| Lee Richmond | |
|---|---|
 Richmond c. 1880 | |
| Pitcher /Outfielder | |
| Born:(1857-05-05)May 5, 1857 Sheffield, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: October 1, 1929(1929-10-01) (aged 72) Toledo, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Unknown Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 27, 1879, for the Boston Red Stockings | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 1886, for the Cincinnati Red Stockings | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 75–100 |
| Earned run average | 3.06 |
| Strikeouts | 552 |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 113 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
J. Lee Richmond (May 5, 1857 – October 1, 1929) was an Americanpitcher inMajor League Baseball. He played for theBoston Red Stockings,Worcester Worcesters,Providence Grays, andCincinnati Red Stockings, and is best known for pitching the firstperfect game in Major League history. After retiring from baseball, he became a teacher.
Richmond was born inSheffield, Ohio, in 1857. He was the son and grandson of Baptist ministers and he had eight siblings, all of them older. He went to the college preparatory academy affiliated withOberlin College.[1] He started attendingBrown University in 1876 and was anoutfielder and pitcher on the school's baseball team.[2] He was also class president and he played on the football team.[1]
On June 2, 1879, Richmond was paid $10 ($337 in current dollar terms) to pitch for Worcester of the National Baseball Association in an exhibition game against theChicago White Stockings. He pitched a seven-inningno-hitter and signed with Worcester after the game. On July 28, he pitched a no-hitter against Springfield.[2]
Worcester joined theNational League in 1880, and Richmond signed with the team for $2,400 ($78,199 in current dollar terms) that season. Before a game against Cleveland on June 12, Richmond was up all night taking part in college graduation events, and he went to bed at 6:30 AM. He caught the 11:30 AM train for Worcester so he could pitch in the afternoon contest and then pitched aperfect game to beat Cleveland, 1–0. According to theChicago Tribune, "The Clevelands were utterly helpless before Richmond's puzzling curves, retiring in every inning in one, two, three order, without a base hit. The Worcesters played a perfect fielding game." Cleveland pitcherJim McCormick allowed three hits, and the only run was scored on a double error by second basemanFred Dunlap.[2]
Richmond graduated from Brown University four days after the perfect game, and he finished the year with a win–loss record of 32–32, a 2.15 earned run average, and 243 strikeouts in 590.2 innings pitched. He was the first left-handed pitcher to win 30 games in a season.[2][3]
Richmond found success throwing anoffspeed pitch that he termed a "half-stride ball" and that other players referred to as a "drop ball". He also had a risingfastball that he called a "jump ball". He also learned to throw acurveball in college, even though a Brown physics professor tried to convince him that nothing could make a ball curve in midair.[1]
In both 1881 and 1882, Richmond pitched over 400 innings. After the 1882 season, the Worcester franchise disbanded, and Richmond played for the National League's Providence Grays in 1883. He experienced arm problems and was primarily an outfielder that year. He finished his MLB career with a record of 75–100, a 3.06 ERA, and 552 strikeouts.[2][3]
In the winter of 1880, Richmond had begun to pursue a career in medicine, studying under a Providence physician, C. T. Gardner. He enrolled at theCollege of Physicians and Surgeons of New York a few months later, then at theUniversity of the City of New York. After the 1883 baseball season, Richmond practiced medicine atBellevue Hospital and with Gardner in Providence.[1]
Richmond then changed careers, and from 1890 to 1921, he was a high school chemistry teacher atScott High School inToledo, Ohio.[2][4] Richmond married Mary Naomi Chapin, his former student, in 1892, and had three children: Ruth, Dorothy, and Jane. He died in Toledo in 1929.[2]
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher June 12, 1880 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | Perfect game pitcher June 12, 1880 | Succeeded by |
