Zaza Harvey

Ervin King Harvey

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut May 3, 1900
• Final Game May 4, 1902
• Born January 5, 1879 in Saratoga, CA USA
• Died June 3, 1954 in Santa Monica, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Zaza Harvey distinguished himself both as a batter and as a pitcher during his three years in the major leagues.

As a batter, his lifetime average was .332, earned in 279 at-bats. In 1901, if he had had enough at-bats, he would have been fourth in the league, in the American League's first season as a major league. He also stole 17 bases in his major league career.

On April 25, 1902, playing for the Cleveland Bronchos, he had six hits in one game against the St. Louis Browns, something achieved by few players. All were singles, a feat that would not be matched in the AL until 1932, when Doc Cramer did so. However, he only played 9 more games in the majors after his big day.

As a pitcher, he went 3-6 in 17 games, but his ERA in 96 innings was approximately the same as the league's ERA. All his pitching was for the Chicago teams (first the Cubs and then the White Sox), while all his games as a position player were in the outfield for the Cleveland team (known first as the Blues and then the Bronchos).

When he broke in during the 1900 season, he was the youngest player in the league. Sporting Life reported in March 1902 that he made it a condition of his contract for 1902 that he not be asked to pitch. He became quite ill in 1902, recovered in 1903 and thought about returning to baseball, but in 1904 decided not to.

He also pitched for Minneapolis (1897 and 1900) and Sacramento (1898-99).

The book Lou Sockalexis: The First Cleveland Indian says that Harvey "hit the Forest City with a bang . . . The City of Cleveland fell in love with Zaza Harvey . . . ". The book states that Harvey retired from major league baseball due to illness.