Author Thomas W. Gilbert isn't quite done with baseball and the 19th century.
His first book on the subject was called "How Baseball Happened," and it was published in 2021. It told the story of the development of the game/sport in the 1800s. The book was a good reminder to forget about Albert Doubleday, if you hadn't already. Baseball wasn't invented; it simply evolved from other games.
Now Gilbert is back with the story of one of the pieces of the puzzle. The subject of the book is pitcher James Creighton, and the book is called "Death in the Strike Zone." Yes, that sounds like a title that belongs in the pulp fiction section of the bookstore.
Gilbert had an outsized role in the development of baseball in the sense that he only played a couple of years at the game's highest level. He's been called baseball's first star, even it turned out to be one of the shooting variety.
Creighton grew up in the New York City area, and quickly developed an ability to be a standout in baseball. At the age of 18, he was used as a relief pitcher by his team, the Niagaras. Remember that in 1859, pitchers were essentially used to place the ball in a position in which it could be hit by the batter. There were no "balls" called for pitches outside of what we might call the "strike zone." Gloves hadn't even been developed yet, so offenses dominated and the games lasted for hours.
Pitching underhand, Creighton displayed a unique ability to throw pitches that couldn't be hit. He could throw hard, harder than the rest of the pitchers of the day, and he could make the ball dance a bit too. Essentially, Creighton created the fastball and curveball. Think of fast-pitch softball's pitching, and you get an idea of what the pitching was like.
Creighton quickly moved up to some better teams in New York City, and by 1860 he joined the Excelsior of Brooklyn squad - one of the best teams around. Creighton eventually pitched the game's first recorded shutout (at least among top teams) and also rarely made an out at the plate. Shohei Ohtani would be proud. The Excelsiors had to take 1861 off from competition - the Civil War and all that - but play resumed in 1862. Creighton, now 21, was still very good.
But his career was cut short in dramatic fashion. He suffered an injury during a game in October of 1862. He died four days later. Medical experts now guess that Creighton suffered a ruptured injuinal hernia. He became a heroic, legendary figure in death. His appearance on the field could attract fans in those days when the idea of customers paying to see baseball was just catching on. Creighton also seems to have been compensated for his play in one form or another, making him a part of the history of baseball's move toward professionalism.
During Creighton's time, a batter's only weapon was to not swing at the ball - since there was no penalty for that. That way, maybe the pitcher would get tired. But it's not a formula for entertainment. Eventually the sport came up with the concept of balls and strikes, the games became shorter and more watchable, and dollars followed.
Gilbert tells the story as best he can, and obviously put in some serious time researching his life and times. But there's not that much information from primary sources out there. He has to rely mostly on government records like census data and piece parts of the puzzle together. Later in the 19th century, baseball figures were happy to talk about Creighton's skills - even if their stories could be exaggerated thanks to the fading memories caused by time. (One person claimed Creighton collapsed after hitting a home run in his final game - which is dramatic but untrue.) There's more information out there about some of Creighton's contemporaries that turns up here, but sometimes that feels like padding to fill out what is already a short book. (It checks in at under 200 pages.)
Gilbert is also rather indignant that Creighton hasn't been admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's an interesting question. Only a couple of people with connections to the sport's all-amateur days have been inducted in Cooperstown, and their baseball careers stretched into the pro era that essentially started with the National Association in 1871. In addition, Creighton only played for those two seasons, and some sort of longevity is prized by most Hall of Fame voters no matter what the profession. Creighton obviously was very influential in the game's development. Is that enough to reach the Hall? Maybe, but I'd need more convincing.
Creighton is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Gilbert writes that people still leave old baseballs by his grave. So the pitcher hasn't been forgotten yet, and "Death in the Strike Zone" will serve as at least another reminder of an important transitional figure in baseball history. The book is a lesson how how we got here when it comes to baseball, and that certainly has some value for big fans.
Three stars
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