Eppa Rixey

Eppa Rixey Jr. (May 3, 1891 – February 28, 1963), nicknamed "Jephtha",A Cincinnati sportswriter, William Phelon "simply liked the resonance of the Biblical name 'Jeptha' when conjoined with Eppa during a poem composition." Having no middle name, Rixey adopted it as his own because it "sounds like a cross between a Greek letter fraternity and a college yell." After being traded to the Reds prior to the 1921 season, he won 20 or more games in a season three times, including a league-leading 25 in 1922, and posted eight consecutive winning seasons. His skills were declining by the 1929 season, when his record was 10–13 with a 4.16 earned run average. He pitched another four seasons before retiring after the 1933 season.

An intellectual who taught high school Latin during the off-season, earning the nickname "Jephtha" for his southern drawl, Rixey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.

Early life Eppa Rixey Jr. was born on May 3, 1891, in Culpeper, Virginia, to Eppa Rixey and his wife Willie Alice . At the age of ten, his father, a banker, moved his family to Charlottesville, Virginia. His uncles were John Franklin Rixey, a former congressman, and Presley Marion Rixey, a former Surgeon General of the United States Navy. He attended the University of Virginia, where he played basketball and baseball; he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. His brother Bill also played baseball for Virginia. During the off-season, umpire Cy Rigler worked as an assistant coach for the University. He recognized Rixey's talent and tried to sign him to the Philadelphia Phillies. His time with the Phillies was marked by inconsistency. He went 10-10 in his first year, with a 2.50 earned run average (ERA) and 10 complete games in 23 games pitched. He had a three hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs on July 18. Rixey was on the losing end of a no-hitter by Jeff Tesreau on September 6. After the season, the Chicago Cubs, under new manager Johnny Evers, offered a "huge sum" to the Phillies for Rixey, but manager Red Dooin declined the offer. Prior to the 1913 season, Rixey notified the Phillies of his desire to finish his studies at the University of Virginia and graduate in June; however, after some negotiation, he decided to sign a contract and re-joined the team shortly after the season began. That season, he appeared in 35 games, started 19 of them, winning nine games, and had a 3.12 earned run average. In 1914, his record worsened to 2–11, and his earned run average increased to 4.37.

Rixey went 22–10 in 1916 with a 1.85 ERA and a career high of 134 strikeouts. In 1917, despite having a 2.27 earned run average, Rixey led the league in pitching losses with 21. On November 22, 1920, Rixey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Jimmy Ring and Greasy Neale.

Cincinnati Reds

In his first season with the Reds, Rixey won 19 games, and set a Major League record by allowing just one home run in 301 innings pitched. For the 1933 season, he was the only Reds pitcher with a winning record, at 6–3 as the Reds finished last in the National League at 58–94. He retired prior to the 1934 season, stating "the manager wasn't giving me enough work".

Legacy Originally Rixey had trouble controlling his speed, but eventually, weighing in at 210 pounds, he became one of the most feared pitchers in baseball.

His 266 career victories stood as the record for most wins by a left-handed pitcher in the National League until Warren Spahn broke it in 1959; however, his 251 losses are an all-time record for left-handed pitchers. In 1960, Rixey finished third in the balloting behind former teammate Edd Roush and Sam Rice (who was later inducted the same year as Rixey). Upon his election to the Hall of Fame on January 27, 1963, he was quoted as saying "They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel, aren't they?" The Reds Hall of Fame declared Rixey "was the best left-hander ever to pitch for the Reds with a 179–148 record, 180 complete games, 23 shutouts and a 3.33 ERA in his 13 seasons."

In 2017 he was inducted into the inaugural class of the University of Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame:

Rixey's childhood home in Culpeper still stands, although it suffered some damage in the 2011 Virginia earthquake.

Personal life Rixey was married to Dorothy Meyers of Cincinnati and had two children, Eppa Rixey III and Ann Rixey Sikes; and five grandchildren, James Rixey, Eppa Rixey IV, Steve Sikes, Paige Sikes, and David Sikes. He died of a heart attack on February 28, 1963, one month after his election to the Hall of Fame, becoming the first player to die between election and induction to the Hall of Fame. He was also considered among the best golfers among athletes during the time period. Nonetheless, he was the target of hazing in his first few years in the major leagues. Eventually he teamed up with other college graduates Joe Oeschger and Stan Baumgartner and the hazing lessened to a degree.