Edward Augustine Walsh was born on May 14, 1881. His dad, Michael Walsh, was an Irish immigrant. His mom, Jane, was Welsh.Growing up in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Jane would sing Irish folk songs to Ed and his 12 brothers and sisters.
Big Ed made his major league debut in 1904 with the Chicago White Sox. After some moderate success, Ed began tinkering with a spitball, which was, at that time, a legal pitch.Soon, Big Ed had mastered the spitball and he was on his way to legendary status. In 1908, he won 40 games with a 1.42 ERA. He pitched over 300 innings in a season five times and he is the all-time leader with a lifetime ERA of 1.82.In July 1916, the Chicago Tribune reported that Big Ed saved two swimmers from drowning in Lake Michigan. Another “W” for Big Ed!
After retiring from the game, Big Ed started a group of former players who met annually to eat corned beef and cabbage and tell old baseball stories. The group, aptly named the “Corn Beef and Cabbage Eaters Society,” included hundreds of baseball legends, Irish and non-Irish, alike.Ed Walsh was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946.
