Theodore P. ("Ted" or "Breit") Breitenstein (June 1, 1869 – May 3, 1935) was an American

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 (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 dr ...

from St. Louis, Missouri who played from to for the St. Louis Browns/Cardinals and the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. He is best known for throwing a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

in his first Major League start, along with the "Pretzel Battery" with fellow German-American battery mate Heinie Peitz.
"...German duo of Ted Breitenstein and Heinie Peitz"

Major League Baseball career

During his first season in the majors, Breitenstein pitched occasionally in relief pitcher, relief, but on the final day of the 1891 season, October 4, Breitenstein was allowed to start and he pitched a

against the Louisville Colonels, an 8–0 victory. He faced the minimum number of batters of 27, allowed just one

base on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Sec ...

, which was erased by a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Lea ...

or by a

pickoff In baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher or catcher, throwing a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who is either leading off or about to begin stealing the next base. A pickoff attempt occurs when this throw ...

play. It was also the last no-hitter thrown in 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 ...

, as the league folded after the season. Breitenstein became part of the pitching rotation in , but had a lackluster season with a 9–19

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage 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 total number of match ...

and a 4.69

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 numb ...

. He turned his pitching around after that, and in , his 3.18 ERA was tops in 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 s ...

. In , he won 27 games while leading the league in

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is l ...

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s and

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

, although he led the league in runs allowed, and had a 4.79 ERA. In the following season, his workload stayed the same, leading the league in games started and complete games once again, but his stats took a slide downward, leading the league in runs allowed, base on balls, and losses. His 30 losses in ranks third on the all-time list for losses in a season by a pitcher. After a similar season in , Breitenstein was sold to the Cincinnati Reds. The move gave him a new start and he took advantage of it, winning more than 20 games in each of his first two season with the Reds. He lowered his ERA to 3.62 in and 3.42 in respectively. On April 22, 1898, he pitched his second no-hitter, this time against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, an 11–0 victory. What made this no-hitter notable is the fact that another no-hitter was pitched on the same day. Jay Hughes of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

threw one against the

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

. This was the first occurrence of two no-hitters being thrown on the same day in the major leagues. Ted Breitenstein baseball card

Breitenstein's next two seasons in Cincinnati were respectable, but his skills had shown that they were declining, not able to pitch with the same durability of seasons past. Through an unknown transaction, he returned to his old team in St. Louis, now known as the Cardinals. His MLB career ended after only a few games in .

Later life

Breitenstein went on to a lengthy minor league baseball career, most notably with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

of the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

. He played eight seasons for the Pelicans, ten years in all with the Association. He was then an umpire in the Association. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Breitenstein was named as a director of an athletic camp especially organized for

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

soldiers. He died in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 65, and is interred in Saint Peter's Cemetery in Normandy, Missouri.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breitenstein, Ted 1869 births 1935 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Browns (AA) players St. Louis Browns (NL) players Cincinnati Reds players St. Louis Cardinals players National League ERA champions Grand Rapids Shamrocks players Memphis Egyptians players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Baseball umpires Baseball players from St. Louis

Major League Baseball career

Later life

See also

References

External links