Ed Killian

Edwin Henry Killian (November 12, 1876 – July 18, 1928), nicknamed "Twilight Ed" and the "Twilight Twirler", was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Killian played professional baseball from 1902 to 1912, including seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers from 1904 to 1910. He recorded an MLB won-loss record of 103–78 for a winning percentage of .569. He also helped lead the Tigers to three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 to 1909, including winning both games of a doubleheader on September 30, 1909, to clinch the third pennant. As a hitter, Killian posted a .209 batting average (127-for-609) with 56 runs, 52 runs batted in and 16 bases on balls. He did not begin playing professional baseball until he was in his mid-20s. He played independent baseball in Racine and worked in a planing mill where he was "receiving $1.25 per day for ten hours of hard manual labor."

In August 1903, Killian was sold by the Rockford team to the Cleveland Naps. Killian made his major league debut with Cleveland on August 25, 1903. He appeared in nine games in the closing weeks of the 1903 season, compiling a 3-4 record with a 2.48 ERA.

As proof that his 1904 win–loss record was not indicative of his talents, Killian battled Cy Young in one of the most remarkable pitching duels in history on May 11, 1904. Young and Killian each pitched 14 scoreless innings, before the Red Sox scored a run in the 15th inning, winning 1–0. Early in his career with the Tigers, Killian received the nicknames "Twilight Ed" and the "Twilight Twirler" after pitching multiple extra-inning games that extended into the twilight hours.

In 1905, Killian reduced his ERA further to 2.27. He started 37 games and completed 33. He wound up with a 23–14 record, the third best win total in the American League and fourth best in complete games. His eight shutouts in 1905 was tops in the American League. During the suspension, Killian left Detroit and pitched semipro ball in Chicago (for $100 per game) and did not pitch in a game for the Tigers until September 19.

1,001 innings without a home run After surrendering a home run to Freddy Parent on September 19, 1903, Killian would not surrender another home run until August 7, 1907 when Socks Seybold ended the streak, a span of nearly four years and 1,001 innings. In his entire career, he allowed only nine home runs – an average of one home run every 178 innings. According to BaseballLibrary.com, he was "the hardest pitcher to homer against in ML history." He reportedly used a "sinkerball" to induce batters to hit groundballs.

Three consecutive American League pennants

In 1907, Killian had the best season of his career. He started 41 games and compiled a 25–13 record with a 1.78 ERA. He ranked among the American League's leaders with his 1.78 ERA (second), 25 wins (third), 29 complete games (sixth), and 1,270 batters faced (sixth). Only Honus Wagner in the National League had a higher WAR rating at 9.0.

Killian's performance helped lead the 1907 Tigers to their first American League pennant and was one of the best pitching performances in the club's history. Unfortunately, Killian's arm was worn out for the post-season, and he pitched only four innings in relief with no decision during the 1907 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. He ultimately appeared in 25 games and compiled an 11-9 record with a 1.71 ERA.

Final season In 1910, Killian appeared in only 11 games for the Tigers, compiling a 4-3 record with a 3.04 ERA. He appeared in his final major league game on July 15, 1910. At the time of his release, the Detroit Free Press wrote: "Gameness has been one of Killian's chief assets. He has the reputation of being as nervy a pitcher as ever stepped to the slab and repeatedly won games when his arm was out of condition through sheer pluck. Killian also is the possessor of a great pitching head, studying the opposing batsmen and preying upon their weaknesses. For a slabman, he hits well and also is a good fielder." She died in 1920, and he was subsequently married to Millie Ann Moore in 1920. He had no children. In the last years of his life, he worked at an automobile factory in Detroit.

In 1928, Killian died at his home in Detroit at age 51 after battling cancer for several months.