Laurence Albert Pape (July 21, 1885 – July 21, 1918) was a

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 ...

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), ...

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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

between the and seasons. Listed at , 175 lb., Pape batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. He was born in

Norwood, Ohio Norwood is the third most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 19,207 at the 2010 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded c ...

. Pape began his baseball career with independent teams in a suburb of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, before joining the Milwaukee Brewers of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

in 1908. He entered the majors in 1909 with the Red Sox, going 2–0 with a 2.01

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

, appearing in 11 games as a starter,

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...

and closer. He was demoted to Brockton a year later, being recalled in 1911 to join a Boston rotation that included

Smoky Joe Wood Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood (October 25, 1889 – July 27, 1985) was an American professional baseball player for 14 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1915, where he was primarily a pitcher, and for the Cleveland Indi ...

Ed 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 f ...

and Ray Collins. Pape responded with a 10–8 mark and a 2.45 ERA. He also was a member of the 1912

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

champion Red Sox, although he did not play in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. The 1913 Reach Guide describes him as being used "mainly as a 'warm-up' pitcher" for the 1912 champions. ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' reporter James O'Leary suggested that the reason he pitched so little in 1912 was that manager

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 ...

lost confidence in Pape after he made an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

in the first game at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

on May 17 which caused the Red Sox to lose. Sportswriter

Hugh Fullerton Hugh Stuart Fullerton III (10 September 1873 – 27 December 1945) was an American sportswriter in the first half of the 20th century. He was one of the founders of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He is best remembered for his role ...

explained Pape's non-use in the 1912 World Series by writing that although he was a good, effective pitcher," Fullerton felt that the Red Sox opponents, the New York Giants, would be able to hit him. Despite not playing in the World Series, Pape was honored as a champion at the post-victory celebrations. In a three-season career, Pape posted a 13–9 record with 84 strikeouts and a 2.80 ERA in 51 appearances, including 24 starts, 13 complete games, two

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 ...

s, one save, and 283⅓ innings of work. After the 1912 season, Pape was sold to the

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 ...

of the International League, after the Red Sox placed him on waivers, the Cincinnati Reds attempted to claim him, and the Red Sox pilled him off of waivers. Sportswriter Joe S. Jackson wrote an article in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' about the injustice of the situation, as Pape would have earned more if he went to the Reds. Pape never played for the Bisons, and quit baseball when the Bisons were going to send him to a Canadian team. He did not pitch at all in 1913, and was sold to the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

after the season for $2000. He pitched ineffectively in nine games for the Beavers and was released during the season. Pape died on his 33rd birthday in

Swissvale, Pennsylvania Swissvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, east of downtown Pittsburgh. Named for a farmstead owned by James Swisshelm, during the industrial age it was the site of the Union Switch and Signal Company of George Westinghouse. Th ...

. His death was reported as being due to complications from an old baseball injury in which he was hit by a ball in the stomach. However, the cause of death listed on his death certificate was glandular cancer.

References

External links

Retrosheet
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pape, Larry 1885 births 1918 deaths Baseball players from Ohio Boston Red Sox players Brockton Shoemakers players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players People from Norwood, Ohio Sportspeople from Hamilton County, Ohio Portland Beavers players Sacramento Sacts players Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania