Walter Newton Justis–often misspelled “Justus” during his career– performed an incredible feat in 1908. While posting a 25-17 record for the Lancaster Links in the Ohio State League, he pitched four no-hit games between July 19 and September 13.
Walter Justis
The performance earned him his second shot to make the big leagues. The first consisted of two relief appearances (8.10 ERA in 3.1 innings) with the Detroit Tigers in 1905 when he was 21. He said later that he wasn’t ready:
“All I knew was to burn them over. And the harder they hit them the harder I threw. Then the Harder I threw the harder they hit them. Most of the time in the three months that I was there I lugged the big bat bag, and I guess I earned my salary then about as much as at any time I know of.”
Justis’ bizarre behavior often made as big an impression as his pitching. Roy Castleton was pitching for the Youngstown Ohio Works in 1906 when Justis joined Lancaster (the team was in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League in 1906 and ’07, and joined the Ohio State League in 1908).
Castleton, while playing for the Atlanta Crackers two years later told The Atlanta Constitution he thought “Rube Waddell and Bugs Raymond, two players well-known for their eccentricities…will have to take off their top pieces,” to Justis. Castleton was staying in the same hotel as the Lancaster team:
“Early one morning he heard someone raising a disturbance in the hotel hallway and taking a look to see what was doing, he observed pitcher Justis…running down the hallway.
“’At the end of the hall Justice placed a pillow against the wall. He would get a good start down the hall and after the fashion of a man on the paths would take a running slide at the pillow. When he arrived at his destination he would hold out his hand as umpires do and yell ‘safe!’ Justis would keep this up for hours at a time playing base runner and umpire out in the hall at daybreak.’
“’Sometimes he would stop the double existence of umps and runner and would (just) be the judge of the play. Standing over the pillow he would hold out his hand and yell ‘safe’ so loudly that he could be heard a block off.’”
The Constitution also said that Justis was superstitious:
“He never goes into a game without wearing a pair of ladies’ silk hose supported in the usual manner. Regular baseball stockings would never do for him, as he believes his career as a pitcher would be cut short if he were to wear them in a game.”
He was signed by the St. Louis Browns, and Manager Jimmy McAleer told The St. Louis Globe-Democrat the pitcher’s eccentricities were a positive:
“McAleer says that the reason he signed pitcher Justis of Lancaster was because Justis bears the reputation of being a baseball ‘bug.’ ‘Bugs,’ says McAleer, ‘make good in St. Louis. We have Waddell, while the Cardinals have ‘Bugs’ Raymond.’”
Justis joined the Browns in Dallas in the spring of 1909.
The Globe-Democrat said after he had a poor outing in an exhibition against the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League:
“Justis pitched two innings for the Browns Saturday and the Houston team got six runs. Until this bombardment he was tagged for the regular club, and the label hasn’t been removed yet, though slightly loosened.”
And Justis appeared to have made the team when they broke camp in Texas and returned to St, Louis in early April, but The Associated Press reported on April 6:
“Walter Justus, a pitcher recruit of the St. Louis Browns, is confined to his room by a severe nervous collapse, and the nurse in charge says he may be able to leave for his home in Indiana in a few days. Justis lost his power of speech at the end of a wrestling bout with Arthur Griggs in Sportsman’s Park today. It is claimed Justus fell to the floor, striking his head, and reopened an old wound received when a boy.”
Justis suffered similar attacks at least four other times during his career; in June of 1907, twice in 1908, and August of 1909. In July, 1908 after a double-header with the Lima Cigarmakers, The Marion (Ohio) Daily Mirror said “(Justis) suffered a sudden brain stroke akin to apoplexy. He fell in a dead faint at the close of the second contest. He was removed to his hotel in an unconscious condition.” In September, after another attack left Justis hospitalized, The Sporting Life said prematurely “physicians say he will never twirl another game.” It is likely that he suffered from epilepsy.
Within days of returning to Indiana from St. Louis Justis fully recovered. The Associated Press said “His recovery is one of the most remarkable in the history of athletes.” But, despite his recovery, Justis was returned to Lancaster by the Browns, and lost his opportunity to return to a major league team.
He threw another no-hitter for Lancaster in 1909, on May 18 against the Marion Diggers, and went 19-16 for the season. Justis continued pitching until 1913, finishing with the Covington Blue Sox in the Federal League—where he played with the equally eccentric, enigmatic Fred “Humpy” Badel.
Justis shut out the St. Louis Terriers 4 to 0 on the opening day of the Federal League season, but no complete records remain for the season. By late September of 1913 he was back home in Greendale, Indiana pitching for a local team. He remained in Greendale until his death in 1941.
Baseball History Daily 
Justis is a player I’ve been interested in since I research minor league no-hitters and he threw 5 of them in his career (tied with Harry Kane for most). I suspect he had epilepsy, which may account for the spells he had. A couple of times he was wrestling with a teammate when he was stricken. I’ve been considering doing a SABR Bio of him, but I haven’t found enough info yet.
Chuck–I have had a couple of doctors tell me it sounds like he was epileptic. He is a fascinating subject given the multiple no-hitters and the regularity of his illness interfering with his career, but like you say there is so little information about him that I certainly have not found enough for a full biography. For instance, I was able to find a few references after he returned to Greendale, Indiana in 1913, there was so little about his later life that I could not even confirm what he did for a living after baseball. Thanks