There were really no relief pitchers during the first 40 seasons of Major League Baseball, through the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1900s. The first relief pitchers really came along in the 1910s.
During those first 40 seasons of MLB, in the rare occasions that the starting pitcher did not finish the game and a relief pitcher was needed, one of the other starting pitchers who had the day off would go in and relieve the starter.
That’s really how it worked during the first 40 seasons of MLB.
So, this list is, more or less, the best relief pitchers from the 1910s-1940s.
Even when relief pitching started in the 1910s, it was rare. It gained more momentum as the decades have passed, until relief pitching now, which is about 30 percent of the team bus.
In the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, relief pitchers were really just starting pitchers who ended up pitching more games in relief by the time their careers were through.
In fact, every relief pitcher on this list started 25-50 percent of their career games.
Compare that to the article I just published on the 10 best relief pitchers of the 2000s. All 10 relief pitchers from the 2000s only started up to 10 percent of their career games. Basically, there are career relief pitchers today.
Generally speaking, relief pitchers in these decades were starting pitchers who couldn’t cut it.
Generally, your best arms were in the starting rotation, and the rest were in the bullpen. However, the top 10 on this list break that rule; these relief pitchers were good—damn good.
That’s a history of early relief pitching, the quick condensed version. I hope that made sense.
There were 56 relief pitchers in the combined 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.
If a player does not appear on this list of 56, then they either didn't reach 250 games, or I consider them a relief pitcher from the 1950s.
The 1950s will be covered in a separate article. Relief pitchers will only be in one decade. For example, Al Benton will appear in this article. He will not appear in my 1950s article, which I will write later.
An Explanation of the Stats
The statistics that I include will be Games Pitched, Games Started, Innings Pitched, ERA, ERA+, WHIP (OOB%), H/9 (OBA), SV, SV/50 (per 50 Games Relieved), and K/BB (ratio). I will also letter grade their length of career.
I will include their raw career numbers first.
I will include their adjusted career numbers, if they had a long career (which most didn’t). Adjusted career is this: Let's take Firpo Marberry, for example. Marberry had a long career. So in order to find his real numbers, I have to exclude some late seasons during his career to find the numbers that he really carried during his career.
With Marberry, I'd exclude his last three seasons. That is his adjusted career.
Again, this can only be done with long career players. If I don't list an adjusted career under a player's raw career numbers, then it means they didn't played long enough to adjust for their long career, or it means they didn't have any bad seasons late in their career.
I will include peak career numbers. Many like short peaks—not me.
I include the best seasons equaling at least 250 games for a peak. It takes away the possibility of a pitcher having one or two lucky seasons. The 250-game peak will tell us how good the pitcher was at his best.
The 56 Relief Pitchers
Here are the 56 relief pitchers from the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s who reached at least 250 games (listed in order from oldest to newest):
1910s: Doc Ayers, Doc Crandall, Dave Danforth
1920s: Huck Betts, Garland Braxton, Phil Collins, Sarge Connally, Fred Heimach, Ken Holloway, Percy Jones, Ray Kolp, Firpo Marberry, Jakie May, Eddie Rommel, Allan Russell, Ed Wells
1930s: Pete Appleton, Boom-Boom Beck, Clint Brown, Lloyd Brown, Bobby Burke, Dick Coffman, Benny Frey, Joe Heving, Chief Hogsett, Syl Johnson, Wilcy Moore, Johnny Murphy, Jack Russell, Bill Swift, Jack Wilson
1940s: Ace Adams, Al Benton, Al Brazle, Mace Brown, Alex Carrasquel, Hugh Casey, George Caster, Bob Chipman, Tom Ferrick, Harry Gumbert, Randy Gumpert, Andy Hansen, Mickey Harris, Joe Haynes, Ed Heusser, Sheldon Jones, Bob Klinger, Johnny Lanning, Walt Masterson, Joe Page, Carl Scheib, Clyde Shoun, Hal White, Ted Wilks, Sam Zoldak
The Top 10
10. Lloyd Brown (1930s)
Career Length Grade: C+
Raw Career: 404 G, 181 GS, 1,693 IP, 4.20 ERA, 105 ERA+, 1.47 WHIP, 10.1 H/9, 21 SV, 4.7 SV/50, and 0.9 K/BB
Peak Career: 268 G, 123 GS, 1,173.1 IP, 3.87 ERA, 115 ERA+, 1.42 WHIP, 9.6 H/9, 12 SV, 4.1 SV/50, and 0.9 K/BB (exclude his 1932, 1933, 1937, and 1940 seasons)
He had three or four pitches in his arsenal that included a fastball, change-up, and curveball.
The best three consecutive seasons during his career were arguably the three seasons from 1934-1936. He was a relief pitcher during the 1934 and 1935 seasons, and he was a starting pitcher during the 1936 season.
During those three consecutive seasons combined, he pitched in almost 105 G, 40 GS, 380 IP, and posted a 121 ERA+. He was certainly up among the better pitchers in the league during the mid-1930s.
He was simply the best left-handed relief pitcher during the first 70 seasons of Major League Baseball, until guys like Al Brazle came along the following decade. (By the way, I have Brazle in the No. 7 spot on this list.)
There are certainly some pitchers on the honorable mention list who could have snagged this 10th and final spot instead of Brown.
The pitchers on that HM list who were higher caliber pitchers simply had very short careers.
Brown had a career that was only slightly above average in length, but it was generally much longer than any serious contenders from the HM list.
9. Doc Ayers (1910s)
Career Length Grade: D
Raw Career: 299 G, 140 GS, 1,428.2 IP, 2.84 ERA, 104 ERA+, 1.22 WHIP, 8.5 H/9, 15 SV, 4.7 SV/50, and 1.6 K/BB
Peak Career: 254 G, 122 GS, 1,267.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 110 ERA+, 1.19 WHIP, 8.3 H/9, 13 SV, 5.0 SV/50, and 1.7 K/BB (exclude his 1916 and 1921 seasons)
His career 2.84 ERA still ranks as the 20th best ERA in the history of Major League Baseball for a relief pitcher. He posted less than a 2.85 ERA during six of his first seven seasons, and he posted less than a 2.55 ERA during each of his first three seasons.
He came out of the gates screaming, and his first three seasons were arguably the three best consecutive seasons of his entire career. He spent his first two seasons as a starting pitcher and his third season as a relief pitcher.
During those first three seasons combined, he pitched over 90 G, 50 GS, and almost 495 IP; he recorded a 2.37 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 2.7 K/BB. Those were three great seasons combined to start his career.
8. Bill Swift (1930s)
Career Length Grade: D+
Raw Career: 336 G, 165 GS, 1,637.2 IP, 3.58 ERA, 107 ERA+, 1.24 WHIP, 9.2 H/9, 20 SV, 5.9 SV/50, and 1.8 K/BB
Peak Career: 282 G, 147 GS, 1,422.1 IP, 3.51 ERA, 110 ERA+, 1.24 WHIP, 9.3 H/9, 17 SV, 6.3 SV/50, and 1.8 K/BB (exclude his 1937 and 1943 seasons)
He reminds me of Dennis Eckersley a bit. He was basically a starting pitcher during the first half of his career, and he was a relief pitcher during the second half of his career.
Of course, Eckersley had a much longer career and he was a better pitcher, but their careers were laid out similarly.
Swift was a starting pitcher during each of his first five seasons, and he was a relief pitcher during each of his last six seasons. Like many relief pitchers from these eras, he certainly did some spot starts when he was a reliever, and he also did some spot relief appearances when he was a starter.
He possessed good control. He certainly had three or four good seasons as a relief pitcher, but he had his best seasons as a starter.
During the first five seasons of his career, as a starting pitcher, he combined for almost 200 G, 130 GS, and over 1,100 IP; he posted a 110 ERA+ and over a .550 W%.
There is little question that he was an extremely good starting pitcher.
But his best season as a starting pitcher was arguably his 1935 season. During that 1935 season, he pitched in almost 40 G, over 20 GS, and 200 IP; he recorded a 2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, over a 150 ERA+, and a .650 W%.
This guy could pitch, from the bullpen or the starting rotation.
7. Al Brazle (1940s)
Career Length Grade: D+
Raw Career: 441 G, 117 GS, 1,376.2 IP, 3.31 ERA, 120 ERA+, 1.37 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 60 SV, 9.2 SV/50, and 1.1 K/BB
Peak Career: 277 G, 105 GS, 1,035.2 IP, 3.03 ERA, 128 ERA+, 1.30 WHIP, 8.7 H/9, 28 SV, 8.2 SV/50, and 1.2 K/BB (exclude his 1950, 1953, and 1954 seasons)
He led the league in SV during two consecutive seasons in 1952 and 1953.
He ended his career with a slightly below average length of career.
Here’s why. He spent seven or eight seasons in the minor leagues before he was brought up to Major League Baseball. By the time he pitched his first pitch in MLB during the 1943 season, he was 29 years old.
He then missed the entire 1944 and 1945 seasons, because of military service in World War II. After the war, he returned for the 1946 season. It was really his first full season in MLB; he was 32 years old by this time.
That’s the story—the quick, condensed version.
Even getting an extremely late start to his MLB career, he managed to pitch 10 seasons. Basically, he was a relief pitcher for seven seasons, and he was a starting pitcher for three seasons.
Brazle was a special pitcher, and he never really had a bad season.
He was a great starting pitcher. In his three starting seasons combined, he pitched in almost 95 G, 60 GS, and over 450 IP. For those three seasons, he posted a combined 129 ERA+ and almost a .670 W%; great numbers for a starting pitcher of any decade.
He certainly had some great seasons as a relief pitcher, too.
The best two seasons that come to mind are his consecutive seasons in 1951 and 1952. In those two seasons combined, he pitched in over 100 G, almost 15 GS, and over 260 IP.
For those two seasons, he recorded a combined 2.94 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 131 ERA+, and 7.3 H/9; great numbers for a relief pitcher of any decade.
Brazle is simply the best left-handed relief pitcher from the first 80 seasons of MLB. There are better left-handed relief pitchers that came a decade after Brazle in the 1950s.
6. Jack Russell (1930s)
Career Length Grade: B+
Raw Career: 557 G, 182 GS, 2,050.2 IP, 4.46 ERA, 96 ERA+, 1.48 WHIP, 10.8 H/9, 38 SV, 5.1 SV/50, and 0.7 K/BB
Peak Career: 260 G, 66 GS, 875.2 IP, 3.52 ERA, 116 ERA+, 1.32 WHIP, 9.7 H/9, 20 SV, 5.1 SV/50, and 0.9 K/BB (include his 1926, 1928, 1929, 1933, 1938, 1939, and 1940 seasons)
During the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the Philadelphia Phillies spring training home was Jack Russell Memorial Stadium. This Jack Russell.
Russell was mainly a sinkerball and change-up pitcher, and it worked for him. He led the league in SV during two consecutive seasons in 1933 and 1934.
He had a nice, long, 15-season career. More or less, he was a relief pitcher for 10 seasons and a starting pitcher for five seasons.
His five seasons as a starter were during five consecutive seasons from 1928-1932. He was a relief pitcher during his first two seasons and his last eight seasons.
There are many unique facts about Russell. One of them is that he arguably had the three best seasons of his entire career during the last three seasons of his career. During those last three seasons combined, he pitched in almost 110 G of relief and posted a combined 121 ERA+.
What a great way to end his career.
In fact, arguably the best single season of his entire career was the very one. In 1940, he pitched in over 25 G of relief; he recorded a 2.50 ERA and 160 ERA+.
He helped his team to the World Series twice during his career.
Unfortunately, they lost both World Series. It wasn’t his fault. During the combined series, Russell pitched in five games of relief; he posted a combined 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 6.8 H/9, and 7.0 K/BB.
Those are absolutely extraordinary World Series numbers.
5. Harry Gumbert (1940s)
Career Length Grade: B
Raw Career: 508 G, 235 GS, 2,156 IP, 3.68 ERA, 102 ERA+, 1.35 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 48 SV, 8.7 SV/50, and 1.0 K/BB
Adjusted Career: 507 G, 235 GS, 2,154.1 IP, 3.68 ERA, 102 ERA+, 1.35 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 48 SV, 8.9 SV/50, and 1.0 K/BB (exclude his last season)
Peak Career: 272 G, 110 GS, 1,086.1 IP, 3.29 ERA, 112 ERA+, 1.30 WHIP, 8.8 H/9, 37 SV, 11.6 SV/50, and 1.0 K/BB (include his 1937, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1947, and 1948 seasons)
He led the league in SV during the 1948 season.
During his 15-season career, he spent eight seasons as a starting pitcher and seven seasons as a relief pitcher. He was a relief pitcher during his first two seasons and his last five seasons. He was a starting pitcher for the eight consecutive seasons from 1937-1944.
He had four or five good seasons as a relief pitcher, but he had his best seasons as a starting pitcher.
In fact, during his combined eight consecutive seasons as a starting pitcher from 1937-1944, he pitched in almost 275 G, over 210 GS, and 1,605 IP; during those combined eight seasons as a starter, he posted a 104 ERA+, over a .570 W%, and 100 wins.
4. Al Benton (1940s)
Career Length Grade: B-
Raw Career: 455 G, 167 GS, 1,688.1 IP, 3.66 ERA, 115 ERA+, 1.42 WHIP, 8.9 H/9, 66 SV, 11.4 SV/50, and 1.0 K/BB
Peak Career: 265 G, 92 GS, 987 IP, 2.82 ERA, 148 ERA+, 1.31 WHIP, 8.3 H/9, 49 SV, 14.0 SV/50, and 1.1 K/BB (exclude his 1934, 1935, 1939, 1946, 1947, and 1948 seasons)
He led the league in SV during the 1940 season, and he led the league with 7.4 H/9 during the 1941 season.
During his 14-season career, he was basically a relief pitcher for nine seasons and a starting pitcher for five seasons.
His three best seasons as a starting pitcher were his second, third, and fourth—1938, 1942, and 1945. During those three combined seasons as a starting pitcher, he pitched in 85 G, almost 70 GS, and over 510 IP; he posted a combined 2.65 ERA and 151 ERA+.
Those are extraordinary numbers for a starting pitcher.
He was 41 years old during his last season, but his best three consecutive seasons as a relief pitcher were arguably the last three seasons of his career.
During those three seasons combined, he pitched in 100 G, over 10 GS, and 235 IP; he combined those last three seasons for a 2.55 ERA and 160 ERA+.
He had a several great seasons during his career—some as a starting pitcher, some as a relief pitcher. Generally, he could do and did whatever was needed by his team.
What a pitcher.
3. Syl Johnson (1930s)
Career Length Grade: A+
Raw Career: 542 G, 209 GS, 2,165.2 IP, 4.06 ERA, 104 ERA+, 1.28 WHIP, 9.5 H/9, 43 SV, 6.4 SV/50, and 1.9 K/BB
Adjusted Career: 525 G, 207 GS, 2,125 IP, 4.06 ERA, 104 ERA+, 1.29 WHIP, 9.5 H/9, 41 SV, 6.4 SV/50, and 1.9 K/BB (exclude his last season)
Peak Career: 261 G, 111 GS, 1,092 IP, 3.73 ERA, 120 ERA+, 1.27 WHIP, 9.4 H/9, 24 SV, 8.0 SV/50, and 1.9 K/BB (include his 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, and 1936 seasons)
He was a good control pitcher that had an incredibly long Major League Baseball career of 19 seasons. He was a relief pitcher for 15 seasons, and he was a starting pitcher for four seasons.
He had two or three extraordinary seasons in each role.
His two best seasons as a starting pitcher were consecutive seasons in 1930 and 1931. He pitched in almost 65 G, 50 GS, and over 370 IP during those two seasons combined, and posted a 117 ERA+, 2.6 K/BB, and almost a .550 W%.
They were two fabulous back-to-back seasons to start the decade.
His two best seasons as a relief pitcher were consecutive seasons in 1934 and 1935. He pitched in over 80 G, almost 30 GS, and 315 IP during those two seasons combined, and recorded a 130 ERA+, 1.17 WHIP, and 2.6 K/BB.
Again, fabulous back-to-back seasons as a relief pitcher.
Don’t get me wrong.
Johnson was a high caliber relief pitcher, but here are certainly some higher caliber relief pitchers. They rated lower than Johnson on this list because of their short career and, maybe more so, because of Johnson’s long career.
There is a 10 highest caliber section at the bottom of this list where I rate the 10 highest caliber pitchers from the 1870s-1940s.
Johnson had the third best career, but he wasn’t the third highest caliber pitcher. See that section for more details.
2. Firpo Marberry (1920s)
Career Length Grade: A-
Raw Career: 551 G, 186 GS, 2,067.1 IP, 3.63 ERA, 116 ERA+, 1.32 WHIP, 8.9 H/9, 101 SV, 13.8 SV/50, and 1.2 K/BB
Adjusted Career: 502 G, 164 GS, 1,878. IP, 3.55 ERA, 119 ERA+, 1.31 WHIP, 8.8 H/9, 98 SV, 14.4 SV/50, and 1.2 K/BB (exclude his last three seasons)
Peak Career: 256 G, 106 GS, 1,085.2 IP, 3.18 ERA, 131 ERA+, 1.27 WHIP, 8.5 H/9, 57 SV, 19.0 SV/50, and 1.2 K/BB (include his 1923, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931, and 1933 seasons)
He led the league in WHIP twice during his career, and he also led the league in SV five times during his career.
He was the first relief pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to ever lead the league in SV five times during a career.
During one of the seasons that he led the league in SV, he posted over 20 SV. He was the first relief pitcher in the history of MLB to ever post over 20 SV in a single season.
By the time his nice long career was through, he recorded over 100 SV, and he was the first relief pitcher in the history of MLB to ever record over 100 SV during a career.
None of this happened by accident.
He was simply a great relief pitcher. I give Rommel the edge, obviously. But the difference between he and Marberry is purely academic—it's very close.
Marberry pitched 14 seasons in MLB. He was a relief pitcher for nine seasons, and he was a starting pitcher for five seasons.
Other than his last few seasons, he was extremely good, year in and year out.
But he came out of the gates screaming, and his first four seasons were arguably the best four consecutive seasons of his entire career. He was a relief pitcher during each of his first four seasons.
During his first four seasons combined, he pitched in 180 G, over 20 GS, and 470 IP. He posted a combined 129 ERA+, and led the league in SV during three of those four seasons.
What a pitcher this guy was.
Don’t get me wrong. Every relief pitcher in this top 10 was extremely good, but Marberry and Rommel, in the one and two spots, are really head-and-shoulders above the rest.
Johnson, in the three spot, is close in career value, because he had a long career. He was good, but it’s that long career that narrows the gap.
Benton, in the four spot, is close, because he could throw almost as well as Rommel and Marberry, but his career is shorter. The gap is widened.
I’m starting to get into how to rate now, aren’t I?
The point is simple: Marberry could pitch his a*s off.
1.Eddie Rommel (1920s)
Career Length Grade: A
Raw Career: 500 G, 249 GS, 2,556.1 IP, 3.54 ERA, 121 ERA+, 1.35 WHIP, 9.6 H/9, 29 SV, 5.8 SV/50, and 0.8 K/BB
Peak Career: 277 G, 129 GS, 1,389.2 IP, 3.10 ERA, 134 ERA+, 1.29 WHIP, 9.3 H/9, 16 SV, 5.3 SV/50, and 0.9 K/BB (exclude his 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1930, and 1932 seasons)
During his nice, long 13-season career, he was a starting pitcher for seven seasons, and he was a relief pitcher for six seasons.
He was a relief pitcher during his first season and his last five seasons. He was a starting pitcher during the seven consecutive seasons from 1921-1927.
He had some extremely good seasons as a relief pitcher, but I’ve always thought he was an even better starting pitcher.
During his seven consecutive seasons combined as a starting pitcher from 1921-1927, he posted a .565 W% and over 120 wins. He led the league with over 20 wins twice during those seven seasons.
There is no question that he was among the better starting pitchers in the league during the better part of the 1920s.
Bill James has Rommel rated as the best relief pitcher of the first 80 seasons of MLB in his Historical Baseball Abstract . In fact, he has him rated as the sixth best relief pitcher in history, period.
While I agree with Bill James that Rommel is the best relief pitcher from the first 80 seasons of MLB, I do not agree with him that he is one of the 10 best in history.
I simply think there have been too many great relief pitchers since Rommel to keep him in the top 10 all time.
In fairness to Bill James, his book includes stats after the 2000 season, but before the 2001 season. So, he doesn’t rate any relief pitchers from the 2000s in that book.
Remember, at that time relief pitchers like Trevor Hoffman, Joe Nathan, Mariano Rivera, and Billy Wagner were still very early in their careers. Guys like Jonathan Papelbon hadn’t even pitched yet.
Would James have them rated ahead of Rommel now?
Only he knows for sure. My guess: He’d have Rivera and Wagner ahead of him. The others, I doubt, but possibly.
Even if he had all five of them ahead of Rommel, then he’s still rating Rommel as easily one of the 20 best relief pitchers in the history of MLB.
Even that I don’t agree with. There are too many greats since him.
I agree with James in this: Rommel is the best relief pitcher from the first 80 seasons of MLB.
Actually, Marberry gives him a run for his money. The difference between the two of them is only a little more than academic.
My guess is, James would also agree with that statement.
He'd also agree with this statement: Rommel could flat out pitch.
The Honorable Mentions
Here are the 10 relief pitchers that just missed the top 10 for various reasons.
I will list them in order from oldest to newest: Doc Crandall (1910s), Ray Kolp (1920s), Jakie May (1920s), Clint Brown (1930s), Joe Heving (1930s), Johnny Murphy (1930s), Mace Brown (1940s), Hugh Casey (1940s), Clyde Shoun (1940s), and Ted Wilks (1940s)
The 10 Highest Caliber Relief Pitchers of the 1870s-1940s
I consider this to be the Smoky Joe Wood section.
Who’s the best pitcher, putting career values, length of career, and some other things aside that affect a relief pitcher's overall rating?
These aren’t the best careers, but these are the best pitchers, in a way.
Like Wood in the 1910s. He was a starting pitcher that many historians feel is one of the 10 highest caliber starting pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball.
With his short overall career, he’s never rated that high when you see historians rate starting pitchers, because they are almost always rating the best careers.
Don’t get me wrong. Caliber is part of historians formula too. It’s just a smaller part of the overall equation, and smaller than it should be, if you ask me.
But that’s another article.
Wood’s overall rating and career value is lower because of his short career and some other factors. But if a highest caliber list were made, Wood would appear on many historians' all-time top 10 lists.
He is almost never in the top 10 on their all-time career list, which are the lists that we usually see.
I hope that makes sense. This list is the highest caliber relief pitchers:
10. Tom Ferrick (1940s)
9. Hugh Casey (1940s)
8. Bill Swift (1930s)
7. Al Brazle (1940s)
6. Doc Ayers (1910s)
5. Al Benton (1940s)
4. Johnny Murphy (1930s)
3. Eddie Rommel (1920s)
2. Ted Wilks (1940s)
1. Firpo Marberry (1920s)
The Caliber Honorable Mentions (listed in order from oldest to newest): Doc Crandall (1910s), Joe Heving (1930s), Syl Johnson (1930s), Wilcy Moore (1930s), Ace Adams (1940s), Mace Brown (1940s), Harry Gumbert (1940s), Johnny Lanning (1940s), Joe Page (1940s), and Clyde Shoun (1940s)
There you go. The best relief pitchers from the 1870s-1940s, the 10 best careers and the 10 highest caliber relief pitchers.
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