George Washington Bradley (July 13, 1852 – October 2, 1931), nicknamed "Grin", was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher and

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

. He played for multiple teams in the early years of the National League, the oldest league still active in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bradley is noted for pitching the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

that is officially recognized by MLB, on July 15, 1876, for the

St. Louis Brown Stockings The St. Louis Brown Stockings were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis, Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most ...

against the Hartford Dark Blues. As a player, he was listed at and ; he threw and batted right-handed.

Baseball career

Bradley is credited as throwing the first official

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

, no-run game in major league history. He pitched for the

in the clubs victory over the Hartford Dark Blues on July 15, 1876. The score ended 2–0 without a hit being allowed by Bradley. That year, he completed 63 of the 64 games for St. Louis, winning 45 and leading the league with a 1.23 earned run average. Additionally, he also threw 16 shutouts, setting a record which has not been broken to date, although was tied in 1916, 40 years later, by

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. After 1876, Bradley was not as effective as a pitcher and played mostly other positions after 1879. He was involved in professional baseball for 30 years, 19 of them with the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. In 1883, he was the team's regular third baseman and also went 16–7 on the mound to help the A's win the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

championship. In 1887, he served as a player-manager for the

Nashville Blues The Nashville Blues were a minor league baseball team that played in the Southern League in 1887. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. Managed by George B ...

of the Southern League.Traughber, Bill
"Looking Back: Nashville Blues."
''Nashville Sounds''. April 26, 2004. Retrieved on March 22, 2008.

Later life

Bradley became a Philadelphia police officer following his baseball career. He died at his home in Philadelphia,on October 2, 1931. At the time of his death at age 79, he was retired on a pension from the police department which he had only begun receiving in September 1931. Bradley was interred at the

Northwood Cemetery Northwood Cemetery is a cemetery located in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1878. Notable interments * George Bradley (1852–1931) Major League Baseball player. * Duke Esper (1 ...

in Philadelphia.

References

*Philadelphia Public Ledger, Sunday Morning, Oct. 4, 1931, P.6 *MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia Digital Edition (1996)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, George 1852 births 1931 deaths 19th-century baseball players Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Baseball player-managers Binghamton Crickets (1880s) players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Capital City of Albany players Chicago White Stockings players Cincinnati Outlaw Reds players Cleveland Blues (NL) players Detroit Wolverines players Easton (minor league baseball) players Hartford (minor league baseball) players London Tecumseh players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball third basemen Nashville Blues players National League ERA champions New Bedford (minor league baseball) players New Haven (minor league baseball) players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Baseball players from Reading, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Athletics (AA) players Philadelphia Police Department officers Providence Grays players Rochester Hop Bitters players Rochester Maroons players Sioux City Corn Huskers players St. Louis Brown Stockings (NA) players St. Louis Brown Stockings players Troy Trojans players Burials at Northwood Cemetery, Philadelphia Baseball players from Philadelphia

Baseball career

Later life

See also

References

External links