Win Mercer

George Barclay "Win" Mercer (June 20, 1874 – January 12, 1903) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1894 to 1902. Born in Chester, West Virginia, he played primarily with the National League Washington Senators (1894–1899), winning 20 games twice with the club. He also played with the New York Giants (1900), the American League Washington Senators (1901), and the Detroit Tigers (1902). Mercer led the National League in games started (41), shutouts (3), and saves (3) in 1897. He holds the interesting record of most stolen bases (nine) by a pitcher in one season. His career record of 251 complete games ranks No. 77 in Major League history.

Six Seasons with the Washington Senators: 1894-1899

Mercer spent the first seven years of his major league career, 1894–1899, with the Washington Senators. The Senators were one of the worst teams in baseball during Mercer’s years with them. During Mercer’s tenure, the Senators were 45-87 (1894); 43-85 (1895); 58-73 (1896); 61-71 (1897); 51-101 (1898) and 54-98 (1899).

While Mercer’s career record is 131-164, these figures do not reflect Mercer’s talents. In Mercer’s rookie season, 1894, he pitched 336-1/3 innings and had 29 complete games at age 20. His ERA of 3.85 was third best in the National League. Yet, his win-loss record for the hapless Senators was 17-23. In 1896, Mercer managed to win 25 games (5th best in the National League) despite playing for a losing team. If Mercer’s decisions were...
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