Revered, respected and immensely talented... who knows what could have been?

ADDIE JOSS:  ...A brilliant career cut tragically short

Adrian "Addie" Joss was born in Woodland, Wisconsin, in 1880. He pitched semipro ball as a teenager and later hurled for the University of Wisconsin.  Pitching for Toledo of the Inter-State League in 1900 he went 19-16 in his first year and 25-15 in 1901 to draw the attention of several major league teams, including Cleveland. The Toledo owner tried to trick him into signing on for a third year, but when Joss discovered the subterfuge, he immediately joined Cleveland.

Tall and gangly at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Joss pitched with an exaggerated pinwheel motion that earned him the nickname "the Human Hairpin." He threw a good fastball and a fast-breaking curve with exceptional control. During his career he averaged only 1.43 walks per game, the third-best ratio in major league history.

On April 26, 1902, Joss made a memorable debut with Cleveland. Pitching against the St. Louis Browns, Joss pitched a one-hitter.  Only a disputed line drive -- said by many to have been caught by Cleveland's right fielder about 3 inches off the ground -- kept him from the perfecto.  Unfortunately for Joss, umpire Bill Carruthers ruled the catch a trap.

Joss won 17 games, including a league-leading five shutouts, in his rookie year, then followed with 18 victories in 1903. He slumped to 14 wins in 1904 but led the AL with a 1.59 earned run average. From 1905 through 1908, his numbers were 20-12 with a 2.01 ERA, 21-9 with a 1.72 ERA, 27-11 with a 1.83 ERA, and 24-11 with a 1.16 ERA. His 1908 ERA led the league, as did his 27 victories in 1907.

On October 2, 1908 Joss and Chicago's 40-game winner, Ed Walsh, squared off in one of the game's most memorable pitching duels in baseball history. Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit (who ultimately prevailed) were locked in a pennant race, adding to the tension of the contest. Walsh tossed a four-hitter, striking out 15 and allowing only one run. Joss, however, was even better, setting down 27 straight for a perfect game. Two years later, he no-hit the White Sox again.

During the off-season Joss was a sportswriter for the Toledo News-Bee. Another Toledo newspaper, the Blade, later said of him: "Baseball was a profession, as severe as that of any other…. In taking his vocation seriously he was, in return, taken seriously by the people, who recognized in him a man of more than usual intelligence and one who would have adorned any profession in which he had elected to engage."

In 1911 he reported to spring training ready to further his legend, but several teammates noted that he had lost considerable weight.  During an exhibition game at Chattanooga, Tennessee, he fainted on the bench. Although he dismissed it as nothing, it was only a matter of days before he was sent home with an obvious illness.  On April 14, 1911, his untimely death from an attack of tubercular meningitis was reported, to the shock of the baseball world.

Contemporaries of Joss admired him as much as anyone who ever put on a major league uniform.  Cleveland's opener in Detroit was postponed due to funeral services in Toledo. So well thought of was Joss that the top AL players of the day formed an all-star team to play the Indians for the benefit of his widow, raising nearly $13,000 -- a handsome sum back in the day. 

Joss played in the major leagues for only nine seasons, with a record of 160-97. His career ERA of 1.88 is the second lowest of all time. He completed 90 percent of his starts (234 of 260) and threw 46 shutouts. He gave up only 19 home runs, and he held Ty Cobb to a .071 average.  He allowed fewer baserunners per nine innings (8.73) than any pitcher in major league history.

In 1978 the Veterans Committee set aside its 10-year rule and elected Joss to the Hall of Fame.

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