Ed Reulbach

Chicago’s Ed Reulbach was the only pitcher to throw a doubleheader shutout, allowing just eight hits; the two victories on September 26 were among nine he collected against Brooklyn in 1908. Chicago was locked in a tight pennant race with Pittsburgh and New York, and the Cubs’ staff was getting weary. Reulbach’s wins helped his club finish first, after a one-game playoff.

Reulbach’s eyesight was poor, so his catchers used white-painted gloves. He set a still-standing record of leading the NL in winning percentage three years in a row, 1906 through 1908, with records of 19-4, 17-4, and 24-7. Yet his spectacular career was often overshadowed by his teammate, Three Finger Brown, and crosstown rival Ed Walsh. Reulbach took the limelight with the first one-hitter in the World Series (1906). His 1906 hits-per-inning ratio of 5.33 per nine innings is the third best in history. His career ERA of 2.28 has been bettered by only ten pitchers. Not counting the 1915 season, which he spent in the Federal League, he allowed only 35 home runs in 2,363 innings.