John Fischer (August 15, 1856 – February 9, 1942), frequently spelled Fisher during his baseball career, was an American professional baseball pitcher and occasional first baseman. He played Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Keystones in 1884 and the Buffalo Bisons in 1885.

Early years

Fischer was born in Philadelphia in 1856. He was the son of Christian and Dora Fischer.

Professional baseball

Fischer played professional baseball in 1884 for Johnstown of the

Iron & Oil Association The Iron & Oil Association was a six–team Minor League Baseball league that operated in 1884. The league franchises were based in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The league folded following the season. Cities represented * East Liberty, OH: East ...

. He may have also played for a Williamsport club. In the summer of 1884, he joined the Philadelphia Keystones of the

Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...

. He made his major-league debut against Cincinnati on July 17, 1884, pitching a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

, striking out six batters and giving up six runs. After the game, ''The Philadelphia Times'' wrote that the game was marked by very poor fielding (eight errors by the Keystones) and that Fischer would have won the game had he "been properly supported." His sole major-league victory was on July 28, 1884, against the Washington Nationals at Washington, DC. ''The Philadelphia Times'' reported on Fischer's performance as follows: "Fisher pitched a magnificent game, his swift balls completely demoralizing the Washingtonians." Fisher appeared in eight games as a starting pitcher for the Keystones, compiling a 1-7 win-loss record with eight

s, a 3.57 earned run average (ERA), and 42

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. His 3.57 ERA was second best on the Keystones' pitching staff. He also appeared in two games at first base for the Keystones. At the plate, he compiled a .222 batting average and .278

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

in 39 plate appearances with the Keystones. After the Keystones folded on August 7, Fischer joined the Continentals. On August 30, 1884, he "made a remarkable record, striking out eighteen . . . while but one safe hit was made off him." In 1885, Fisher played semipro baseball for the Molineaux club. He briefly returned to Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Buffalo Bisons of the National League. He started one game for the Bisons on August 6, 1885, on the road against at Philadelphia, and gave up nine runs in 10 innings. ''The Times'' of Philadelphia described Fischer's appearance as follows: "Fisher, a local amateur pitcher, was given a trial by the visiting club and he did fairly well." For his career, Fischer started nine major-league games as a pitcher, compiling a 1-8 record with a 3.73 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 79-2/3 innings pitched. In 1886, he appeared in 10 games for the Williamsport club of the Pennsylvania State Association. He compiled a 2-1 record and 1.08 ERA during the 1886 season.

Family and later years

Fischer was married to Mary (Hepburn) Fischer. They lived in Philadelphia. Fischer died in 1942 in Philadelphia.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, John 19th-century baseball players Baseball players from Philadelphia Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Keystones players Buffalo Bisons (NL) players Williamsport (minor league baseball) players 1856 births 1942 deaths