Jeff Tesreau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jeff Tesreau |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: March 5, 1888 Ironton, Missouri |
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| Died: September 24, 1946 (aged 58) Hanover, New Hampshire |
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| debut | |||
| April 12, 1912, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| June 11, 1918, for the New York Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 115–72 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.43 | ||
| Strikeouts | 880 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Charles Monroe "Jeff" Tesreau (born March 5, 1888 – died September 24, 1946) was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a tall man, standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) tall. People called him "Jeff" because he looked a lot like a famous boxer named Jim Jeffries.
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Jeff Tesreau's Baseball Journey
Jeff Tesreau started his baseball career in 1909. He first signed with a minor league team connected to the St. Louis Browns. Minor league teams are where players develop their skills before playing in the big leagues.
In 1910, the New York Giants bought his contract. This meant he would now play for the Giants. After two years in the minor leagues, Tesreau learned a special pitch. It was called a spitball, and it became his best pitch.
He joined the Giants' main team in 1912. Tesreau started the second game of that season. The New York Times newspaper wrote that he had amazing pitches. They said his curves bent like "barrel hoops" and his fastball was "like lightning." He was exactly the strong pitcher the Giants' manager, John McGraw, wanted.
Tesreau had a great first year. He won 17 games and lost only 7. On September 6, 1912, he achieved something amazing. He threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. This means no Phillies player got a hit in the entire game. The Giants won 3-0.
He also led the National League with a very low ERA of 1.96. ERA became an official statistic in Major League Baseball in 1912. Tesreau was one of the first players to lead the league in this important category.
From 1912 to 1917, Tesreau was a key starting pitcher for the Giants. In 1918, he had a disagreement with manager John McGraw. Tesreau decided to leave the team during the season. In 1919, he refused to play for the Giants. McGraw also refused to let him go to another team. Because of this, Tesreau never played another game in the major leagues.
Tesreau was very good at stopping batters. Opponents only hit for a .224 batting average against him. This was better than some famous pitchers like Walter Johnson (.227) and Christy Mathewson (.245).
He was also a good hitter for a pitcher. He had a .216 batting average. He hit 2 home runs and had 46 RBI (runs batted in). In six World Series games, he hit even better, with a .300 average.
Playing in the 1912 World Series
In the 1912 World Series, Tesreau started three games. He faced the Boston Red Sox's star pitcher, Smoky Joe Wood, in each game. Tesreau had one win and two losses in the Series.
He started Game 1 and lost, but he pitched very well. He didn't allow a hit for the first 5.1 innings. A triple by Tris Speaker finally broke up his no-hit bid. This was the longest no-hit start by a rookie pitcher in World Series history for many years.
Tesreau also lost Game 4. But he bounced back in Game 7. The Giants ended up losing the Series in Game 8.
Life After Baseball
After his playing career, Jeff Tesreau became a baseball coach. He coached the Dartmouth Big Green baseball team at Dartmouth College. He held this job until he passed away in 1946. Tesreau won 348 games as Dartmouth's coach. He often coached against his old World Series rival, Smoky Joe Wood. Wood had become the coach for Yale University's Yale Bulldogs baseball team.
Passing Away
In 1946, Jeff Tesreau had a stroke while on a fishing trip. He died four days later.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
