Ed Pinkham

Edwin B. Pinkham

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 142 lb.
• Debut May 8, 1871
• Final Game September 18, 1871
• Born August, 1846 in Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died December 19, 1906 in Brooklyn, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Ed Pinkham, who seemed to have success as both a pitcher and a hitter, played multiple positions for the 1871 Chicago White Stockings and was only 22 in 1871. The great fire of 1871 demolished the Union Base Ball Grounds (and most of the rest of Chicago), causing the team to play the last month of the season on the road. The team could not continue financially without a stadium, and folded before the 1872 season. But Pinkam wasn't waiting. He didn't accompany the team on its final road trip (leaving them a player short), and didn't catch on anywhere else. He had 1 save, placing second in the league that year.

While his batting average, .263, was lower than the team average of .270, he led the league in walks and thus his on-base percentage was ninth in the league and second on the team. His slugging percentage, aided by 5 home runs, was third on the team.

He was the team's only backup pitcher, appearing in 3 games with an ERA of 3.48, better than the league average of 4.22.

Pinkham had played for the Eckfords in 1869.

An article in the San Jose Mercury News about the Oracle of Baseball lists Ed Pinkham (along with a couple of his teammates) as one of the "least linkable" players of all time. See Move Over, Kevin Bacon: Six Degrees of Barry Bonds.

Related Sites

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