May 7 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Allan Travers played his entire professional career with the Detroit Tigers.  He has a career ERA of 15.75 based on one complete game that he and the Tigers lost.  In 1912 Ty Cobb went into the stands and beat up a fan who had been heckling him in New York when the Tigers were playing the Highlanders (Soon to be Yankees.).   The fan called Ty the “N” word which did not sit well with Ty who was from post Civil War Georgia.  Ty was incensed and felt justified by going into the stands to beat the fan.  Ty’s teammates followed him into the stands for two reasons, one, to protect their team mate from the rest of the crowd and two, to try to break it up.  But it would take several policemen to pull Ty off the fan.  Afterwards, Ty was suspended by American League President Ban Johnson.  The Tigers moved on to Philadelphia to play the Athletics.  When the players found that Ty was indefinitely suspended they were supportive of their teammate and sent word to Ban Johnson that “If players cannot have protection, we must protect ourselves.”  With that they refused to play on the day of May 18, 1912.  Ban Johnson told the Tiger organization that they would be fined $5,000 (A hefty fine in those days.) if they forfeited the game.  So Hughie Jennings, the Tiges manager ran around Philly with a Philly newspaper man to put together a team to take the field.  Allan Travers was picked as he was an assistant manager for the local St. Joseph’s College team.  He got several friends and others from his school to play as well.  Each was paid $25.  Except Allan who got $50 because he was the pitcher.  Allan went the distance but lost 24-2.  Thankfully his ERA only shows the 15.75 number due to 9 errors by the rest of Allan’s teammates.  After the game Ty told his teammates to get back to the playing as the league was talking serious fines and suspensions if they did not return to the field.  In the end each Tiger was fined $100.  Ty Cobb’s fine was $50 for beating the fan and a 10 game suspension.   Allan Travers never played professional ball before or after that game.  He became a priest after his “professional baseball career” but his final line in the record books is 0-1, He faced 50 batters and had a 15.75 ERA of off 26 hits and 7 BB.  He K’d 1.