John Keefe

John Thomas Keefe

• Bats Unknown, Throws Left
• School College of the Holy Cross
• Debut April 28, 1890
• Final Game October 11, 1890
• Born May 5, 1867 in Fitchburg, MA USA
• Died August 9, 1937 in Fitchburg, MA USA

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Biographical Information

John Keefe attended the College of the Holy Cross. He was a cousin of Tim Keefe.

In his only big-league season, in 1890, Keefe went 17-24 with a 4.32 ERA in 43 games for the unimpressive 55 and 72 Syracuse Stars of the American Association. He started 41 games, completed 36 games and threw two shutouts. In just over 352 innings, he gave up 355 hits, 234 runs and 169 earned runs. He walked 148 batters and struck out 120.

Keefe's 17 wins were second on the team, trailing only behind Dan Casey's 19. Not only did his 24 losses lead the team, they also tied for the league lead. He finished ninth in the league in games, innings pitched and shutouts, eighth in the league in games started, complete games and batters faced (1431), seventh in hit batsmen with 17, sixth in hits allowed, fifth in walks allowed, fourth in home runs allowed (nine) and third in earned runs allowed.

As a batter, Keefe collected 30 hits in 157 at-bats for a .191 batting average. His fielding percentage was .955. A 22 year old, he made his big league debut on April 28, and played his final game on October 11, 1890. That year, because of the formation of the Players League, a lot of young pitchers like Keefe got an opportunity to pitch a lot of innings, although they would never again pitch in the major leagues.

Overall, his career statistics are most similar to those of Alex Ferson. He is buried in St. Bernard Cemetery in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1890)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1890)

Related Sites

• John Keefe at the SABR Bio Project