Eppa Rixey

Eppa Rixey Jr. (May 3, 1891 – February 28, 1963), nicknamed "Jephtha," was an American left-handed pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1933 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. He was best known as the National League's career leader in victories for a left-hander, with 266 wins, a mark that stood until Warren Spahn surpassed it in 1959.

Rixey attended the University of Virginia, where he was a star pitcher. He was discovered by umpire Cy Rigler, who convinced him to sign directly with the Phillies, bypassing minor league baseball entirely. His time with the Phillies was marked by inconsistency: he won 22 games in 1916 but also led the league in losses twice. In 1915, the Phillies reached the World Series, and Rixey lost in his only appearance.

Traded to the Reds prior to the 1921 season, he won 20 or more games three times, including a league-leading 25 in 1922, and posted eight consecutive winning seasons. His skills were declining by 1929, when he went 10–13 with a 4.16 earned run average. He pitched four more seasons before retiring after 1933.