totally random, vol. 2.7

Today’s subject; Pat McGehee. The Meadville native played a hundred years ago. Literally. A right-handed pitcher, McGehee debuted for the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 23, 1912. That was his only appearance. Ever. He faced two batters, allowing a hit and a walk. Then he was pulled, perhaps with an injury but that’s not known. Neither of the runners scored, so his ERA is not infinity. It’s just non-existent. The ’12 Tigers, a team that included Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford, were not very good. They went 69-84 and finished sixth in the eight-team American League. They couldn’t blame McGehee for their troubles.
P.S. On another historical note, as major league teams begin reporting for spring training, it is worth mentioning that Mississippi was once a spring destination. The Cubs trained in Vicksburg in 1908; the Cardinals in Jackson in 1912; the Tigers in Gulfport from 1913-15; the Senators (the ones that moved to Minnesota) in Biloxi from 1930-35; and the Phillies in Biloxi in 1938. This was reported in Spring Training magazine in 2001.