Frederick Peter "Cy" Falkenberg (December 17, 1879 – April 15, 1961) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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 attempts to e ...

. He played 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) ...

(MLB) from 1903 to 1917 for 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) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

of 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 ...

, the Washington Senators,

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 , they have played at Progressiv ...

, and

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, the team became the Oakl ...

of the

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 ...

and the Indianapolis Hoosiers, Newark Peppers, and Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

Early life

Frederick Peter Falkenberg was born on December 17, 1879, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. He was the first of seven children born to Agnes and Frederick A. Falkenberg, who had both immigrated to the United States from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Falkenberg attended Northwest Division High School in Chicago, and played for the school's baseball team. He also played as a semi-professional in Chicago.

Baseball career

Falkenberg attended the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univers ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic facili ...

, coached by George Huff. His teammates included Jake Stahl and Carl Lundgren. Falkenberg graduated from the university in 1902. That year, the

Worcester Hustlers The Worcester Farmers were a minor league baseball team that played from 1899 to 1900 in the Eastern League. Under manager Frank Leonard in 1899, they went 58-51, and in 1900 they went 62-63. They were renamed the Worcester Quakers in 1901 and t ...

attempted to sign Lundgren, but he signed with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

of the

. Worcester signed Falkenberg instead. He won 18 games for Worcester that season. After the 1902 season, the

of the National League purchased Falkenberg from Worcester. He made his major league debut with the Pirates on April 21, 1903.

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Fred Clarke Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirat ...

allowed Falkenberg to make hs first

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against the Cubs in Chicago. He was briefly sent back to Worcester, but was recalled at the end of July, when the Pirates released Ed Doheny. Falkenberg struggled in his first year in the majors, losing five of six decisions. He was released by Pittsburgh at the end of August. Falkenberg was reserved for the 1904 season by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

of the Eastern League, and though he initially indicated that he would not sign with Toronto, he returned his signed contract and pitched for Toronto in 1904 and 1905. When Huff was hospitalized in 1905, Stahl and Falkenberg coached the Fighting Illini baseball team. That year, he began to experiment with different ways to get break on his

spitball A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it t ...

, which he called the "pinch ball". He signed with the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 ...

of the Tri-State League, and Harrisburg reserved him for the 1906 season. In 1905, the Washington Senators of the

purchased Falkenberg from Toronto. Stahl was the Senators'

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

at the time. In 1906, the Washington newspapers began to refer to Falkenberg as "Cy". That year, he walked 108 batters and threw 14

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third st ...

es, the most in the American League. Stahl was replaced as manager with

Joe Cantillon Joseph D. Cantillon (August 19, 1861 – January 31, 1930), nicknamed "Pongo Joe", was an American manager and umpire in Major League Baseball during the first decade of the 20th century. He also was a longtime manager in minor league baseball. H ...

in 1907, and newspapers reported during the season that Cantillon wanted to part with Falkenberg. However, Cantillon opted to keep Falkenberg during the 1907–08 offseason. In September 1907, the National Commission ruled that Falkenberg owed the Harrisburg club a refund on a $200

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

($ in current dollar terms) that he received from them because he joined Washington instead. When he did not promptly repay the debt, he was suspended by

Ban Johnson Byron Bancroft Johnson (January 5, 1864 – March 28, 1931) was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League (AL). Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of the mino ...

in May 1908 until he repaid it, which he did a few weeks later. Falkenberg continued to pitch inconsistently for Washington, and his name resurfaced in trade rumors later in the season. On July 23, 1908, the

of the American League purchased Falkenberg and Dave Altizer from the Senators for $10,000 ($ in current dollar terms). He continued to pitch for Cleveland through 1911. He missed time during the 1911 season due to illness and a broken thumb. After the 1911 season,

Harry Davis Harry Davis may refer to: Sports * Harry Davis (1900s first baseman) (1873–1947), Major League Baseball first baseman * Harry Davis (1930s first baseman) (1908–1997), played for the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns (1932–1937) * Harry Da ...

became Cleveland's manager, and he released Falkenberg to the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...

of the American Association. With Toledo in 1912, Falkenberg played with Earle Gardner, who had learned how to throw the emery ball from

Russ Ford Russell William Ford (April 25, 1883 – January 24, 1960) was a Canadian-American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Highlanders / Yankees of the American League from 1909 to 1913 and for th ...

. Gardner taught the pitch to Falkenberg. Falkenberg had a 25–8

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 ...

in 1912, leading the American Association with a .758

winning percentage 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 ...

. Cleveland purchased Falkenberg from Toledo before the 1913 season. He won his first 10 games of the season, and finished the year with a 23–10 win–loss record and a 2.22 ERA, the second-most wins and eighth-best ERA in the American League. He led the American League with 13 wild pitches in 1913. Before the 1914 season, Falkenberg jumped from Cleveland to the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the outlaw

. He signed a three-year contract worth $10,000 per season ($ in current dollar terms). In 1914, using the emery ball, Falkenberg led the Federal League with 43 games started,

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 ...

, and 236 strikeouts. He also had the third-most wins (25) and the fourth-best ERA (2.22). The Hoosiers moved to

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, before the 1915 season, becoming the Newark Peppers. The emery ball was discovered during the 1914 season, and was outlawed. Without the emery ball, Falkenberg struggled in 1915, pitching to a 9–11 win–loss record for Newark. The Peppers traded him to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops for Tom Seaton in August. Frank LaPorte was also included in the trade, but he was not to report to Brooklyn until after the 1915 season. Falkenberg had a 3–3 win–loss record for Brooklyn after the trade. The Federal League collapsed after the 1915 season, and major league teams did not want to purchase Falkenberg's sizeable contract. He signed with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

of the American Association for the 1916 season and re-signed with them for the 1917 season. After pitching well in an exhibition game against the

of the American League, the Athletics acquired Falkenberg for Jack Nabors on April 29. However, Falkenberg struggled with Philadelphia, pitching to a 2–6 win–loss record, and was sold back to Indianapolis on July 5. Falkenberg returned to Indianapolis in 1918, but announced that he would not return to the American Association in 1919. Indianapolis sold his contract to the

Seattle Rainiers The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a Minor League Baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 1968. They were init ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

(PCL). During the season, Seattle traded Falkenberg to the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: * Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey t ...

of the PCL for

Lynn Brenton Lynn Davis Brenton (October 7, 1889 – October 14, 1968) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for four seasons. He played for the Cleveland Indians in 1913 and 1915 and the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American profes ...

. On August 19, Falkenberg threw 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 w ...

against Seattle. After the 1919 season, Falkenberg announced that he was retiring from professional baseball.

Personal life

Falkenberg married Edna Russell, a telephone operator who he met in Washington, D.C., after the 1908 season. They had two children. Falkenberg enjoyed

ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll ...

. He competed in tournaments hosted by the American Bowling Congress and managed

bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...

s. He averaged about 200 pins per game. After playing baseball in the PCL, Falkenberg moved his family to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, and managed bowling alleys in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

. During World War II, Falkenberg worked in the

tool room Tool and die makers are highly skilled crafters working in the manufacturing industries. Variations on the name include tool maker, toolmaker, die maker, diemaker, mold maker, moldmaker or tool jig and die-maker depending on which area of concent ...

for the

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works. In 1917 it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding C ...

. Falkenberg died in San Francisco on April 15, 1961. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in

Colma, California Colma (Ohlone for "Springs") is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924. W ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Falkenberg, Cy 1879 births 1961 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Cleveland Naps players Indianapolis Hoosiers players Newark Peppers players Brooklyn Tip-Tops players Philadelphia Athletics players Indianapolis Indians players Montreal Royals players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Seattle Rainiers players Toledo Mud Hens players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Worcester Hustlers players Worcester Riddlers players Illinois Fighting Illini baseball players Humboldt State Lumberjacks football coaches Humboldt State Lumberjacks men's basketball coaches Baseball players from Chicago Basketball coaches from Illinois

Early life

Baseball career

Personal life

See also

References

External links