| Red Oldham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1893-07-15)July 15, 1893 Zion, Maryland, U.S. | |
| Died: January 28, 1961(1961-01-28) (aged 67) Costa Mesa, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 19, 1914, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 8, 1926, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 39–48 |
| Earned run average | 4.15 |
| Strikeouts | 267 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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John Cyrus "Red" Oldham (July 15, 1893 – January 28, 1961) was an American left-handedpitcher inMajor League Baseball who played five years with theDetroit Tigers (1914–1915, 1920–1922) and two years with thePittsburgh Pirates (1925–1926). He pitched the final inning of the1925 World Series for the Pirates, striking outGoose Goslin to end the game and the series.
Born inZion, Maryland, Oldham was drafted by theDetroit Tigers on July 31, 1914.Boston Red Sox ownerJoseph Lannin bought theProvidence Grays and Melrose Park from the Tigers for $75‚000. Detroit got to pick one player from the Providence roster and they selected Oldham‚ overlookingCarl Mays.[1]
Oldham made his debut for the Tigers at age 21 in August 1914 and pitched in nine games for the 1914 team—seven as a starter. He had a record of 2–4 with a 3.38 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 83) in 45.3 innings pitched.
In 1915, Oldham played in 17 games for Detroit, only two as a starter. He had a 3–0 record with a 2.81 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 107) in 57.7 innings pitched.
On April 5, 1916, the Tigers released Oldham to theSan Francisco Seals of thePacific Coast League "under optional agreement."[2]
Oldham returned to the Tigers in 1920, playing in 39 games, including 22 as a starter. He had a record of 8–13 with a 3.85 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 97).
In 1921, Oldham was the #3 starter behindDutch Leonard andHooks Dauss on the1921 Tigers team that set all timeAmerican League records with 1724runs scored and a teambatting average of .316. But without pitching, the 1921 team finished in sixth place, 27 games behind the Yankees. With a 4.24ERA (11-14 record), Oldham had the second lowest ERA on the 1921 team.
In 1921,Ty Cobb became the Tigers' manager. Shortly after an interview in which he told a reporter that "his aim was to use tact and diplomacy" in dealing with players, Cobb called time-out from his position in center field, "ran in, wrested the ball from pitcher Red Oldham's hand, and gave him a dressing-down before calling in a reliever."[3]
Oldham played his final season in Detroit in 1922, going 10–13 with a 4.67 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 83).
On November 24, 1922,The New York Times reported that Oldham, who was under investigation byJudge Landis on the charge of playing winter baseball in Los Angeles, had announced that he would retire from baseball and go into business.[4]
There were also published reports that Odham signed on with the Santa Rita team in theCopper League. It was reported that during the 1924 season, the Santa Rita team had signed up Oldham to pitch. Santa Rita tried to sneak him into the game under the assumed name of Miller. The El Paso team, however, caught them at their game and refused to play if Oldham participated.[5]
Oldham made it back to the big leagues in 1925 with thePittsburgh Pirates. He appeared in 11 games and had a record of 3–2 in 53 innings pitched. HisERA in 1925 was 3.91, well below the league average, for a career highAdjusted ERA+ of 115.
Oldham accompanied the Pirates to the1925 World Series against theWashington Senators. He pitched the final inning of Game 7 on October 15, 1925, before 42,856 fans atForbes Field inPittsburgh. In the 8th inning, AL MVPRoger Peckinpaugh homered to put the Senators on top 7–6. In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Pirates scored three runs to take a 9–7 lead. Then, in the top of the 9th inning, Oldham entered the game with the heart of the Washington lineup coming to bat. Oldham proceeded to pitch a masterful 1-2-3 inning against three future Hall of Famers. He struck outSam Rice looking, gotBucky Harris on a lineout to second base, and finished the game by striking outGoose Goslin looking. The Pirates won the game and the World Series with Oldham on the mound.Walter Johnson was the losing pitcher for the Senators.[6]
In 1926, Oldham's ERA soared to a career high 5.64 (Adjusted ERA+ of 70). He played his last major league game on July 8, 1926.
In his seven major league seasons, Oldham appeared in 176 games (92 as a starter) and had a record of 39–48 with 292 walks, 267 strikeouts, and anERA of 4.15.
Oldham was a better than average hitting pitcher, posting a .226batting average (64-for-283) with 35runs, 2home runs, 30RBIs and 22bases on balls. He had 13 RBI in 1922 as a member of the Tigers.
Oldham died inCosta Mesa, California at age 67 in 1961.