Quote:
Originally Posted by Dto7
Missing Players John Fisher Jr and Edward Keiber
John Fisher Jr with the 1909 Wheeling Stogies
 |
Here's another photo of John Fisher, also known as the Pride of Noblesville, or Smiling John Fisher. He was a star with Wabash University before joining Indianapolis in 1904. After three seasons with Indianapolis (fisher007joh), he bounced around (fisher005joh), including his stint with Wheeling in 1909, where he ended the season winning 17 straight games. The seventeenth was an exhibition against Pittsburgh, during which he allowed only four hits. (I haven't found a box score, so I don't know who was playing for Pittsburgh.) He finished his career in 1913, playing in two or three games for the minor league St. Louis Federals (the season before the league upgraded itself to major league status).
The photo is from the Indianapolis News, on January 14, 1904, right after the 20 year-old pitcher signed with Indianapolis to start his professional career. From the new articles over the years, it sounds like as a young pitcher he was a bit full of himself (holding out for a higher salary at one point, refusing to report to a club at another point), and that his career was hurt by arm issues in the second half. I'm surprised after reading all the news articles over the decade or so of his career that he never got even a cameo appearance with a major league club. I saw a blurb that suggested he had a tryout with Cincinnati, and he was claimed by Pittsburgh at one point, but optioned to the minors without a tryout.
His father was James K. Fisher, so I'm not sure he was a junior.
He died October 22, 1967 in East Liverpool, OH.