Samuel Howard Camnitz (August 22, 1881 – March 2, 1960) was an American

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

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 ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

and the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

(1913) in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

and for the

Pittsburgh Rebels The Pittsburgh Rebels were a baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1915. The team was a member of the short-lived Federal League. The team was originally called the Pittsburgh Stogies after an earlier Pittsburgh team tha ...

(1914–15) in 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 ...

. A native of

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

, he batted and threw right-handed. In an 11-season career, Camnitz posted a 133–106 record with 915

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 and a 2.75

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 number ...

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 ...

. Camnitz was born in

, the son of Henry and Elizabeth Camnitz. His father was a printer and his brother Harry Camnitz was also a baseball pitcher. Howie Camnitz received the nickname "Rosebud" due to his bright red hair. He was often referred to as "the Kentucky Rosebud" in his playing career. Camnitz pitched briefly with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1904 before being sent to the minor leagues to disguise his best pitch, a curveball. He was called up to the Pirates in September 1906. In his first full season in 1907, he had a 13–8 record with a 2.15 earned run average in 180 innings, including a five-inning

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

on August 23. The next year, he went 16–9 with a 1.56 earned run average and 15

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 in 19 starts. With an excellent

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 ...

, Camnitz collected three 20-win seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909 to 1912, leading his team to the

1909 World Series The 1909 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1909 season. The sixth edition of the World Series, it featured the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League champion Detroit Tiger ...

after winning 25 games in the regular season and tying

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...

for the National League lead in

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score 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 to ...

at .806. Camnitz pitched at least 240 innings every year from 1908 to 1914, with a career-high 283 innings in 1909, winning 20 games in 1911 and 22 in 1912. After a 6–17 start in 1913, he was sent by the Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies in midseason. He pitched in nine games for the Phillies and had a 3–3 record, then jumped to the

of the

in 1914 and posted a 14–19 mark. He retired in 1915 after being accused of violating team rules. Camnitz moved to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

and became an automobile salesman, working for 40 years. He died on March 2, 1960, in Louisville at the age of 78 and is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Camnitz, Howie 1881 births 1960 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Centre Colonels baseball players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Pittsburgh Rebels players 20th-century American sportsmen Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Baseball players from Covington, Kentucky Greenville Cotton Pickers players Vicksburg Hill Billies players Springfield Hustlers players Toledo Mud Hens players Baseball players from Louisville, Kentucky