Jack Easton

{{Short description|American baseball player (1865–1903)}}

{{About|the American baseball player|the British recipient of the George Cross|Jack Easton (GC)}}

{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Jack Easton

|image=

|position=Pitcher/Outfielder

|birth_date={{Birth date|1865|2|28}}

|birth_place=Bridgeport, Ohio

|death_date={{death date and age|1903|11|28|1865|2|28}}

|death_place=Steubenville, Ohio

|bats=Unknown

|throws=Unknown

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 2

|debutyear=1889

|debutteam=Columbus Solons

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=July 7

|finalyear=1894

|finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat1value=26–29

|stat2value=4.12

|stat3value=246

|teams=

• Columbus Solons (1889–1891)
• St. Louis Browns (1891–1892)
• Pittsburgh Pirates (1894)

}}

John S. Easton (February 28, 1865 – November 28, 1903) was an American baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1894.{{cite web|title=Jack Easton|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=September 1, 2022|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/eastoja01.shtml}}

Easton was born in Bridgeport, Ohio, in 1865. He began his baseball career in 1887 with a team from Zanesville, Ohio. He then played for teams in Sandusky and Springfield, Ohio.{{cite news|title=Pitcher Jack Easton Is Dead: Was on the Pirate Team for a Short Time in 1894|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Daily Post|date=November 28, 1903|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77760871/obit3/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Easton made his major-league debut with the Columbus Solons in 1889. He had his best season in 1890, appearing in 37 games, throwing 23 complete games, and compiling a 15–14 record with a 3.52 earned run average (ERA). He also played for the St. Louis Browns (1891–1892) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1894). He appeared in 76 major-league games and compiled a 26–29 win–loss record with a 4.12 ERA, 246 strikeouts, and 46 complete games.

He continued pitching in the minor leagues for teams in Chattanooga,{{cite news|title=Pitcher Easton to Play Again|newspaper=Chattanooga Daily Times|date=August 26, 1893|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108726914/jack-easton/|via=Newspapers.com}} Minneapolis, Green Bay, Oil City, and Wheeling. After his career as a baseball player ended, Easton worked as a glassblower. He was arrested for murder in 1897,{{cite news|title="Jack" Easton Arrested in Martin's Ferry on a Very Serious Charge|newspaper=The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer|date=December 13, 1897|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7987193/jack-easton-arrest/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Pitcher Easton Charged With Murder|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=December 14, 1897|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108727165/jack-easton/|via=Newspapers.com}} but he was released within days after it was determined to be a case of mistaken identity.{{cite news|title=Jack Easton Goes Free: Baseball Player Had Been Arrested and Charged With Murer|date=December 16, 1897|newspaper=The Boston Globe|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108727474/jack-easton/|via=Newspapers.com}} He died from consumption at his home in Steubenville, Ohio.{{cite news|title=Jack Easton Dead|newspaper=The Evening Review|date=November 28, 1903|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77760685/obit2/}}