Deacon Phillippe

Who was Deacon Phillippe?

Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Born in Rural Retreat, Virginia to Andrew Phillippe and Jane Margaret Hackler, Phillippe first appeared in pro baseball with the National League's Louisville Colonels in 1899. He had a 21–17 record that year, which was highlighted by a no-hitter in just his seventh career game.

The Colonels disbanded after the season, before which owner Barney Dreyfuss shrewdly moved a number of Louisville players, including Phillippe, to the Pirates, a team Dreyfuss co-owned. Phillippe won 20 games for four straight seasons as the Pirates won three straight National League titles between 1901 and 1903.

Phillippe earned the honor of starting the first World Series game for the Pirates against the Boston Americans in 1903. In a complete game victory, Phillippe struck out 10 batters and earned the win against Cy Young to start the best-of-9 series. He single-handedly guided the Pirates to a 3–1 series lead, earning the wins in each game, but when his arm wore down due to overuse, the Americans came back to win the series 5 games to 3, with Phillippe losing the last two. His five decisions in the World Series are still a record for a pitcher.