Charles A. Gray (June 1864 – June 1, 1900) was an American baseball pitcher. He pitched five games in Major League Baseball, four of them as a starting pitcher.
| Charlie Gray | |
|---|---|
 Gray in Sporting Life, 1890 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 1864 Indianapolis, Indiana, US | |
| Died: June 1, 1900 (aged 36) Indianapolis, Indiana, US | |
Batted: Unknown Threw: Unknown | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 23, 1890, for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 23, 1890, for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 1–4 |
| Earned run average | 7.55 |
| Strikeouts | 10 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Early life
editGray was born in 1864 in Indianapolis. The first record of his playing organized baseball is in 1889 when he played for Danville of the Illinois–Indiana League.[1] He also played for Youngstown of the Ohio State League in 1889.[2]
Career
editOn April 23, 1890, Gray made his debut in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League. He was the winning pitcher in that game and was described as "a freak" by the Sporting Life.[2] He was billed as the team's pitcher "of six fingers and six toed fame."[2]
Gray made his debut at a time when the rosters of major league teams were depleted due to the formation of the Players' League.[1] After his debut as a relief pitcher, Gray appeared in four games as a starter. On May 24, 1890, Gray gave up 11 bases on balls and was charged with four wild pitches.[1] He pitched a total of 31 innings, giving up 35 hits and 24 bases on balls and compiling a 1-4 win-loss record and a 7.55 earned run average (ERA).[3] His .200 winning percentage was better than the club as a whole, as the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys compiled a 23–113–2 record (.169 winning percentage).[4]
Gray was released by the Alleghenys in early July 1890.[5] He tried out with the New York Giants but did not make the club. He played the remainder of the 1890 season with Ottawa of the Illinois–Iowa League.[1]
In 1895, he held an advertising job with The Sporting News. At the time, he cited being "known as the six-fingered pitcher" as his main claim to fame.[2] He later worked as a bricklayer in Indianapolis.[2] He died from pneumonia in 1900 in Indianapolis.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Pete Cava (2015). Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players. McFarland. p. 77. ISBN 9780786499014.
- ^ a b c d e David Nemec (2012). The Rank and File of 19th Century Major League Baseball. McFarland. p. 40. ISBN 9780786490448.
- ^ "Charlie Gray". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. August 19, 2023.
- ^ "1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Base Ball Notes". Pittsburgh Daily Post. July 7, 1890. p. 6.
- ^ "Death Returns". The Indianapolis News. June 4, 1900. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet