| Ed Lafitte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1886-04-07)April 7, 1886 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| Died: April 12, 1971(1971-04-12) (aged 85) Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 16, 1909, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 26, 1915, for the Buffalo Blues | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 37–35 |
| Earned run average | 3.34 |
| Strikeouts | 262 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Edward Francis Lafitte (April 7, 1886 – April 12, 1971) was an Americanpitcher inMajor League Baseball who played with theDetroit Tigers (1909–12),Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914–15), andBuffalo Blues (1915). Born inNew Orleans, Louisiana, at his family's home located at 319Bourbon Street, he batted and threw right-handed.
Lafitte pitched for theGeorgia Institute of Technologybaseball team in1906 and1907. He also was a starter in the first intercollegiate basketball game ever played by Georgia Tech.[1]He made his debut with theDetroit Tigers in 1909. After an 11-8 season with the 1911 Tigers, Lafitte told managerHughie Jennings that he wanted to leave early the following season to resume dental school. Jennings told him if he left early to keep on going. Lafitte did. He became a dentist, but also pitched in the Federal League.[2]
Lafitte returned to baseball in 1914 as a member of theBrooklyn Tip-Tops of the fledglingFederal League. That season he became the first pitcher to throw ano-hitter without throwing a shutout in a 6–2 victory over theKansas City Packers on September 19. In 1914, he split his final season between the Tip-Tops and theBuffalo Blues.
Lafitte graduated fromSouthern Dental College in 1911.[3] He served in theU.S. Army during both World Wars. He practiced dentistry for 42 years inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, retiring in 1961. TheJenkintown, Pennsylvania, resident died at age 85 at his home and is buried atIvy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[4]
Despite assertions by some authors to the contrary,[5] Ed Lafitte was not a descendant of the famed New Orleanspirate,Jean Lafitte. Ed Lafitte was the son of James Arnauld Lafitte (born March 31, 1846, in Charleston, South Carolina; died March 16, 1907, in Atlanta, Georgia), who was the son of John Baptiste Lafitte (born June 24, 1822, in Augusta, Georgia; died May 21, 1887, in New Orleans, Louisiana), who was the son of James Bertrand Lafitte (born October 16, 1770, in Tartas, France; died November 13, 1838, in Charleston, South Carolina). Since the pirateJean Lafitte's lifespan was c. 1776–1823, it is not possible that Ed Lafitte was his descendant. It is unknown if they were more distantly related.
· Baseball Almanac| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher September 19, 1914 | Succeeded by |