Eric Erickson

Who was Eric Erickson?

Eric George Adolph Erickson was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played with the New York Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Washington Senators.

Born in Vårgårda, Sweden, Erickson was the second player born in Sweden to play in the major leagues. Erickson was a right-handed pitcher who debuted with the Giants in 1914. Erickson pitched in only one game for the Giants, going five innings and giving up seven runs, though none were earned. In 1916, the Detroit Tigers gave Erickson a second chance, and he played parts of three seasons in Detroit, never having a winning season. He was traded to the Senators in 1919 and had his best seasons there. In 1919, as a teammate of Walter Johnson, Erickson led the American League in strikeouts per nine innings with 5.52, though he also was among the league leaders in hit batsmen and wild pitches. In 1921, Erickson was among the league leaders in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings, shutouts and hit batsmen.

After his major league career ended, Erickson pitched for several minor league teams. He led the San Francisco Seals to a Pacific Coast League pennant in 1917 and won the 1917 PCL pitching Triple Crown, winning 31 games with a 1.93 earned run average and 307 strikeouts in 444 innings.