Charles B. "Lady" Baldwin (April 8, 1859 – March 7, 1937) was an American left-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played six seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

with the Milwaukee Brewers (1884),

Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...

(1885–1888),

Brooklyn Bridegrooms The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Califor ...

(1890), and

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

(1890). Baldwin had his best season in 1886 when he compiled a 42–13 record and a 2.24

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), threw 55 complete games, and led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

with 323 strikeouts. Baldwin's 42 wins in 1886 set the major league record for a left-handed pitcher and remains the second highest single season total by a southpaw. Baldwin also pitched five complete games for a 4–1 record and a 1.50 ERA in the

1887 World Series The 1887 World Series was won by the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, over the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, 10 games to 5. It was played between October 10 and 26, and played in numerous neutral cities, as well as in D ...

. Arm troubles cut short Baldwin's major league career at age 31.

Early years

Baldwin was born in 1859 in Oramel, Allegany County, New York, approximately 60 miles southeast of Buffalo. His father, Samuel Baldwin, was a farmer.Census entry for S. Baldwin, farmer. Son, Charles B. Baldwin, age 10, born in New York. Source Citation: Year: 1870; Census Place: Johnstown, Barry, Michigan; Roll: M593_661; Page: 195B; Image: 470; Family History Library Film: 552160. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census atabase on-lineCensus entry for Samuel Baldwin and family. Son, Charles B. Baldwin, age 21, born in New York. Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Hastings, Barry, Michigan; Roll: 570; Family History Film: 1254570; Page: 123C; Enumeration District: 040; Image: 0627. Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census atabase on-line As a boy, he moved with his family to Barry County in western Michigan, first to Johnstown Township and then to

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. Baldwin was introduced to baseball in Hastings and began his pitching career for the Hastings team. His battery-mate on the Hastings team was

Deacon McGuire James Thomas "Deacon" McGuire (November 18, 1863 – October 31, 1936) was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach whose career spanned the years 1883 to 1915. He played 26 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a ca ...

, with whom he would later play as a member of the

Professional baseball career

Grand Rapids

Baldwin began his professional baseball career in 1883 playing for the

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, team in the

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...

Milwaukee Brewers

In 1884, at age 25, Baldwin played for the Milwaukee Brewers of the Northwestern League. He compiled a 9-10 record in 22 games in the Northwestern League despite having an impressive 1.17

(ERA). The Northwestern League disbanded during the 1884 season, and the Brewers became part of the Union Association, considered a major league, toward the end of the season. Baldwin made his major league debut with the Brewers on September 30, 1884. He compiled a 1-1 record and 2.65 ERA in two games in the Union Association. In 1885, the Brewers became members of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Weste ...

. Baldwin pitched impressively for the Brewers in 1885, compiling an 11-4 record and a 0.68 ERA in 16 games.

Nickname

Baldwin was given the nickname "Lady" because of his "quiet ways" and his refusal to swear or to come into contact with either tobacco or liquor.

Detroit Wolverines

During the 1885 season, Baldwin was acquired by the

of the

. He appeared in 21 games for Detroit in 1885 and, despite an impressive 1.86 ERA, managed only an 11-9 record for a team that finished in sixth place with a 41-67 record. Baldwin led the National League in

walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and divid ...

(0.92) and in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (6.775), and he was the only pitcher on the 1885 Detroit team to compile a winning record. In 1886, the Wolverines acquired "The Big Four" (

Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , wh ...

Deacon White James Laurie "Deacon" White (December 2, 1847 – July 7, 1939) was an American baseball player who was one of the principal stars during the first two decades of the sport's professional era. The outstanding catcher of the 1870s during baseball ...

Hardy Richardson Abram Harding "Hardy" Richardson (April 21, 1855 – January 14, 1931), also known as "Hardie" and "Old True Blue", was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1875 to 1892 with a brief minor league comeback in 1898. He ...

, and

Jack Rowe John Charles "Jack" Rowe (December 8, 1856 – April 25, 1911) was an American professional baseball player, manager and team owner from 1877 to 1898. He played 12 years in Major League Baseball, as a shortstop (657 games), catcher (298 games), ...

) from Buffalo and improved to second place and an 87-36 record. Baldwin accounted for nearly half of Detroit's victories in 1886. He compiled a record of 42–13 with a 2.24 ERA in 487 innings pitched,

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

323 of 1,936

batters faced In baseball statistics, Batters Faced (BF), also known as Total Batters Faced (TBF) or Batters Facing Pitcher (BFP) is the number of batters who made a plate appearance before the pitcher in a game or in a season. For a given game, the number of ...

. Baldwin also completed 55 of 56 games, seven of which were via

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

. One of Baldwin's complete games in 1886 was a 3-0, 14-inning victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Another was a one-hitter against Washington in June 1886 in which he struck out 13 batters. Baldwin's 42 wins in 1886 set a major league record for a left-handed pitcher and remains the second highest single season total by a southpaw. Baldwin was also "reputed to be the first southpaw hurler to master the curve." In 1887, the Wolverines won the

National League pennant The National League pennant winner of a given Major League Baseball season is the team that wins the championship—the pennant—of MLB's National League (NL). This team receives the Warren C. Giles Trophy and the right to play in the World Se ...

and the

. However, a shoulder injury sidelined Baldwin during the season, and he was "sent home without pay" in late July. Baldwin rejoined the Wolverines in August, and after resting his arm, won seven of his last eight games. Baldwin appeared in only 24 games in 1887 (down from 56 in 1886) and compiled a 13-10 record and a 3.84 ERA. The heaviest load for the 1887 team was handled by Charlie Getzien who compiled a 29-13 record. However, in the World Series, Baldwin pitched five complete games for a 4–1 record and a 1.50 ERA. Baldwin was also a strong hitting pitcher. During Detroit's 1887 championship year, Baldwin compiled a respectable .271

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and a .354 on-base percentage. In 1888, Baldwin was able to play in only six games. According to some sources, his pitching arm was "dead" from overwork in the three prior seasons. He compiled a 3-3 record in 1888, but saw his ERA balloon to 5.43—nearly 300% higher than his ERA of 1.86 just three years earlier. Ned Hanlon, who played with Baldwin in Detroit, later said of Baldwin: "I will not hesitate in saying that 'Lady' Baldwin was the best left-handed pitcher of his day and one of the best that ever stood in the box. He had wonderful command, speed and curves, and knew how to work the batters."

Brooklyn and Buffalo

Baldwin attempted a comeback in 1890. He split the 1890 season between the

of the National League and the

of the Players' League. He compiled a 3-5 record and 4.78 ERA in nine games for the two teams. He appeared in his final major league game on June 26, 1890, and was released by Buffalo in early July 1890.

Family and later years

By 1890, Baldwin had returned to his hometown of

Hastings, Michigan Hastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Barry County as well as the county's only city. The population was 7,350 at the 2010 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, and ...

, and taken up farming. At the time of the 1900 Census, Baldwin was living in Hastings with his wife Dora E. Baldwin. He remained in Hastings for the remainder of his life and became a successful orchard owner and farmer. In 1910, he was seriously injured when he fell from a hay mow, breaking his collarbone. The injury deprived Baldwin of the full use of his right arm, and he underwent surgery at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Hospital to correct the problem. In 1914, he was again seriously injured after falling from a ladder and was unable to walk for months. He later went into the real estate business in Hastings. Baldwin died in 1937 after an illness of six months at age 77. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Hastings.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Lady 1859 births 1937 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers National League strikeout champions National League wins champions Milwaukee Brewers (UA) players Detroit Wolverines players Brooklyn Bridegrooms players Buffalo Bisons (PL) players Grand Rapids Rippers players Binghamton Bingos players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Baseball players from New York (state) People from Allegany County, New York People from Barry County, Michigan People from Hastings, Michigan