Unbreakable ERA Record: How Ed Walsh's 1.82 Became a Benchmark

Ed Walsh's career ERA of 1.82 as a pitcher during the Dead Ball Era is considered almost unbreakable by modern standards. This article explores the historical context, factors, and reasons behind this exceptional record, making it a near-impossible target for pitchers today.

Historical Context and Advantages

Ed Walsh pitched in an era known as the Dead Ball Era, prior to 1920. During this period, pitchers had numerous advantages that are not available in the modern game. For instance, a number of the top 50 lifetime ERA leaders from that era include 46 pitchers, highlighting how these conditions favored pitchers over hitters. Mariano Rivera, the highest-ranking modern pitcher, is only 14th on that list, and he is an anomaly, while the next modern era starter, Clayton Kershaw, is at 41st position with a career ERA of 2.48.

Ed Walsh's Spitter

One of the key factors that set Ed Walsh apart during his career was his mastery of the spitball. Sam Crawford, a contemporary player, described Walsh's spitter as a devastating weapon, emphasizing the distinctive advantage it provided.

Changes After 1920

Everything changed after the 1920 season when Ray Chapman tragically died after being hit in the head by a pitch. This led to significant changes, such as the ban on the spitball and more frequent ball replacements. These changes radically shifted the balance between pitching and hitting, making the high standards of the early 1900s virtually unassailable.

Why Walsh's ERA Record is Unbreakable

Several factors contribute to the difficulty of breaking Walsh's ERA record.

Introducing the More Lively Ball

Today, pitchers face a more live ball, which is more challenging to control. In addition, the mound is now lower, making it harder to pitch effectively. Furthermore, spitballs are illegal, and hitters benefit from a high contrast hitter’s background, all of which favor the offense.

Scoring Trends in the Early 1900s

During Walsh's career, home run leaders never had more than 24 HRs in a single season. In six years, the home run leader had 12 HRs or less. Even though Walsh pitched for 14 seasons, he only led MLB in ERA two times. This illustrates how much more low-scoring the game tended to be during the early 1900s.

Modern ERA Leaders

Considering the current all-time ERA leaders list, the first modern player to appear is Mariano Rivera at 13th place with a career ERA of 2.21. Rivera pitched only about 1300 innings. The next modern player on the list is Clayton Kershaw, at 41st position with a career ERA of 2.48. There are no other active players even close to breaking Walsh's record.

Conclusion

It will be very difficult for a modern pitcher to achieve an ERA as low as 1.82, especially given the significant changes in the game since the Dead Ball Era. Unless there are radical changes to the game, Walsh's ERA record of 1.82 will likely remain unbroken for the foreseeable future.