Larry Twitchell

Lawrence Grant Twitchell (February 18, 1864 – April 23, 1930) was an American professional baseball player from 1886 to 1896. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as an outfielder but occasionally as a pitcher, with seven different major league clubs. His best seasons were spent with the Detroit Wolverines from 1886 to 1888, the Cleveland Spiders in 1889, and the Louisville Colonels from 1893 to 1894.

Known for his strong throwing arm, Twitchell once reportedly threw a baseball 407 feet, further than any other 19th century player. He also served as the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1895 and 1896 seasons.

Early years Twitchell was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1864. Twitchell continued to pitch for Detroit in 1887 and also appeared in 53 games as an outfielder, mostly in center field. As a pitcher, he compiled the best winning percentage (.917) on the championship team with an 11–1 record. He appeared in 15 games as a pitcher, 12 as a starter, pitched 11 complete games, and had a 4.33 ERA. Twitchell also proved valuable as a batter with a .333 batting average, six triples, 51 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Twitchell also hit well in the World Series where he hit a home run and scored five runs. With high salaries owed to the team's star players, and gate receipts declining markedly, the team folded in October 1888 season with the players being sold to other teams. Twitchell was sold in December 1888 to the Cleveland Spiders along with Ed Beatin, Henry Gruber and Sy Sutcliffe.

Cleveland Spiders Twitchell appeared in a career high 134 games as an outfielder for the Cleveland Spiders in 1889. He compiled a .275 batting average with 16 doubles, 11 triples, four home runs, 95 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He ranked eighth in the National League in both triples and RBIs. The high point of his career came on August 15, 1889, when he hit for the cycle, getting six hits and 16 total bases (a home run, three triples, a double and a single) in six at bats off Mike Madden of the Boston Beaneaters. Twitchell also turned a double play from the outfield and scored five runs in the game, as Cleveland beat Boston by a 19–8 score.

Players' League In 1890, Twitchell jumped to the new Players' League where he started the season with the Cleveland Infants and finished it with the Buffalo Bisons. In mid-July, the Infants sold him to the Bisons. In a total of 100 Players' League games, he compiled a .222 batting average with four home runs and 53 RBIs. Twitchell also returned to pitching in a significant way in 1890. He pitched in 13 games for the Bisons, threw 12 complete games, and compiled a 5–7 record with a 4.57 ERA. On July 20, 1891, he signed with the Columbus Solons of the American Association. In 57 games for Columbus, Twitchell hit .277 with four triples, two home runs, 35 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.

Later years After retiring from baseball, Twitchell worked as a commercial salesman in Ohio. On July 21, 1921, Twitchell played in the outfield for an old-timers team in a game against veteran sandlot players to celebrate Cleveland's 125th anniversary as a city. Cy Young and Chief Zimmer made up the battery, and Hall of Famers Nap Lajoie and Elmer Flick also played.

Twitchell died in Cleveland in 1930. He was buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery in Rocky River, Ohio.