Happy Townsend

John Townsend

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• School Washington College
• Debut April 19, 1901
• Final Game September 21, 1906
• Born April 9, 1879 in Townsend, DE USA
• Died December 21, 1963 in Wilmington, DE USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Jack Townsend pitched his usual good game in the first Detroit contest, but was unfortunate as ever in his support. The Tigers could do nothing with his delivery, and the hits made off him were the barest scratches, with two exceptions." - Sporting Life, August 27, 1904, about the difficulties of pitching for a Senators team that would lose 113 games in 1904

Jack "Happy" Townsend pitched six seasons in the major leagues. The SABR biography of Bob Unglaub states that Townsend and Unglaub were battery mates for a couple teams. Townsend, whose nickname "Happy" came from a carefree attitude, had as a child thrown rocks to knock off apples on apple trees and had imitated the deliveries of famous pitchers.

He and Unglaub played in 1897 for Federalsburg and Millington.

Townsend was often the subject of trade rumors. He did get traded a couple times in 1905. The Senators teams for whom he played never finished over .500, but the teams he was on at the start and end of his major league career (the 1900 Phillies and the 1906 Naps) did play over .500.

The Washington College Hall of Fame has a page on him. He pitched for the college beginning in 1898-99 and also had pitched on a team which played against the college in 1897. After baseball he lived and worked in Philadelphia, PA.

After his major league days he pitched in the minors for several years. Although he went 17-11 in 1909, he decided the following year not to play.

"Jack Townsend, Washington's pitcher, has mastered the 'spit ball' delivery." - Sporting Life, April 22, 1905