Claude Elliott

Who was Claude Elliott?

Claude Judson "Chaucer" Elliott was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants. For his career, he compiled an 3–3 record in 22 appearances, with an 3.33 earned run average and 47 strikeouts. He was a member of the 1905 World Series champions Giants, though he did not play in the World Series.

Elliott in 1905 relieved eight times in his ten appearances. Though saves were not an official statistic until 1969, Elliot was retroactively credited with six saves that season, a record at that time. His manager, John McGraw, was one of the first to use a relief pitcher to save games.

On June 29, 1905, while playing for the Giants, Elliott played a part in history that would be immortalized some 80 years later with the making of Field of Dreams. The movie included a depiction of Moonlight Graham, who only played one inning in major league baseball and never got an at bat. It was Elliot who flied out ending the top of the ninth inning with Graham on deck.

Elliott was born and later died in Pardeeville, Wisconsin at the age of 46.