Nig Cuppy

Who was Nig Cuppy?

George Joseph "Nig" Cuppy was an American baseball pitcher during the 1890s. He spent nine years of his 10-year major league career as the number two starter behind Cy Young.

Cuppy was born George Maceo Koppe in Logansport, Indiana. His rookie season came with the Cleveland Spiders in 1892, two years after Cy Young's debut with the team. In his first season Cuppy recorded an ERA of 2.51 and a record of 28–13, a performance better than either of Young's first two major league seasons. However, Cuppy was never able to match these figures. In 1893 the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate increased from 50 feet to 60 feet, 6 inches. Although he remained an effective pitcher throughout the rest of his career, after this rule was enacted he never recorded an ERA under 3.00.

On August 9, 1895, Cuppy scored five runs against the Chicago Colts in an 18–6 victory, the most runs ever scored by a pitcher in a major league baseball game. In 3 post-season appearances with the Spiders he compiled a 1–4 record. In three of his four losses, his teammates were shut out.