King Cole

Who was King Cole?

Leonard Leslie "King" Cole was a baseball player in the early 20th century. He started his baseball career as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs in 1909. In 1910, he led the National League with a record of 20–4 and helped win a National League pennant for the Cubs. On July 31, 1910, he became the first Cubs pitcher to throw a no-hitter, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in a seven inning game. His 20–4 record is the best winning percentage for a Cub pitcher in the 20th century. Cole was traded to Pittsburgh, and then to the New York Yankees. On October 2, 1914, Cole gave up a double to Babe Ruth—Ruth's first hit in the major leagues.

In 1915, Cole was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and died shortly after the end of the 1915 season.

Ring Lardner wrote about Cole in articles for The Sporting News. Lardner compiled the stories into the Alibi Ike stories.