Bumpus Jones

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Bumpus Jones

|image=Bumpus Jones.jpg

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1870|1|1}}

|birth_place=Cedarville, Ohio, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|1938|6|25|1870|1|1}}

|death_place=Xenia, Ohio, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=October 15

|debutyear=1892

|debutteam=Cincinnati Reds

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=July 14

|finalyear=1893

|finalteam=New York Giants

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=2–4

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=7.99

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=10

|teams =

Cincinnati Reds ({{Baseball year|1892}}–{{Baseball year|1893}})
New York Giants ({{Baseball year|1893}})

|highlights =

Pitched a no-hitter on October 15, 1892

}}

Charles Leander "Bumpus" Jones (January 1, 1870 – June 25, 1938) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants.

Early life

He was born in Cedarville, Ohio. Newspaper accounts from Cedarville have described him as being listed as black, albeit with skin that passed for Caucasian. Census reports listed him as a "mulatto".{{cite web | url=https://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2019/08/bumpus-jones-passing-as-white.html | title=Bumpus Jones: Passing as White? }}{{cite web | url=https://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2014/01/bumpus-jones.html | title=Bumpus jones }} Genealogical research has speculated that Jones came from "Pocahontas' people in Virginia."{{cite web | url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Bumpus-Jones/ | title=Bumpus Jones – Society for American Baseball Research }} In reality he was Occaneechi-Saponi and Catawba. https://files.nc.gov/oah/documents/Rules/NC-Register/NC-Register-Volume-13-Issue-13.pdf?VersionId=MStGaCblVh6JNZgwEL8Fp4XzqpZOXBqm

Baseball career

Jones made only eight appearances in his brief major league career, he threw a no-hitter in his first major league appearance with the Cincinnati Reds on October 15, 1892, the last day of the season. The victims that day were the Pittsburgh Pirates, who lost 7–1. Jones was not perfect, as he gave up four walks, and he did not pitch a shutout, as an error led to an unearned run. It was one of the last games played with a "pitcher's box" with the pitcher beginning 55 1/2 feet from home plate; the following season, the pitcher's mound would be introduced, with pitchers starting their pitch on a rubber slab 60 feet and 6 inches from home plate.{{cite web |url=https://calltothepen.com/2017/03/07/mlb-history-pitching-rubber-moved-current-distance/ |title=MLB History: Pitching Rubber Moved to Current Distance |last=Hill |first=David |website=Fansided.com |date=March 7, 2017 |access-date = 15 August 2021}}

After that, Jones split 1893 between Cincinnati and the New York Giants, appearing in seven games overall, while going 1–4 with a 10.19 ERA. Jones would never pitch in the majors again. He remains the only player in Major League history to pitch a no-hitter in his first game. Only Bobo Holloman of the St. Louis Browns, Ted Breitenstein of the St. Louis Browns, and Tyler Gilbert of the Arizona Diamondbacks have managed to join Jones as pitchers to throw no-hitters in their first major league start, but they had previously appeared in a relief role. According to sabermetrician Bill James, Jones edges out Holloman for the distinction of mathematically least likely pitcher ever to have thrown a no-hitter in the major leagues.{{cite web | url=https://agatetype.typepad.com/agate_type/2014/01/bumpus-jones.html | title=Bumpus jones }}

In a two-season major league career, Jones posted a 2–4 career record with 10 strikeouts and a 7.99 ERA in {{frac|41|2|3}} innings of labor. After leaving the major leagues, Jones continued to pitch professionally. Jones pitched for the Grand Rapids Rippers and Sioux City Cornhuskers in 1894. He pitched for the Columbus Senators from 1896 to 1899, and until recently was credited with the team record for career games pitched, with 212. Modern research, however, indicates that the actual total may be closer to 150."[http://www.columbusdispatch.com/clippers/clippers.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/16/20060816-C5-01.html Bean ties uncertain record]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", Craig Merz, The Columbus Dispatch, published August 16, 2006, accessed August 16, 2006. Jones finished his minor league career with the St. Paul Saints in 1901.

Death

Jones died in Xenia, Ohio, at age 68 from complications of a stroke, and he was laid to rest at North Cemetery in Cedarville, Ohio.

References

External links

[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=jonesbu01 Baseball Almanac]
[http://baseballguru.com/omi/BUMPUS.html The Baseball Guru]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928222519/http://www.robneyer.com/book_04_ExpectNoNo.html Bill James' Expected No-Hitters Formula and Trivia]

{{succession box | title=No-hitter pitcher | before= Ben Sanders | years= October 15, 1892 | after= Bill Hawke}}

Category:1870 births

Category:1938 deaths

Category:People from Cedarville, Ohio

Category:Sportspeople from Greene County, Ohio

Category:Cincinnati Reds players

Category:New York Giants (baseball) players

Category:Major League Baseball pitchers

Category:Baseball players from Ohio

Category:19th-century baseball players

Category:19th-century American sportsmen

Category:Aurora (minor league baseball) players