| Elton P. Chamberlain was just 18 when he joined Louisville of the American Association in 1886. The next season he won 18 games, and in 1888 had 25 wins with Louisville and St. Louis, following that with a 32-win season for St. Louis in 1889. In a one-sided 1888 win over the Kansas City Cowboys, the right-handed Chamberlain seemed to rub salt in the wounds by pitching the last two innings left-handed. However, that was something he did occasionally, pitching one inning right-handed, the next left-handed.
Chamberlain joined the Cincinnati Reds of the National League in 1892, winning 19 games, but losing 23. In 1893 he pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Beaneaters in a game that was called after seven innings. The Beaneaters got revenge on May 30, 1894 when Boston second baseman Bobby Lowe became the first major leaguer to hit four home runs in one game – and he hit them all against Chamberlain, who received no relief from manager Charlie Comiskey. Result: Chamberlain gave up all 20 Boston runs. (Lowe would hit a total of 17 home runs that season; his teammate Hugh Duffy led the league with 18.)
An ailing arm shortened Chamberlain's career, which for all practical purposes ended with the 1894 season. He did return to the major leagues in 1896, long enough to make two pitching appearances for the Cleveland Spiders, but lost his only decision and gave up 21 hits in 11 innings.
Chamberlain was called Icebox because he was so cool and unemotional on the mound. (Yes, but I wish I could have seen his face after Lowe's fourth home run.) That explanation comes from Bill James, baseball historian and Lord of the Statistics.
There's another explanation floating around – that Chamberlain put baseball's in the icebox to make them harder to hit – but that's a joke, people . . . a joke.
(If you note similiar mistakes on this website, please send corrections to: JMajor9863@aol.com )
Had that tidbit been true, then Chamberlain would have been far ahead of his time . . . because major league teams, following the lead of the Colorado Rockies, have started to store their baseballs in special rooms called humidors (think cigars). The purpose isn't to chill them, however, but to keep the baseballs from drying out. The problem in Denver is an overall lack of humidity – the rest of us should be so lucky. A dry baseball shrinks slightly and hardens.
In their early years the Rockies, who play at Coors Field in Denver, were notorious for high-scoring games. Scores have gone down since the great humidor experiment, though some say the decrease in run production says more about the team than the baseballs. |
