# Jim Devlin

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American baseball player (1849–1883)

For other people named Jim Devlin, see [Jim Devlin (disambiguation)](/source/Jim_Devlin_(disambiguation)).

Baseball player

Jim Devlin Devlin in 1876 Pitcher / First baseman Born: June 6, 1849 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Died: October 10, 1883(1883-10-10) (aged 34) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Batted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut April 21, 1873, for the Philadelphia White Stockings Last MLB appearance October 6, 1877, for the Louisville Grays MLB statistics Win–loss record 72–76 Earned run average 1.90 Strikeouts 286 WHIP 1.09 Stats at Baseball Reference Teams Philadelphia White Stockings (1873) Chicago White Stockings (1874–1875) Louisville Grays (1876–1877) Career highlights and awards NL strikeout leader (1876)

**James Alexander Devlin** (June 6, 1849 – October 10, 1883) was an American [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) (MLB) player who played mainly as a [first baseman](/source/First_baseman) early in his career, then later as a [pitcher](/source/Pitcher). Devlin played for three teams during his five-year career; the [Philadelphia White Stockings](/source/Philadelphia_White_Stockings) and the [Chicago White Stockings](/source/Chicago_White_Stockings_(1870%E2%80%9389)) of the [National Association](/source/National_Association_of_Professional_Base_Ball_Players) (NA), and the [Louisville Grays](/source/Louisville_Grays) of the [National League](/source/National_League_(baseball)) (NL). However, after admitting to [throwing games](/source/Match_fixing) and costing the Grays the pennant in the [1877 Louisville Grays scandal](/source/1877_Louisville_Grays_scandal), he and three of his teammates were [banished permanently](/source/List_of_people_banned_from_Major_League_Baseball) from MLB.

## Career

Jim Devlin began his career in the first organized professional league, the [National Association of Professional Base Ball Players](/source/National_Association_of_Professional_Base_Ball_Players) (NA), as an [infielder](/source/Infielder) for his hometown [Philadelphia White Stockings](/source/Philadelphia_White_Stockings) in 1873, and the [Chicago White Stockings](/source/Chicago_White_Stockings_(1870-89)) in the 1874 and 1875 seasons. In 1876, the NA folded and was replaced by the [National League](/source/National_League_(baseball)) (NL) that lives on to this day. In this year, Devlin began pitching for the [Louisville Grays](/source/Louisville_Grays), starting 68 games with an impeccable 1.56 [earned run average](/source/Earned_run_average) and leading the Grays in [batting](/source/Batting_average_(baseball)) with .315. Devlin's best pitch was a "drop pitch", now known as a [sinker](/source/Sinker_(baseball)), which he may have been the first to throw. In 1877, Devlin, the only pitcher on the roster, threw every pitch of his team's 61 games, the only pitcher ever to do so.

## Banishment

Led by Devlin and slugger [George Hall](/source/George_Hall_(baseball)), the Grays opened up a four-game lead in the NL pennant race by mid-August. However, the Grays suffered a horrendous road trip and endured a seven-game losing streak, which was characterized by uncharacteristic "bonehead" plays and poor pitching. The Grays relinquished their lead and eventually finished second, seven games behind the [Boston Red Caps](/source/Boston_Red_Caps) (who subsequently won 20 of 21 games to end the season). Meanwhile, certain Grays were seen around town wearing fancy new jewelry and ostentatiously dining at exclusive restaurants.

At the end of the season, suspicion arose that Grays players were being paid to [intentionally lose games](/source/Match_fixing). This suspicion increased as the players performed very well in [postseason](/source/Postseason) exhibition matches. Furthermore, the *[Louisville Courier-Journal](/source/Louisville_Courier-Journal)* discovered that utility infielder [Al Nichols](/source/Al_Nichols) had received an abnormally high number of [telegrams](/source/Telegrams). *Courier-Journal* writer [John Haldeman](/source/John_Haldeman), who was the son of the Grays' president and who sometimes played [second base](/source/Second_baseman) in the team's exhibition games, was the first to publicly accuse the Grays of throwing games. Team vice president Charles Chase, who had earlier received but disregarded telegrams informing him that gamblers were betting against the Grays in certain games, began an investigation. Devlin and Hall confessed, and Chase demanded that his players allow him to inspect their telegrams. The telegrams confirmed that Nichols was coordinating the games with [New York City](/source/New_York_City) gamblers. [Bill Craver](/source/Bill_Craver), the team's [shortstop](/source/Shortstop), who was the only player to deny the request and who carried a bad reputation from his days in the National Association, was presumed guilty by association and was suspended.

NL president [William Hulbert](/source/William_Hulbert) decided to make a stand against gambling. He immediately banned Devlin, Hall, Nichols and Craver from the league for life. Craver, against whom no evidence of gambling was ever found but had refused to comply with the investigation, was outraged and appealed the suspension. Devlin also appealed to the NL for reinstatement every year for the rest of his life. However, Hulbert remained resolute and none of the Louisville Four ever played professional baseball again (according to legend, Devlin literally begged, on his knees, for another chance; Hulbert responded by giving Devlin a fifty-dollar bill (equivalent to $1,300 in 2025); "This is what I think of you personally, Jim", the league president supposedly said, "[b]ut, damn you, you have thrown a game, you are dishonest, and this National League will not stand for it!").[1] Devlin even appealed to [Harry Wright](/source/Harry_Wright), one of the game's most influential figures, for help in reinstating him, but Wright never responded to Devlin's requests. Devlin, who found work in Philadelphia as a [police officer](/source/Police_officer), died poor of [tuberculosis](/source/Tuberculosis) in 1883 and was survived by a wife and son. He is interred at [New Cathedral Cemetery](/source/New_Cathedral_Cemetery_(Philadelphia)) in Philadelphia.

## See also

- [Biography portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Biography)
- [Baseball portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Baseball)

- [List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders](/source/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_annual_strikeout_leaders)

- [List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders](/source/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_career_ERA_leaders)

- [List of people banned from Major League Baseball](/source/List_of_people_banned_from_Major_League_Baseball)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Ginsburg, Daniel E. (1995). *The Fix Is In : A History of Baseball Gambling and Game Fixing Scandals*. McFarland. p. 49. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7864-1920-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7864-1920-2).

## External links

- Career statistics from [Baseball Reference](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/devliji01.shtml) · [Fangraphs](https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1003249) · [Baseball Reference (Minors)](https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=devlin001jim) · [Retrosheet](https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pdevlj103.htm) · [Baseball Almanac](https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=devliji01)

v t e National League season strikeout leaders 1876: Devlin 1877: Bond 1878: Bond 1879: Ward 1880: Corcoran 1881: Derby 1882: Radbourn 1883: Whitney 1884: Radbourn 1885: Clarkson 1886: Baldwin 1887: Clarkson 1888: Keefe 1889: Clarkson 1890: Rusie 1891: Rusie 1892: Hutchison 1893: Rusie 1894: Rusie 1895: Rusie 1896: Young 1897: McJames & Seymour 1898: Seymour 1899: Hahn 1900: Hahn 1901: Hahn 1902: Willis 1903: Mathewson 1904: Mathewson 1905: Mathewson 1906: Beebe 1907: Mathewson 1908: Mathewson 1909: Overall 1910: Moore 1911: Marquard 1912: Alexander 1913: Seaton 1914: Alexander 1915: Alexander 1916: Alexander 1917: Alexander 1918: Vaughn 1919: Vaughn 1920: Alexander 1921: Grimes 1922: Vance 1923: Vance 1924: Vance 1925: Vance 1926: Vance 1927: Vance 1928: Vance 1929: Malone 1930: Hallahan 1931: Hallahan 1932: Dean 1933: Dean 1934: Dean 1935: Dean 1936: Mungo 1937: Hubbell 1938: Bryant 1939: Passeau & Walters 1940: Higbe 1941: Vander Meer 1942: Vander Meer 1943: Vander Meer 1944: Voiselle 1945: Roe 1946: Schmitz 1947: Blackwell 1948: Brecheen 1949: Spahn 1950: Spahn 1951: Newcombe & Spahn 1952: Spahn 1953: Roberts 1954: Roberts 1955: Jones 1956: Jones 1957: Sanford 1958: Jones 1959: Drysdale 1960: Drysdale 1961: Koufax 1962: Drysdale 1963: Koufax 1964: Veale 1965: Koufax 1966: Koufax 1967: Bunning 1968: Gibson 1969: Jenkins 1970: Seaver 1971: Seaver 1972: Carlton 1973: Seaver 1974: Carlton 1975: Seaver 1976: Seaver 1977: Niekro 1978: Richard 1979: Richard 1980: Carlton 1981: Valenzuela 1982: Carlton 1983: Carlton 1984: Gooden 1985: Gooden 1986: Scott 1987: Ryan 1988: Ryan 1989: DeLeón 1990: Cone 1991: Cone 1992: Smoltz 1993: Rijo 1994: Benes 1995: Nomo 1996: Smoltz 1997: Schilling 1998: Schilling 1999: Johnson 2000: Johnson 2001: Johnson 2002: Johnson 2003: Wood 2004: Johnson 2005: Peavy 2006: Harang 2007: Peavy 2008: Lincecum 2009: Lincecum 2010: Lincecum 2011: Kershaw 2012: Dickey 2013: Kershaw 2014: Cueto & Strasburg 2015: Kershaw 2016: Scherzer 2017: Scherzer 2018: Scherzer 2019: deGrom 2020: deGrom 2021: Wheeler 2022: Burnes 2023: Strider 2024: Sale 2025: Webb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jim Devlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Devlin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Devlin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.