Tim Keefe
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right • Throws: Right
5-10, 185lb (178cm, 83kg)
Born: January 1, 1857 in Cambridge, MA us
Died: April 23, 1933 (Aged 76-112d) in Cambridge, MA
Buried: Cambridge Cemetery, Cambridge, MA
Debut: August 6, 1880 (Age 23-218d, 481st in major league history)
Last Game: August 15, 1893 (Age 36-226d)
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1964. (Voted by Veteran’s Committee)
View Tim Keefe’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: Timothy John Keefe
Nicknames: Smiling Tim or Sir Timothy
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 Tim Keefe Teammate Team
C: Buck Ewing
1B: Roger Connor
2B: Danny Richardson
3B: Charlye Bassett
SS: John Ward
LF: Mike Tiernan
CF: Billy Hamilton
RF: Ed Delahanty
SP: Mikey Welch
SP: Gus Weyhing
SP: Kid Gleason
M: Jim Mutrie
Notable Events and Chronology for Tim Keefe Career
”Tim Keefe was a wizard,” declared Billy Sunday. “He was the first to develop the slow ball; that is, he developed a motion so that when he pitched, a batsman could never tell whether his delivery was a fast ball or a floater. . . . Keefe could fool the best batsman that ever stood at the plate.” Cap Anson agreed with Sunday’s assessment, describing “Sir Timothy” as an undisputed “master of the change-of-pace.” Aside from changing speeds, Keefe – cited by The Boston Globe as “one of the most scientific pitchers in the country” – employed a myriad of release points (sidearm, submarine, etc.) while galavanting around the pitcher’s box, taking several steps or exaggerated hops before releasing the ball. The eventual 342-game winner once described his peripatetic delivery – which was outlawed in 1887 – as “a series of gymnastics” designed “to terrify the batter.”
A Massachusetts native, Keefe burst onto the scene with the 1880 Troy Trojans (NL), posting a minuscule 0.86 ERA in 105 innings of work. Though effective over the next two seasons (35 wins, 2.87 ERA), Keefe received little run support, as evidenced by his 53 losses. In 1883, the 26-year-old joined the New York Metropolitans (American Association), with whom he won 41 games while leading the circuit in complete games (68), innings (619), and strikeouts (349). The guileful righty followed that by going 37-17 with a 2.25 ERA and 334 Ks in 1884. As a member of the 1885 New York Giants, Keefe won 32 games while pacing NL hurlers with a 1.58 ERA. In 1886, he fanned 297 batsmen and led the league in wins (42) and complete games (62).
The 1888 season would be one for the ages: “Smiling Tim” paced the league with 35 wins, 335 strikeouts, and a 1.74 ERA as New York captured the NL pennant. The big righty (5-foot-10, 185-pounds) was even better in Gotham’s 1888 “World Series” victory over the St. Louis Browns (AA), finishing with four wins, 30 Ks, and a 0.51 ERA in 35 innings of work. Keefe’s sublime performance led the New York press to dub him “the king of pitchers.” The 32-year-old’s last full season with the Giants came in 1889 (28-13 with 225 Ks and a 3.36 ERA). A prominent figure in the Players’ League movement, Keefe joined that circuit’s New York entry in 1890, posting 17 wins and a 3.38 ERA. The 35-year-old’s last hurrah came in 1892 when he compiled 19 victories and a 2.36 ERA as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
All told, Keefe amassed 342 wins, 225 losses, 554 complete games, and a 2.63 ERA over parts of 14 big-league seasons (1880-93). Noted for his impeccable control, “Sir Timothy” paced the league in WHIP four times and fewest-hits-per-nine innings on six occasions. Keefe, who won a then-record 19 consecutive games in 1888, was the first pitcher to fan 300-plus batsmen on three occasions and retired as MLB’s all-time strikeout king (2,564 Ks). Buoyed by a career that spanned three separate major leagues, Keefe won games in 47 different big-league ballparks, which stands as the all-time record. Of hurlers active between 1871 and 1892, the “Duke of Deception” ranks among the top five in wins (2nd), complete games (2nd), innings pitched (3rd), and shutouts (4th).
“I never saw a better pitcher! True, [Keefe] did his best work from 50 feet, but he still would have had no superior at 60 feet, six inches.” — Mickey Welch
◾Sources: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + https://sabr.org + https://www.baseball-reference.com + https://baseballhall.org
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
Troy Trojans, National League (1880-1882)
New York Metropolitans, American Association (1883-1884)
New York Giants (1885-1891)
Philadelphia Phillies (1891-1893)
Similar: Tony Mullane and Charlie Buffinton. The only things these guys didn’t have that Keefe had was they didn’t pitch for great teams or stay in the league as long. Thus, Keefe is enshrined in Cooperstown, and Mullane and Buffinton are relative unknowns.
Linked: Mickey Welch, John Montgomery Ward … Keefe and Ward were linked throughout their careers. They were teammates from 1885-1889 on the New York Giants, where Keefe starred on the mound and Ward played shortstop. In the 1880s, Ward married the reknowned Broadway actress Helen Dauvrey and Keefe married Dauvrey’s sister, Clara Gibson. Their brother-in-law status brought the two even closer. In the 1890s both were involved in the formation of a Player’s Union, which tore baseball apart and threatened the game. Both players were inducted into the Hall of Fame long after their playing careers had ended, and both were elected in 1964.
Best Season, 1888
Keefe won the pitching triple crown, which almost certainly wasn’t even called that or recognized as that at the time. He led the National League with 35 wins, 335 strikeouts, and a 1.74 ERA. He did this one season after he suffered a nervous breakdown when he hit a batter in the head with a pitch. It didn’t seem to weigh on his mind much after that: he won close to 80 games the next five years.
Awards and Honors
1888 NL Triple Crown
Post-Season Appearances
1884 World Series
1888 World Series
1889 World Series
Factoid
Keefe’s rookie season (1880) was the last in which pitchers hurled from 45 feet, and his final season (1893) was the first where hurlers threw from 60 feet, six inches.
His Arsenal: The Pitches He Threw
Reportedly relied heavily on his change of pace.
Milestones
On June 4, 1890, Keefe won his 300th game, becoming the second pitcher to reach that milestone. The first to reach 300 wins was Pud Galvin, in 1888.
Notes
Keefe won 30 or more games in six consecutive seasons (1883-1888). During that span he captured 222 of his 342 career victories.
Best Strength as a Player
His fastball.
Largest Weakness as a Player
His nerves; Keefe entered a sanitarium during the winter of 1887 after he had hit several batters with pitches during the previous season. Like Walter Johnson and Nolan Ryan after him, Keefe was very wary of hitting a player in the head, afraid that he might kill them.
