| Charles Ferguson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1863-04-17)April 17, 1863 Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. | |
| Died: April 29, 1888(1888-04-29) (aged 25) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Both Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 1, 1884, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 8, 1887, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 99–64 |
| Earned run average | 2.67 |
| Strikeouts | 728 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Charles J. Ferguson (April 17, 1863 – April 29, 1888) was an American right-handedpitcher inMajor League Baseball who played his entire four-year career for thePhiladelphia Phillies. When not pitching, he increasingly played in theoutfield and – in his final season – atsecond base.[1]
Born inCharlottesville, Virginia, he played baseball for theUniversity of Virginia in 1882, although he was never a student there.[2] He also played for theVirginia representative in theEastern League, with his team winning the championship.[3] Ferguson made his major league debut with the Quakers in1884. Philadelphia finished 6th in theNational League that season, and Ferguson had awin/loss record of 21-25.[4] That was the only season in which he produced a losing record, and he had his highestearned run average with 3.54.[1]
The next season, his record improved to 26-20, and his ERA dropped to 2.22,[1] while Philadelphia improved in the standings, finishing third in1885.[5] On August 29, he pitched ano-hitter against theProvidence Grays, a 1-0 victory[6] at the Phillies'Recreation Park.[7]
He continued his dominance in the1886 season, winning 30 games and again lowering his ERA, this time to 1.98,[1] good for second in the NL behindHenry Boyle of theSt. Louis Maroons.[8] In1887, he won 22 games and had a 3.00 ERA. That same season, he played 27 games at second base, and had 264at bats. Along with his 22 victories, he led the team inruns batted in with 85, and his .337batting average would have led his team as well had his total plate appearances been enough to qualify for the batting title.[9]
Before the1888 baseball season, he contractedtyphoid fever and subsequently died in Philadelphia.[3] He is interred in Maplewood Cemetery in his hometown of Charlottesville.[1] For the 1888 season, the Phillies,Washington Nationals,New York Giants andBoston Beaneaters wore a blackcrepe on their left sleeves to commemorate Ferguson.[10] In 1931,Wilbert Robinson rated Ferguson as the fifth-best player to that point in baseball history.[11]
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher May 1, 1886 | Succeeded by |
