John Keefe (baseball) explained

John Keefe
Position:Pitcher
Bats:Unknown
Throws:Left
Birth Date:July 16, 1867
Birth Place:Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Death Place:Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 28
Debutyear:1890
Debutteam:Syracuse Stars
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:October 11
Finalyear:1890
Finalteam:Syracuse Stars
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Earned run average
Stat1value:4.32
Stat2label:Record
Stat2value:17-24
Stat3label:Strikeouts
Stat3value:120
Teams:

John Thomas Keefe (July 16, 1867 – August 10, 1937) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the American Association Syracuse Stars in . Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, he attended the College of the Holy Cross.

In his only big league season, Keefe went 17 and 24 with a 4.32 earned run average in 43 games for the unimpressive 55 and 72 Stars. He started 41 games, completed 36 games and shutout two. In just over 352 innings, he gave up 355 hits, 234 runs and 169 earned runs. He walked 148 batters and struck out 120.

Keefe's 17 wins were second on the team, trailing behind Dan Casey's 19. Not only did his 24 losses lead the team, they also tied for the league lead. He finished ninth in the league in games, innings pitched and shutouts, eighth in the league in games started, complete games and batters faced (1431), seventh in hit batsmen with 17, sixth in hits allowed, fifth in walks allowed, fourth in home runs allowed (nine) and third in earned runs allowed.

As a batter, Keefe collected 30 hits in 157 at-bats for a .191 batting average. His fielding percentage was .955. A 22-year-old, he made his big league debut on April 28. He played his final game on October 11.

He is buried in St. Bernard Cemetery in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

His birth date has been verified by SABR research.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Keefe – Society for American Baseball Research.