Adonis Terry
William H Terry
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 168 lb.
- Debut May 1, 1884
- Final Game April 27, 1897
- Born August 7, 1864 in Westfield, MA USA
- Died February 24, 1915 in Milwaukee, WI USA
Biographical Information[edit]
"Such competent judges as Tom Gunning, Jack Kerins and Harry Stovey say he throws the hardest ball to hit of any pitcher living. His outcurve is the sharpest and speediest ever seen . . .but . . . delivery lames his arm so much that he has to resort to straight balls frequently. . . Terry has great speed and excellent command of the ball." - Sporting Life of November 1, 1890
Adonis Terry was a strikeout artist as a 19th century pitcher. He won 197 games, and also played a couple hundred games in the field (mostly in the outfield), hitting .249 lifetime.
One of the most similar players to Terry, based on the similarity scores method, is Claude Osteen, an interesting comparison because both played years for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles franchise. In 1886, Terry went 18-16 with an ERA+ of 111, while eighty years later Osteen went 17-14 with an ERA+ of 115. The following year (1887) Terry went 16-16 while Osteen (1967) went 17-17.
He was regularly called upon to work as an umpire starting with 2 games in the American Association in 1884. In 1900, he was part of the National League's regular roster of umpires, working 39 games, and overall was active for 51 games in that capacity. On August 2nd that year, he was involved in a violent dispute in a game between the New York Giants and Chicago Orphans that culminated in Giants manager George Davis leading the crowd in assaulting him.
The Sporting Life article mentioned above stated that Terry starting playing ball with the Racquet Club of Ludlow, MA in 1879. He then pitched for the Rosedales of Bridgeport, CT. Jim O'Rourke lived in Bridgeport and took an interest in Terry.
The name Adonis, that of a Phoenician God, was formerly used as a synonym for a handsome man, which is likely the source of his nickname.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- AA Saves Leader (1887)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 3 (1889, 1890 & 1895)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 9 (1884-1887, 1889, 1890, 1892, 1895 & 1896)
- 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (1884, 1887, 1889, 1890 & 1895)
- 400 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1884)
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