Morris George "Doc" Amole (July 5, 1878 – March 9, 1912) was a

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 ...

player who career spanned nine season, including parts of two 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

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 ...

(1897) and the Washington Senators (1898). On both occasions, Amole was the youngest player 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 ...

at the age of 18 and 19, respectively. Over his major league career, Amole compiled a

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of 4–10 with a 4.75

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 ...

(ERA) and 30

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

in 18 games, 12 starts. In those 12 starts, 10 were

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—pit ...

s. Amole also played in the minor leagues with the Class-A Wilmington Peaches (1896), the Class-B Reading Actives (1897), the Class-A

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 ...

(1898–1903) and the Class-A

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Lea ...

(1903–1904). Over his career in the minors, Amole compiled a record of 108–137 in 227 games. As a member 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 ...

Buffalo Bisons in 1900, a year before the league turned major, Amole 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 the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Professional career

Early career

In 1896, Amole began his

career with the Class-A Wilmington Peaches of the Atlantic League. During a game on July 4, 1896, in the first recorded night game in Atlantic League history, Amole pulled a

practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

by replacing the ball with an explosive. Amole threw the pitch to

Honus Wagner Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955), sometimes referred to as "Hans" Wagner, was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pitt ...

who made contact with the explosive, setting off a large spark, causing the crowd to erupt in anger and the already unpopular game was ended immediately. During that season, Amole compiled a

of 22–24 with a 2.54

(ERA) in 55 games, 47 starts. Of those starts, 43 were

s. Amole led the league in losses and was fifth in

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. Amole started the 1897 season with the Class-B Reading Actives. He went 12–22 with a 1.75 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 31 complete games and 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 in 36 games, all starts. Amole was third in the Atlantic League in losses that season.

Major League Baseball

During the 1897 season, Amole joined the

. He made his debut on August 19, 1897, becoming the youngest person in the National League that season at the age of 18. Amole was a "fill-in" pitcher while in Baltimore. On the season, Amole compiled a record of 4–4 with a 2.57 ERA, 19 strikeouts and six complete game in 11 games, seven starts. His ERA led all Orioles pitchers that season. In December 1897, the Baltimore Orioles traded Amole with Jack Doyle and Heinie Reitz to the Washington Senators in exchange for Doc McJames, Dan McGann and Gene DeMontreville. When he made his debut with the Senators, Amole was again the youngest player in the National League at the age of 19. In 1897, Amole went 0–6 with a 7.84 ERA, four complete games and 11 strikeouts in seven games, five starts.

Later career

Amole joined the Class-A

in 1898 playing 24 games with them, going 11–11 with 21 complete games and one shutout. Amole did not play professional baseball in 1899, but did return to the Bisons in 1900. On

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

in 1900, Amole pitched a

, making it the first one thrown in

history. There was a claim that Amole had thrown the first Opening Day no-hitter in Major League Baseball history, but since the American League was a minor league at the time, the claim is not true. During the 1900 season, Amole went 22–22 with 35 complete games, two shutouts in 47 games, 41 starts. Amongst fellow American League pitchers that season, Amole was second in wins and losses. Amole continued playing with the Bisons in 1901, going 11–25 in 37 games. Amole was first in the Eastern League, which the Bisons became affiliated with after the American League became a part of Major League Baseball, in losses that season. In 1903 with Buffalo, Amole went 14–12 in 28 games. Amole split the 1904 season between the Bisons and the Class-A

. Between the two team, Amole went 8–10. During his final season in professional baseball in 1904, Amole played with the Grays, going 8–11.

Death

Amole was found dead on the floor of his room at a boarding house in Wilmington, Delaware on March 9, 1912. The cause of death was officially determined to be pulmonary arrest due to congestion of the lungs.

References

;General references # # ;Inline citations

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amole, Morris 1878 births 1912 deaths People from Coatesville, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Pennsylvania Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles (NL) players Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Wilmington Peaches players Reading Actives players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Providence Grays (minor league) players 19th-century baseball players Plattsburgh (baseball) players New Bedford Whalers (baseball) players