Charles William Chech (April 27, 1878 – January 31, 1938) was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who played 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 ...

between 1905 and 1909. Chech batted and threw right-handed. He was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

Early life

Charlie Chech was born April 27, 1878, in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Playing career

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

specialist, Chech reached the majors in 1905 with the

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

, spending two years with them before moving to the

Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

1908 and

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 ...

(1909). His most productive season came in his rookie year for Cincinnati, when he recorded career-highs in wins (14),

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 (79), starts (25),

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 (20) and

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

267, while posting a 2.89

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 ...

. After going 11–7 for Cleveland, he was sent to the Red Sox with Jack Ryan in the same trade that brought

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered t ...

to Boston. In a four-season career, Chech posted a 33–30 record with 187 strikeouts and a 2,52 ERA in 606 innings. Following his Major League career, he played for the St. Paul Apostles of the American Association.

Personal life

Chech married Edith Inez Elliot, daughter of James Elliot and Martha Lavinia (Halbach) Elliot, on 12 October 1904 in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Returning to Saint Paul, the 1910 U.S. Census shows Chech had become a druggist, supporting his wife and his widowed mother-in-law. Edith died in California on 23 September 1916 of

Addison's disease Addison's disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency, is a rare long-term endocrine disorder characterized by inadequate production of the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone by the two outer layers of the cells of the adr ...

. Chech married secondly to Catherine M Tierney on 29 Nov 1918 in Los Angeles County, California. The 1920 and 1930 censuses indicate he had established a career as an insurance writer and salesman. Chech died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on 31 January 1938, at the age of 59.Charles W Chech
California, U.S., Death Index, 1905-1939. Accessed via ancestry.com subscription site 8 May 2024.

References

External links

1878 births 1938 deaths Baseball players from Madison, Wisconsin Major League Baseball pitchers Wisconsin Badgers baseball players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Naps players Boston Red Sox players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Milwaukee Creams players Cleveland Lake Shores players Grand Rapids Furniture Makers players St. Paul Saints (Western League) players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Toledo Mud Hens players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Venice Tigers players Vernon Tigers players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1870s-stub