Deadball Era Heroes: “A Mighty Batsman”

[Dead-Ball-Hitter]

His nickname was “The Cyclone,” given him for his ability to hurl a baseball at precariously high speeds. As a young player, he was characterized by the New York Times as a “youngster with a $10,000 arm and a $0.00 head.” Later in his career, admirers like teammate Christy Mathewson praised his unparalleled hitting ability calling him “a mighty batsman, one of the best ever.”

Who is this major leaguer who was one of only two players in major league history to have pitched more than 125 games, accumulated over 1,700 hits, and realized a lifetime batting average over .300? Hint: one is Babe Ruth, and the other is… Cy Seymour! As of this writing in February, 2022, Shohei Ohtani, the closest modern day antitype, has some real work to do to join this elite group, having pitched in just 35 games, collected only 370 hits and batting .264 lifetime.

Cy Seymour was a great pitcher during the so-called “transition era” of the 1890’s, a time when the pitching mound was moved back and the foul ball strike hadn’t yet been implemented. Hitters feasted and the aggregate batting average of the period 1893 to 1900 was a scorching .307 across all baseball! Yet, as a pitcher, Seymour held hitters to a meager .240 average during that span. He was an ace pitcher who recorded 25 wins in 1898 and led the league in strikeouts twice, this accomplished during a renown hitters era. After an arm injury or two, Cy Seymour became a fierce and clutch hitter during a renown pitcher’s era, the deadball era beginning in 1900.

As reported in his SABR biography, “his pitching career effectively came to an end in 1900” as the deadball era began. Despite this disadvantage, his hitting prowess became widely publicized over the next decade. Noted SABR: “In 1905 his .377 batting average led the National League in hitting. In addition to his hitting crown that year, he led the league in hits (219), doubles (40), triples (21), RBI (121) and slugging average (.559).” Cy Seymour was a superstar!

Despite a brief yet spectacular pitching career, and a lengthy career as a hard hitting centerfielder with a .303 lifetime batting average, Cy Seymour died from the effects of the Great Flu in 1919 with little fanfare. His name appeared on just one Hall of Fame ballot in 1945, and his exploits have largely been forgotten. This early superstar, one of only two players ever to reach so high a level of success both as a pitcher and a hitter, has been lost to time, his greatness not yet properly acknowledged by baseball.

Below is his sublime T206 portrait with a Polar Bear back. Feel free to honor Cy with a post of your favorite card…