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JOHN MCGOWAN RETIRES
MOST DECORATED PITCHER EVER CALLS TIME ON NBBO CAREER AFTER TEN SEASONS, EYES SENATE RUN

MILFORD, CONN. (Dec. 14, 1866) – The entire base ball world – players, coaches, executives, and fans alike – was left stunned this afternoon when telegrams and word of mouth hit the general public that John McGowan, the most decorated pitcher in the history of the National Base Ball Organization, had decided to retire from the sport and go into politics.

McGowan’s career, spanning ten seasons with St. John’s & Knickerbocker, ends as nothing short of legendary:

McGowan’s wins and winning percentage are unmatched, as is his career shutout total, and no other pitcher in NBBO history was the #1 starter for as many dominant teams as him. Yet, for all of his regular season excellence, his record in the postseason is even harder to believe:

All totaled, McGowan’s career accomplishments break down like this:

• 4x NBBO Champ (1857-58, 63, 65)
• 6x All-Star (1859-63, 65)
• 5x Team of the Year (1859-62, 65)

• 5x NEL Leader in Wins (1859-63)
• 4x Leader in Shutouts (1860, 62, 65, 66)
• 2x NEL Leader in WAR (1859-60)

• Career leader in Wins with 215 (Joe Cunningham 2nd w/ 184)
• Career leader in Win % with .710 (Paul Goehring 2nd w/ .683; min 1,000 IP)
• Career leader in ERA with 3.05 (Jim Creighton 2nd w/ 3.08; min 1,000 IP)
• Career leader in Complete Games with 218 (Joe Cunningham 2nd w/ 213)
• Career leader in Shutouts with 12 (Bernard Schmidt 2nd w/ 11)
• Career leader in RA/9 WAR with 67.6 (Carl Bancroft 2nd with 56.5)
• 2nd in Career WHIP with 1.25 (Jim Creighton 1st w/ 1.16; min 1,000 IP)
• 3rd in Career Hits/9 with 10.22 (Charlie Mitchell 1st w/ 10.12; min 1,000 IP)
• 3rd in Career Walks/9 with 1.05 (Jim Creighton 1st w/ 0.96; min 1,000 IP)
• 3rd in Career WAR with 46.4 (Bernard Schmidt 1st w/ 50.7)
• 5th in Career Innings with 2,680.0 (Joe Cunningham 1st w/ 2,868.0)

• Postseason leader in Wins with 27 (Rainer v. d. Hout & Grover Wright 2nd w/ 11)
• Postseason leader in Win % with .818 (three pitchers tied for 2nd w/ .800 (4-1); min 5 decisions)
• Postseason leader in Games Started with 37 (Rainer van der Hout 2nd w/ 24)
• Postseason leader in Complete Games with 27 (Grover Wright 2nd w/ 13)
• Postseason leader in Innings with 324.0 (Rainer van der Hout 2nd w/ 188.0)
• Postseason leader in WAR with 5.5 (Jim Creighton 2nd w/ 4.1)
• Postseason leader in RA/9 WAR with 11.0 (Rainer van der Hout 2nd w/ 3.9)
• 2nd in Postseason ERA with 2.72 (David Roberts 1st w/ 2.11; min 50 IP)
• 2nd in Postseason Strikeouts with 32 (Jim Creighton 1st w/ 59)
• One of three pitchers with a postseason Shutout (Peadar Daly, Eddie Morse)

Given the caveat that Jim Creighton likely has another decade left in his career, there is absolutely no pitcher that can come close to John McGowan’s list of achievements. Surely, nobody will best his three straight 5-0 Tucker-Wheaton Cup performances or his sixteen postseason victories between defeats. McGowan was 18-2 in the Round Robin era of the cup, and those four postseasons alone offer up a superior playoff resumé to that of any other pitcher who has ever held a ball.

The loss of McGowan leaves Knickerbocker in a bind, but they still have a top-ten pitcher in Peadar Daly and they also have a highly regarded 23-year-old named Grover Anderson who could become a top-tier talent if given a chance.

Milford native McGowan is reportedly eyeing a Senate seat as a Republican representing home state of Connecticut, but he will have to wait until at least 1868 to have his chance since the Connecticut State Congress just chose Orrin Ferry to be their newest senator over two-term Senate member Lafayette Foster. McGowan may need to wait his turn, as popular Connecticut governor William Buckingham is said to want to join the Senate and that means the legislators will likely choose him in the next Senatorial election. McGowan just might have to settle with being a state-level legislator to start with, but no doubt his combination of intelligence & leadership will see him placed in a very important position before long.

John McGowan gave the sport of base ball ten unforgettable seasons, and in time he will almost certainly be remembered as the greatest pitcher of the foundational days of the sport.