Charlie Faust

Faust was born in Marion, Kansas, in 1880. In July 1911, he went to St. Louis and visited John McGraw, the manager of the New York Giants. Faust told McGraw that a fortuneteller said he would help the Giants win the championship. As a joke, McGraw gave Faust a tryout, and he was eventually allowed to stay due to the team's sudden winning streak that commenced after his arrival. The Giants had a record of 36–2 that season when Faust was in uniform; when he was not there, they struggled. Faust wanted to pitch in a real game, but having little athletic ability, he was relegated to warming up with the team on the field. After the Giants clinched the pennant, Faust pitched in the ninth inning of two games, allowing one run and stealing two bases.[1]

The following season, the Giants started 54–11 with Faust. He still wanted to pitch, however, McGraw grew tired of him. Faust was permanently dismissed from the team. Without him, the Giants saw their hot streak end, but they did win the pennant again.[1]

Faust moved to California and then to Seattle. In 1914, still intent on rejoining the Giants, he walked to Portland and was sent to a mental hospital, where he was diagnosed with dementia. Later that year, he was sent to the Western State Hospital. He died there of tuberculosis in 1915.[1]

Faust's story was revived in the 1960s, when one of his Giants teammates, Fred Snodgrass, talked about him in an interview for The Glory of Their Times.[1] Faust is also mentioned in E. L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Charlie Faust at Find a Grave