sports
Death in the Strike Zone: The Mysterious Fate of James Creighton, Baseball’s First Star
A new book explores the career of a player who many credit with inventing the curveball, and why he has been kept out of the Hall of Fame
TL;DR
- Author Thomas Gilbert makes a case for James Creighton's inclusion in the Hall of Fame in his book, "Death in the Strike Zone."
- Gilbert suggests Creighton threw the first curveball, predating William Arthur "Candy" Cummings.
- Creighton's powerful pitching style and innovative delivery may have led to the development of the strike zone.
- The book also explores the mysterious circumstances of Creighton's death at age 21, attributing it to an inguinal hernia possibly worsened by his pitching.
- Gilbert believes Creighton was possibly the first professional baseball player and a transformative figure in the sport's early history.