I just picked up a T206 of Otis "Doc" Crandall, and after doing a little research, I discovered that not only was he baseball's first official "closer," but he was also the greatest hitting pitcher of all-time, minus Babe Ruth, of course. I realize the last statement might seem a bit over-the-top, but you can look it up. Wes Ferrell is credited as often as anyone with being the best hitting pitcher, but he batted .280 playing in the Live Ball era, while Crandall hit .285 playing exclusively in the Dead Ball Era. In 1910, we won 17 games and batted .342 in a limited number of at-bats, while Sherry Magee took home the batting crown with a .331 mark. Also, if you throw in his minor league record, Crandall won over 300 games ...
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