Red Oldham

John Cyrus Oldham

• Bats Both, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 176 lb.

• Debut August 19, 1914
• Final Game July 8, 1926
• Born July 15, 1893 in Zion, MD USA
• Died January 28, 1961 in Costa Mesa, CA USA

BR page

Biography

John "Red" Oldham pitched seven seasons in the majors between the years 1914-1926. He was in the 1925 World Series. He also won 172 minor league games.

Oldham was born in Maryland in 1893, in the same month that Allen Russell was also born in Maryland. Oldham began playing in the minors at age 17, and by 1913 was good enough to go 20-1 for Trenton. The next year, 1914, he went 14-7 for Providence and spent part of the season up in the majors with the 1914 Tigers. At age 20, he was seven years younger than teammate Ty Cobb and a year older than youngster Harry Heilmann.

In 1915 Red went 3-0 at the major league level but spent some of the year in the minors. He didn't come back to the majors until 1920, spending some of the interim time with San Francisco and Portland in the PCL.

He was back up in 1920-22 with the Tigers, this time as a regular. An article in The New York Times from November 25, 1922 said he was under investigation by the Commissioner for playing winter baseball in Los Angeles. Oldham announced he would leave baseball to go into business.

He came back in 1925-26 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the 1925 World Series, he pitched the last inning of the seventh game, after the Tigers had already fallen behind.

After his last major league stint, he pitched seven more seasons in the minors. During two years with Atlanta, he went 14-12 and 15-13.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1920-1922)
• Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925

Related Sites

Find-A-Grave Memorial for Red Oldham