Cherokee Fisher

William Charles "Cherokee" Fisher (November 1844 – September 26, 1912), was an American baseball pitcher.

Cherokee Fisher
Pitcher
Born: November 1844
Philadelphia
Died: September 26, 1912(1912-09-26) (aged 67)
New York City
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 6, 1871, for the Rockford Forest Citys
Last MLB appearance
July 9, 1878, for the Providence Grays
MLB statistics
Win–loss record56-84
Earned run average2.61
Strikeouts123
Teams
  National Association of Base Ball Players
West Philadelphia (1867)
Buckeye of Cincinnati (1868)
Troy Haymakers (1869–1870)
  League Player
Rockford Forest Citys (1871)
Baltimore Canaries (1872)
Athletic of Philadelphia (1873)
Hartford Dark Blues (1874)
Philadelphia White Stockings (1875)
Cincinnati Reds (1876)
Providence Grays (1878)
Career highlights and awards

Fisher was a pitcher during organized baseball's formative years, from about 1867 to the end of his career. He was known for his fastball on the field and his heavy drinking off it. William J. Ryczek wrote: "There appeared to be a connection between a predilection for alcohol and the tendency to revolve [i.e., change teams frequently]... Cherokee Fisher, whose meandering will be detailed later, was another case which strengthens this connection. A heavy consumer of alcohol would logically be much more susceptible to the overtures of other clubs, as well as more likely to be in need of money."[1] He played for the West Philadelphias in 1867,[2] the Cincinnati Buckeyes in 1868,[3] the Troy Haymakers in 1869 and 1870, and the Chicago Dreadnaughts in 1870 as well.[4]

He was part of Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1878. Fisher played for the Rockford Forest Citys, Baltimore Canaries, Athletic of Philadelphia, Hartford Dark Blues, Philadelphia White Stockings, Cincinnati Reds, and Providence Grays. With the Baltimore Canaries in 1872, Fisher had ten wins, one loss, and a league-leading 1.80 earned run average.[5] On May 2, 1876, he gave up the first home run in National League history to Chicago White Stockings star Ross Barnes. After retiring he served for many years in the Chicago Fire Department.

See also

References
  1. William J. Ryczek, When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865–1870 (McFarland, 1998: ISBN 0-7864-0514-7), p. 144.
  2. Ryczek, When Johnny Came Sliding Home, p. 258.
  3. Devine, Christopher (2003). Harry Wright: the father of professional base ball. McFarland. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7864-1561-8. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  4. Gustaf W. Axelson, "Commy": The Life Story of Charles A. Comiskey (The Reilly & Lee Co., 1919), p. 20.
  5. "Cherokee Fisher Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
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