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Showing posts with the label Tully Sparks

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 61

Thomas "Tully" Sparks was a pitcher with the Phillies in 1897, then again from 1903-1910. Sparks made his Major League debut with the Phillies, allowing 9 earned runs in 8 innings pitched, and didn't start another game with Philadelphia for more than five years. In the meantime, he saw stints with Pittsburgh, the New York Giants, the Boston Americans and Milwaukee. When Sparks rejoined the Phillies, he posted an unimpressive record of 11-15, which overshadowed his solid 2.72 ERA on the season. 1903 was the first of 7 straight seasons in which Sparks posted an ERA for the Phillies under 3.00. In 1904, Sparks' ERA improved, but his record slipped to a dismal 7-16. The following season, Sparks posted a winning record, going 14-11 and his 2.12 ERA was best on the team. In 1906, Sparks won 19 games with Philadelphia and threw a career high 6 shutouts, including one against Giants ace Christy Mathewson in late August. Also in 1906, Sparks completed 29 games in 37 starts. ...