George Chalmers

George W. Chalmers
(Dut)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• School Manhattan College
• Debut September 21, 1910
• Final Game August 7, 1916
• Born June 7, 1888 in Aberdeen Scotland
• Died August 5, 1960 in Bronx, NY USA

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Biographical Information

“[O]ne or two scribes even declared that he is the best young right-hander that has broken into fast company since the debut of Christy Mathewson.” - Sporting Life, December 17, 1910

George "Dut" Chalmers was the first European-born big leaguer to start a World Series game. On October 12, 1915, he took the ball for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Boston Red Sox in Game 4. He went the distance, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits, and lost 2-1 to Ernie Shore at Braves Field. The winning run scored in the 6th when Duffy Lewis doubled home Dick Hoblitzel, who had singled. Lewis' double was the only extra-base hit Dut allowed.

The entirety of George's career was pitched with the Phils (1910 to 1916) during the deadball era. His best year was his official rookie year, 1911, when he went 13-10 with a 3.11 ERA and 101 strikeouts (but 101 walks) in 208 2/3 innings. He ranked third on the team in victories, as the great Pete Alexander won 28 games. Baseballlibrary.com says he was a spitballer who went 25-6 for the Scranton Miners in 1910 before the Phillies picked him up.

Chalmers is the only Chalmers in MLB history, through 2019, and one of only eight major leaguers to have been born in Scotland. Most of the players born in Scotland played early in the history of baseball, as he was the sixth of the eight players. Only Bobby Thomson and Tom Waddell came after him. George's family emigrated to America in 1900, when he was only two years old. While he may have played a few games for Manhattan College, he was never there as a student, having quit school after the eighth grade in order to earn a living, his first jobs being as bellboy and messenger in Manhattan's Imperial Hotel.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1911)

Related Sites

• George Chalmers at the SABR Bio Project
• Baseball History Daily story on George Chalmers part 1
• Baseball History Daily story on George Chalmers part 2