[tm1681]

HENRY BECOMES 1ST APBL PITCHER TO WIN 30
AMERICAN #1 HAS NOW WON 30+ GAMES IN A SEASON THREE TIMES

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Aug. 16, 1873) - The main question ahead of Saturday’s APBL game in Brooklyn was not if American would beat Kings County, but by how much. The answer? American won by nine:

Even though it ended up a lopsided contest, all eyes remained on one player through all nine innings: American #1 John Henry. Henry entered Saturday with a 29-4 record on the season, meaning a positive result would make him the first APBL Pitcher to reach thirty Wins in a season. Henry didn’t have his best outing – 6 IP, 9 HA, 4 ER – but the American offense did more than enough to ensure that he made history at Washington Park.

In victory, not only did John Henry become the first APBL Pitcher with 30+ Wins in a season but he became the first Pitcher to earn 30+ Wins in a season three times:

• 1869 (Alleghany, NBBO): 30-10, 3.35 ERA, 332.2 IP, 29 BB, 44 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.8 WAR, 3.3 rWAR
• 1870 (Alleghany, NBBO): 30-7, 3.05 ERA, 330.2 IP, 28 BB, 31 K, 1.15 WHIP, 5.4 WAR, 5.4 rWAR
• 1873 (American, APBL): 30-4, 3.03 ERA, 323.2 IP, 26 BB, 18 K, 1.18 WHIP, 3.2 WAR, 10.0 rWAR

Incredibly, Henry is the only Pitcher to win 30+ games in a season twice, let alone three times.

It has been told before, but John Henry’s story is remarkable. After two seasons as a regular Pitcher for Newark in the NBBO he was let go, and joined Alleghany in 1866 to become a relief man. Then, after three years of occasional starting the team turned to him after letting #1 Fred Richards leave, and the rest, as they say, is history:

That’s not to say Henry didn’t run into adversity after first making history. After struggling during the inaugural APBL season Alleghany cut him loose, and he was an All-Star for Gotham in 1872 but they let him leave after just one year. American brought Henry in to replace departed All-Star #1 Charles Sturch, and Henry responded with his third unforgettable season in five years.

American, now 61-22, has clinched the Metropolitan Conference pennant, and John Henry’s 30th Win has surely clinched the APBL Pitcher of the Year award for him.