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Charles “Old Hoss Radbourne” had the greatest 11-year run of any pitcher in baseball history. Pitching from 1881-1891 he won an incredible 310 games, averaging more than 28 wins per season.

A workhorse, Radbourne tossed at least 400 innings in six seasons, topping the 600-inning mark in consecutive seasons starting in 1883. Radbourn’s first four seasons saw win totals of 25, 33, 48, and 60. That put his victory total at 166 – more than half way to 300.

On May 9, 1891 he joined Pud Galvin, Tim Keefe, and Mickey Welch as baseball’s four 300-game winners. When he retired at season’s end Radbourn had a 310-194 record and a 2.68 ERA.

Radbourn was a versatile performer. In addition to his 527 appearances on the mound, Old Hoss played 7 other positions. In his 11-year career, he played 8 games at first base, 6 at second, 2 at third, 16 at shortstop, 15 in leftfield, 12 in center, and 93 in right.

Here is a scorecard filled out entirely by Cooperstown’s Harry Wright. In this contest of June 5, 1883 Radbourn plays one of his 15 career games in left field. A .235 lifetime hitter, Old Hoss hit a pair of singles in five at bats.

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Old Hoss Radbourn’s campaign in 1884 is one for the record books. That year he completed all 73 of his starts, throwing a mind-boggling 678 2/3 frames. Radbourn won 60 games, had a 1.38 ERA and 441 strikeouts. His ERA+ was 205.

Old Hoss pitched his 1884 Providence Grays to an 84-28 mark and first-place finish in the NL. In the championship series against the American Association’s New York Metropolitans Radbourne won three more contests in 22 scoreless innings of work.

Shown here is a scorecard filled out be Hall of Famer Harry Wright. It features the game of May 19, 1883. Radbourn was the Providence Gray’s starting right fielder though he would later pitch in the game. Rabourn went 1-for-4 with a run scored.  Wright was Providence’s manager for 1882 and 1883.

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Old Hoss Radbourn’s 1884 season is remembered as one of the finest campaigns in baseball history Many fans recall his 73 complete games, 60 wins and his astounding 678 2/3 innings pitched.

Lost in the memory is that Radbourn earned the second pitching Triple Crown in baseball history. Along with the 60 wins came league-leading numbers in ERA (1.38) and strikeouts (441). Seven years earlier Tommy Bond of the National League’s Boston Red Stockings was the first to perform the trifecta.

Shown here is the sterling silver lifetime pass issued to Bond, the Senior Circuit’s first recipient of the pitching Triple Crown.