Johnny Lush in 1910
In keeping with a theme of my fantasy league team (see the Vin Campbell post below) here’s a look at another member of my team and a more traditional use of my “A Dozen Things You Should Know About…” format.
1. John Lush was born in October 1885 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania to a lumberman (he didn’t cut the logs, he shipped them) and his wife.
2. In May 1895 he entered Girard College, a college preparatory school, not an actual college. By 1920, Girard produced 13 Major League players, at the time a record for American high schools.
3. In 1903 he graduated from Girard and signed on with the Williamsport in the minors. The next year he joined the Phillies.
4. He played first and pitched for Philadelphia in 1904 going 0-6 on the mound and hitting .276 at the plate. Although Philadelphia wanted him back, he chose to play closer to home in 1905 and signed with Williamsport.
5. Back with Williamsport in 1905, he became specialized in pitching, developing an overhand curve (we call it a 12-6 curve today). In 1906 he made it back to the Phillies, also primarily as a left-handed pitcher.
6. On 1 May 1906 he became the youngest man to ever pitch a no-hitter. He beat Brooklyn 6-0. In 1907 he moved to St. Louis (the Cards, not the Browns) and threw a second no-hitter in August 1908, also against Brooklyn. The game ended after six innings because of rain and is not currently recognized by MLB as a no-hitter.
7. He retired after the 1910 season with a record of 66-85 and an ERA of 2.68 (ERA+ of 97). He walked 413 batters, struck out 490, and ended up with 5.8 WAR.
8. He spent 1911 through 1914 in the minors leagues, primarily in the Pacific Coast League.
9. Lush moved to Hawaii after he was through with baseball and opened a high-end antique and jewelry business that made him quite a bit of money.
10. He was still there in 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was in nearby Honolulu at the time.
11. Remaining in Hawaii for the duration of the war, he moved back to the mainland in 1946.
12. Johnny Lush died in Los Angeles in 1946.
Johnny Lush’s grave
Tags: Johnny Lush
Verdun2's Blog 
August 30, 2016 at 8:00 am
A no-hitter at 20 years old! Very impressive.
August 30, 2016 at 6:10 pm
I had never heard of Lush. Thanks for the lesson!