Ray Collins (baseball)
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Ray Williston Collins (February 11, 1887 – January 9, 1970) was a
starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...
in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
who played his entire career for the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. A native of Colchester, Vermont, Collins batted and threw left-handed. He debuted on July 19, 1909, and played his final game on October 7, 1915. He was a member of the 1912 Red Sox championship team, and also the 1915 Red Sox but did not play in that year's
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
.


Playing career

A graduate of the
University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...
, Collins was a good-hitting pitcher and an outstanding fielder, but the key to his success was his remarkable control. He consistently ranked among the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
leaders in fewest walks allowed per nine innings, finishing third in the league in 1912 (1.90), second in 1913 (1.35) and fourth in 1914 (1.85). He also averaged 16  wins from 1910 to 1914, including a combined 39 wins in 1913 and 1914. In a seven-season career, Collins posted an 84–62 record with 511
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s and a 2.51
ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...
in 1336 innings, including 19
shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...
s and 90 complete games. Collins became a regular in Boston rotation in 1910. In his first full season, he pitched a one-hitter against the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
and compiled a 13–11 record, making him the second-winningest pitcher on the Red Sox behind
Eddie Cicotte Edward Victor Cicotte (; June 19, 1884 – May 5, 1969), nicknamed "Knuckles", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. He was one of eight players permanently ineligible ...
(15–11). He was 3–6 at one point in 1911, but turned his season around, finishing at 11–12 with a 2.40 ERA. Collins missed the first two months of the 1912 season with a knee injury, during which time the Red Sox christened their new stadium,
Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...
. He did not start a game until early June, but won two games in three days over the
Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...
at
Shibe Park Shibe Park ( , rhymes with "vibe"), known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) from 1909 to 1954 and the Philadelphia Phillies of the Natio ...
, 7–3 on July 3 and 5–3 on July 5. Collins finished fifth in the AL with four shutouts, by all of them came in the second half of the season. He compiled a 13–8 mark and his ERA stood at 2.53, fifth-best in the league. The only left-hander in Boston rotation, Collins was considered the second-best on the pitching staff behind Smoky Joe Wood (34–5) as the Red Sox clinched the American League pennant. Collins started Game Two of the World Series against
Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...
and the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. He led 4–2 after seven innings and was pulled in the eight with only one out after the Giants rallied for three runs. The game was called on account of darkness after 11 innings with the score tied 6–6. Collins was supposed to start again in Game Six, but Red Sox
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Jake Stahl Garland "Jake" Stahl (April 13, 1879 – September 18, 1922) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and New York Highlanders. Biography A graduate of the University of ...
opted by Buck O'Brien, coming off a 20–13 season. The Giants shelled him for five runs in the first inning. Then, Collins relieved in the second and pitched shutout ball for seven innings in a 5–2 lost cause. Collins enjoyed his best season yet in 1913, finishing at 19–8, as his .714
winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the to ...
was the second-highest in the league. In the midseason, he pitched a four-hit, 9–0 shutout and hit a
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
St. Louis Browns on July 9. Later, on July 26, he pitched a five-hitter and hit a bases-loaded triple to give Boston a 4–1 victory over the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
. Collins also faced great
Walter Johnson Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "the Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and Manager (baseball), manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Ba ...
and the Washington Senators three times that season. Each game finished 1–0, with Collins winning two of them, including scoreless ball for 11 innings on August 29. Collins became the ace of Boston pitching staff in 1914 with a 20–13 record and a 2.51 ERA. His six shutouts ranked him fourth in the American League that season, and he was one of only three pitchers in the league to reach the 20-win plateau, joining Walter Johnson (28) and
Stan Coveleski Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between and , primarily the Cleveland Indians ...
(22). Collins picked up his 19th and 20th victories on September 22, by pitching complete games in both ends of a doubleheader against the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
at
Navin Field Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-use stadium located in the Corktown, Detroit, Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" ...
, winning by scores of 5–3 in the opener and 5–0 in the nightcap. In 1915, the Red Sox were in the enviable position of having too many good (and younger) pitchers: Rube Foster, Ernie Shore, Dutch Leonard, and
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
made up the best rotation in major league baseball. Then Collins was relegated to the
bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...
. Starting only nine games, the fewest since his
rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
year, Collins finished with a 4–7 record and a 4.30 ERA in 25 pitching appearances. He did not pitch a single inning in the 1915 World Series as Boston defeated the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
in five games. After the season the Red Sox expected him to take a cut in his $5400 salary, but Collins, at age 29, announced his retirement from professional baseball stating simply that he was "discouraged by his failure to show old-time form."


Later years

After his playing career, Collins returned to the University of Vermont where he served as baseball coach from 1923 to 1928. During and after his baseball career, he was a dairy farmer in Colchester, Vermont, operating the family farm until 1960, and was co-founder of the Burlington Milk Cooperative Creamery (later part of HP Hood). Collins headed the Colchester draft board during World War II and represented Colchester in the
Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...
from 1943 to 1946, serving on the agriculture and traffic committees. During the 1950s, he served on UVM's board of trustees, presiding over the school's transition from private to public university. Collins had five children with wife Lillian, the last surviving of whom (Ray Jr.) died on September 14, 2013, aged 99. Collins died in
Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...
, at age 82. In 2012, Collins was part of the inaugural class of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame.


References


External links


Vermont Sports Hall of Fame profile
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Ray 1887 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Vermont Catamounts baseball coaches Vermont Catamounts baseball players American athlete-politicians Members of the Vermont House of Representatives People from Colchester, Vermont Sportspeople from Chittenden County, Vermont Baseball players from Burlington, Vermont 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly 20th-century American sportsmen