Ambrose Puttmann

Ambrose Nicholas Puttmann (September 9, 1880 – June 21, 1936) was an American professional baseball pitcher. A left-hander, he played in parts of four Major League Baseball seasons, from 1903 to 1906, with the New York Highlanders and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Early life and career Puttmann was born on September 9, 1880, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his baseball career playing for teams in the West End of Cincinnati before joining a club in Washington Court House in 1902. He ended his season with a 27–16 win–loss record and signed with the Helena Senators of the Pacific National League in 1903, taking the spot of Jimmy Wiggs. Puttmann played for both Helena and the Spokane Indians, also of the Pacific National League, in 1903.

New York Highlanders In September 1903, he was acquired by the New York Highlanders from Spokane, with manager Clark Griffith reportedly discovering him. He made his major league debut on September 4 against the Washington Senators, relieving John Deering and allowing two runs, one of which was earned, and striking out three batters in 5.0 innings. He appeared in two more games for the Highlanders in September, throwing complete game victories against the St. Louis Browns on September 24 and the Detroit Tigers on September 29. He ended the year with a 0.95 earned run average in 19.0 innings. He was subsequently fined $200 by the Spokane club for deserting the team.

Puttmann split the 1904 season with the Highlanders and Providence Grays of the Eastern League. He pitched in seven games with Providence, finishing with a 6–1 win-loss record. He began the 1905 season with New York, but was sent back to Providence in July after appearing in 10 games. He returned to the Highlanders in September and pitched in seven more games, ending the year with a 2–7 win-loss record and a .313 batting average as a hitter. However, by April 1906, he was back with the Yankees in spring training and sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. He appeared in four games with St. Louis, winning two and losing two in his four starts with a 5.30 ERA. He ended the 1906 season for Louisville with a 18–17 record. and by September he was training to transition from a pitcher to a first baseman. He eventually joined the Petersburg Goobers in 1910, before pitching for the Galveston Sand Crabs in 1911. He managed the Cincinnati Shamrocks beginning in 1914. and was named manager of the Holy Family club of the Catholic Athletic Baseball League in 1916. He would go on to pitch and manage for several semi-pro teams in Cincinnati and also umpired in semi-pro and major league exhibition games. Together they had eight children. After his playing career, he operated a shoe store in Price Hill from 1912 to 1930 and later worked at a liquor store. Puttmann died on June 21, 1936, after suffering a heart attack while visiting a friend in New York City.