Charlie Sweeney

Who was Charlie Sweeney?

Charles J. Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1882 through 1887. He played with moderate success for several teams, but he is best known to historians for the inadvertent career boost that he gave to future Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn.

Sweeney began his major league career with the Providence Grays of the National League in 1882. By the 1884 season, Sweeney and Radbourn were the Grays' two main pitchers. The 1884 season had 50 fewer scheduled games than today, and most teams got by with two-man starting rotations. Through much of April and May, Sweeney outshone the veteran and ace of the Grays, Radbourn. This, of course, created a lot of tension between the two as Sweeney was seemingly stealing the limelight from the hobbled but proud "Old Hoss." On June 7, 1884, these tensions reached a zenith, when Sweeney took the box and struck out 19 Boston batters to set a major league record that would be tied a few times but not broken for 102 years, until Roger Clemens struck out 20 in a game in 1986. Sweeney was feted upon his return to Providence for days following his accomplishment, much to the bitter jealousy of Radbourn.

Sweeney's success would be short-lived. Not long after his amazing accomplishment, he suffered arm problems, not uncommon in the day, which sidelined him. This meant Radbourn would suffer the workload of two men, further driving a wedge between the veteran and the upstart. After a meltdown by Radbourn, Sweeney was forced to return to his regular pitching duties, which he did effectively for a time.