Jack Chesbro

John Dwight "Happy Jack" Chesbro (1874–1931) rode a sharp-breaking spitball to one of the loudest single-season pitching numbers in the modern record book — 41 wins for the 1904 New York Highlanders, a total that has stood untouched ever since. Born June 5, 1874 in North Adams, Massachusetts, he turned pro in 1895 and reached the majors with Pittsburgh in 1899, helping the Pirates to back-to-back National League pennants in 1901 and 1902 before jumping to the new American League the following winter. He pitched for the Highlanders, the franchise that became the Yankees, until 1909, the year he also closed out his professional career. A 5'9", 180-pound right-hander, Chesbro is represented in our 1909-era holdings on T206 White Border. He died November 6, 1931 in Conway, Massachusetts, the western Massachusetts town where he had retired to farm and operate a sawmill, and is buried at Howland Cemetery there. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946, the same Veterans Committee class that included Jesse Burkett and Joe Tinker.