April 30, 1921 Ty Cobb describes Cleveland’s Jim Bagby as “the smartest pitcher I ever faced.” Bagby, who won 31 games a year earlier, was off to an even better start in 1921. In fact, the big righty had just beaten Cobb’s Tigers in back-to-back games (April 25-26), with the second victory – his fourth of the season – coming in relief. During the two games in question, Cobb went 0-for-6 versus Bagby. To add insult to injury, “Sarge” – a switch-hitter – went 1-for-3, giving him a .417 average for the year (Cobb was hitting .306 at the time).
“The Georgia Peach” evened the score in their next meeting, touching Bagby up for two doubles and a home run on May 30. Cobb would finish the year batting .389 with a career-high 12 home runs. As for Bagby, the 1921 campaign – 14-12 with a 4.70 ERA – would mark the beginning of the end. After posting a 5.89 ERA over the next two seasons, the 33-year-old’s big-league career came to an end.
◾Sources: The Chicago Eagle, April 30, 1921. + https://www.baseball-reference.com
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