welch and the Giants win‚ 7-3. The sore hands of C Mike Kelly and 5 hits by Monte Ward are the key factors.

June 16, 1887

1887 – A huge brawl breaks out in the 9th inning of a game between the Browns and Orioles in Baltimore, MD when Curt Welch bowls over Orioles 2B Bill Greenwood in the 9th inning with the score tied, 8 – 8. Thousands of spectators run on to the field, clamoring for Welch’s arrest – or worse. Police have to intervene, and the game is called. Welch is whisked away to safety while Browns pitcher Dave Foutz, a Baltimore native, speaks to the crowd to calm them slightly. However, another mob gathers at the train station, preventing Welch from leaving town. He will be forced to attend a court hearing the next day, where Greenwood pleads in his favor, stating that the play was nothing out of the ordinary in a baseball context, although some of the Orioles’ fans would like to see criminal charges laid. Wisely, the Browns will keep Welch out of the next day’s game to ease tensions.

November 21, 1887

1887 – In the American Association, the St. Louis Browns announce a trade that ships Bill Gleason and Curt Welch to the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for Fred Mann, Chippy McGarr, and Jocko Milligan, plus $3,000. This is the first of a number of trades or sales, mostly to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

June 11, 1889

New York’s Mickey Welch is the first pitcher to strike out Boston’s Dan Brouthers this season

August 8, 1889

1889 – Jack Glasscock is 5 for 6 and hits for the cycle against Mickey Welch as Indianapolis drubs New York‚ 14 – 1.

August 10, 1889

At the Seventh Street Park in Indianapolis, future 300 game winner Mickey Welch becomes the first pinch hitter in major league history. Although the Giants right-handed pitcher strikes out in his historic plate appearance, New York prevails, beating the Hoosiers, 9-6.

September 10, 1889

1889 – New York Giants pitcher Mickey Welch strikes out as the first pinch hitter in major league history.

July 28, 1890

Hall of Fame pitcher Mickey Welch wins the 300th game of his career

May 22, 1891

Against Cincinnati’s Billy Rhines, New York’s Mickey Welch hits into a game-ending triple play.

January 23, 1973

Nineteenth century players Mickey Welch,King Kelly and Billy Evans are selected by the Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee for enshrinement in Cooperstown

August 6, 1973

Roberto Clemente and Warren Spahn are inducted into the Hall of Fame

Mickey Welch

The major leagues’ third 300-game winner, 5’8″ Mickey Welch learned the fundamentals of baseball on the post-Civil War Brooklyn sandlots. Though he did not throw with great velocity, he had an effective curveball, a change of pace, and a version of the screwball. During his 13 major league seasons, he posted 20 or more wins nine times – seven in succession.
After two minor league seasons with Auburn and Holyoke (National Association), Welch joined the National League’s Troy Haymakers in 1880, going 34-30 and throwing 574 innings. Diminutive but durable, he pitched two complete-game victories over Buffalo in one day (July 4, 1881), and completed his first 105 major league starts. The Troy franchise moved to New York in 1883, and Welch hurled the first game at the original Polo Grounds. He played 38 games in the outfield that season. In 1884 he completed 62 of 65 starts, winning 39, and had a career-high 345 strikeouts. He established a still-standing ML record that August 28 by striking out the first nine batters he faced.

Welch won 17 consecutive games in 1885, threw seven shutouts, and teamed with Tim Keefe (the major leagues’ second 300-game winner) to win 76 games. Welch won 44 of them while losing only 11, leading the NL with an .800 winning percentage. Keefe’s 1.58 ERA was the league’s best; Welch’s 1.66 was second. In 1886 Welch went 33-22, yet led NL pitchers in bases on balls for the third consecutive season.

Welch and Keefe accounted for 61 of the team’s 84 victories in 1888 as they pitched the Giants to their first pennant. In a postseason series against the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, the Giants won six of ten games, with Welch splitting his two decisions. The Giants repeated as league champions in 1889 as Welch went 27-12. After winning just six games in 1891, he was sent to the Giants’ Troy farm club, and he retired after posting a 17-14 record.

Welch remains among baseball’s leaders in complete games and innings pitched. He recorded 40 career shutouts, winning 10 by a 1-0 score. He had 492 career base hits – 92 of them doubles – and did not bat lower than .200 in his first eight seasons. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Committee on Baseball Veterans in 1973.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

Except for a few very good seasons, it’s hard to distinguish Mickey Welch from several other pre-1890s pitchers. But he was fortunate enough (through his own durability) to stick around long enough to win 300 games, a figure that earned him a Hall of Fame nod long after he had passed on.

Played For
Troy Trojans, National League (1880-1882)
New York Giants (1883-1892)

Similar: Charles Radbourn

Linked: Tim Keefe, John Clarkson, Amos Rusie

Best Season, 1885
Welch never led the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched, complete games, shutouts, or any other category except base on balls allowed. In 1885 he went 44-11, completed all of his 55 starts, and posted a 1.66 ERA. Between July 18 and September 4, Welch won 17 consecutive games and hurled four shutouts and four one-run games.

Post-Season Appearances
1888 World Series
1889 World Series

Factoid
Mickey Welch won his 300th game on July 28, 1890, against Pittsburgh.

Feats: On August 28, 1884, Welch established a major league record by striking out the first nine Cleveland Blues batters to face him.

Factoid
Mickey Welch was the first pinch-hitter in major league history, appearing off the bench on September 10, 1889 for the Giants. He struck out.

Factoid
Mickey Welch pitched the first game in the original Polo Grounds in New York City, in 1883.

Best Strength as a Player
Durability

Largest Weakness as a Player
Control. Welch was one of the wilder pitchers of his era, leading the league in wild pitches, as well as finishing among league leaders in walks a few times.

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