Cannonball Titcomb


Ledell Titcomb —often erroneously referred to as "Cannonball" or "Cannon Ball" Titcomb—was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for several teams in the National League and American Association. Born in West Baldwin, Maine, he pitched a total of five seasons, finishing with a 30–29 record and a 3.47 earned run average. Titcomb pitched a no-hitter on September 15, 1890, against the Syracuse Stars, a 7-0 victory. Also, in two games at third base, he fielded all five of his chances cleanly, while putting up a respectable 2.50 range factor. Titcomb died at the age of 83 in Kingston, New Hampshire, and was interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Kingston.

Early baseball career

At the age of 18, Titcomb made his professional baseball debut for the Haverhill, Massachusetts, team of the Eastern New England League.

Major leagues

Titcomb made his Major League debut on May 5, 1886, for the Philadelphia Quakers in a game against the New York Giants. Philadelphia lost 4-2. He would finish the 1886 season 0-5 in 5 starts with a 3.73 earned run average. Titcomb would split the 1887 with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association and the New York Giants. He also played for the Jersey City Skeeters of the International Association in 1887. He would stay with the Giants for the 1888 and 1889 season. 1890 was his final Major League season, and he spent it with the Rochester Broncos. On September 15, Titcomb threw a no-hitter against the Syracuse Stars. He would finish his major league career with a 30-29 record, a 3.74 earned run average, and 283 strikeouts.

Return to the minor leagues

In 1890, Titcomb played in the minors for the Rochester Hop Bitters of the Eastern Association. Titcomb pitched in one game for the Providence Clamdiggers, pitching in one inning.

Personal life

Titcomb was the son of Joseph J. Titcomb, a carpenter, and Fanny M. Titcomb. He was married to Margaret B. Titcomb, and they resided in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Fictitious nickname

Posthumous chronicles and reference works about Titcomb refer to him as "Cannonball" Titcomb, thus assigning him a nickname which was never used during Titcomb's playing days and did not appear in newsprint until Titcomb was 82. SABR historian and author Bill Lamb researched the origins of the nickname and in Fall 2016 published an article in the SABR quarterly newsletter Nineteenth Century Notes debunking the nickname. After analyzing between 600 and 700 newspaper articles mentioning Titcomb, Lamb discovered that, "For the most part, Titcomb was identified by last name only during his pro career. On at least 17 occasions, however, 'Ledell Titcomb' appeared in newsprint. At no time whatsoever during his professional playing career did the putative nickname 'Cannon Ball'/'Cannonball' appear in the newspapers that covered Titcomb." Lamb further wrote, "A search for the surname Titcomb in newspapers published from the start of Titcomb's playing days in 1884 until the day before his death in June 1950 via GenealogyBank yielded 10,458 page hits. Linkage of the word 'Cannonball' with 'Titcomb' promptly reduced that number to zero." After his playing days, during which Titcomb worked in shoe manufacturing, reported Lamb, he was accorded "sparse newspaper attention.... But on the odd occasion when his name did appear in print, it was always given as 'Ledell Titcomb,' never as 'Cannon Ball'/'Cannonball' Titcomb." The nickname first appears in print in 1948, two years before Titcomb's death. The Haverhill Gazette published a profile of the long-retired player, and the article included the following passage: "Those who remember Titcomb will recall that his pitches were so fast that the only fellow who could catch them was Bill Robinson, who later became manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. His mates at Haverhill nicknamed him 'Cannonball' after he split a plank with a pitched ball." However, the unsubstantiated claim was unattributed in the article. When Titcomb died in 1950, the Gazette repeated the nickname in an obituary which included numerous biographical errors. Thereafter, obituaries appeared in the Associated Press and in The Sporting News, both of which drew upon the Gazette obituary, repeating the erroneous nickname as well as the factual errors.