Otto Hess

Otto C. Hess

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut August 3, 1902
• Final Game June 13, 1915
• Born October 10, 1878 in Bern, Switzerland
• Died February 25, 1926 in Tucson, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"On Friday Otto Hess pitched his eighth straight victory, which is a great record for this veteran on a tail-end team." - Sporting Life, October 12, 1912, about Hess with the 1912 Boston Braves

". . . our old reliable Otto Hess . . ." - George Stallings, referring to one of the oldest players on the Miracle Braves, quoted in Sporting Life, November 14, 1914

Otto Hess is the only major league player to have been born in Switzerland as of 2011. Hess pitched 10 seasons in the majors, winning 20 for the 1906 Cleveland Naps. A two-way player, Hess also appeared in the outfield and at first base, although he was primarily a pitcher in the majors.

In the minors, Hess played for New Orleans from 1909-1911, winning 18 games in 1909, 25 in 1910 and 23 in 1911. A fellow pitcher all three years was the 40+ year old Ted Breitenstein. After his major league days Hess played in the minors through 1917 when he was 10-6 for Atlanta at age 38.

Hess died in a Veterans' Hospital in Tucson, AZ. He served in the military during the Spanish-American War, seeing action in the Philippines in 1898 and 1899. He later served during World War I, where he contracted tuberculosis.

" 'I don't believe there's a pitcher in either league who has greater natural ability than Hess,' remarked Lajoie recently. 'I've figured all along that the time would come when he would be a world beater. He can't help it. In the first place he has an ideal build. He's over 6 foot 2 inches above the ground, with long arms and powerful shoulders. He's fairly quick on his feet, with terrific speed. He has the sharpest break to his curve ball I've seen anywhere, and now that he has settled down and has picked up fine control, I can't see how anyone can beat him often. I'd rather bat against any other pitcher I know than this fellow.' " - Nap Lajoie, Cleveland Indians player-manager, speaking about Cleveland pitcher Otto Hess after the 1906 season, as quoted in Sporting Life, January 12, 1907

Notable Achievements

• AL Saves Leader (1906)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1906)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1906)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1905, 1906, 1912 & 1913)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1906)
• Won a World Series with the Boston Braves in 1914 (he did not play in the World Series)

Further Reading

• Gary Hess: "Otto Hess", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 84-88. ISBN 978-1-933599-69-4

Related Sites

• Otto Hess at the SABR Bio Project