Harley Park Parker was a renaissance man; a physician, an ambidextrous golfer, a billiard player who trained champions, in addition to being a major league pitcher—he was 5-8 with a 5.90 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Chicago Colts and Cincinnati Reds.
He is also responsible for what might be the worst single game pitching performance in professional baseball history.
The 22-year-old Parker was pitching for the Grand Rapids Rippers (several newspapers in other in the other Western League cities called the team the Rustlers) against the Kansas City Blues (newspapers were split between referring to the club as the Blues or the Cowboys) on July 25, 1894.
Harley Parker circa 1895
The Kansas City Gazette said:
“The ball bats of the Kansas City Blues in the game against Grand Rapids collided with Pitcher Parker’s curves thirty-nine times yesterday, and yielded as many runs.”
The Blues actually had thirty-eight hits, to go along with 13 Grand Rapids errors.
The Kansas City Star said:
“(The Blues) hit him at will yesterday, for singles, doubles, triples and home runs. It was a slugging match, the like of which had never before been seen in a professional game at Exposition Park, and while the Rustlers did some very sloppy fielding, there was world of free, sharp and hard hitting.”
Every member of the Kansas City line up had at least two hits, and three players, Sam Nicholl, Ollie Beard, and pitcher Pete Daniels, collected six each.
The final score was 39 to 10.
The Box Score Grand Rapids vs Kansas City
The game was indicative of Parker’s season; he finished with a 15-18 record with a 6.23 ERA—in addition to the 193 earned runs he gave up in 278.2 innings, his team gave him horrible support, and he allowed 194 unearned runs.
Parker had a similarly disastrous day as a major leaguer seven years later. While pitching for the Reds against the Brooklyn Superbas on June 21, 1901 Parker allowed 21 runs on 26 hits in a complete game loss—“Wee Willie” Keeler was 5 for 5 with a rare home run (he hit just 33 during his 19-year career).
The Box Score Cincinnati vs Brooklyn
During his five minor league seasons Parker was only above.500 once; 5-4 in 1898 with the Minneapolis Millers; he was 5-8 as a major leaguer.
Parker briefly owned a Central League franchise in 1911, the club moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan to South Bend, Indiana, but even with the move he was forced to sell the team at mid-season because of financial difficulties.
That same year he also had a short stint as an umpire that ended with a trip to the United States Capitol.
In August, after one of Umpire Jack Sheridan’s frequent resignations—he returned to his position days later—American League President Ban Johnson hired Parker to the league staff.
Less than a month into his tenure Parker was on the field for one of William Herman “Germany” Schaefer’s stunts. On August 4, Schaefer’s Washington Senators were playing the Chicago White Sox. With the score tied in the ninth inning Schaefer stole second, hoping to draw a throw to allow Clyde Milan to score from third base; Sox catcher Fred Payne did not throw to second. Schaefer then led off second base on the first-base side and returned to first on the next pitch.
The Washington Herald said:
“Umpire Harley Parker, who was officiating on the bases, was near first at the time. When he saw Schaefer coming back to first Parker accosted the comedian ball player with the query: ‘What are you doing here?’
“’I have stolen second. Now I am stealing first,’ said the Nationals’ troublemaker.
“’Well, if you stay down here I’ll call you out,’ said Parker.
“(White Sox) Manager (Hugh) Duffy in the meantime had ordered Doc White to throw the ball to John “Shano” Collins at first. Germany thought discretion the better part of valor, and made a dive back toward second. In the meantime Milan was tearing down toward home. Collins wheeled and threw home, Milan being tagged out at the plate.”
Germany Schaefer
Duffy was standing in the middle of the diamond arguing with Parker and home plate umpire Tommy Connolly as Milan was thrown out at home—Washington protested that “the play shouldn’t go because Chicago had ten men on the field. Manager Duffy having stayed out to the middle of the diamond.”
Connolly and Parker finally ruled that Milan was out. Washington went on to win the game 1 to 0 in 11 innings.
Harley Parker, 1910
The following month Parker was again in Washington working a series between the Senators and the White Sox when, while sitting in the lobby of Washington’s Driscoll Hotel, according to The Washington Star he was approached by an “officer from the United States Senate,” who told Parker “I have a warrant for you.”
Parker was taken to the United States Capitol.
“The officer of Uncle Sam marched the arbitrator up to the desk of Vice President (James Schoolcraft) Sherman in the senate, the most august assemblage in the United States.
“’I guess I’ve got your man at last,’ said the officer as he introduced Parker to the vice president.
“’I sent for you to inquire about that play when Germany Schaefer went back to first after stealing second,’” said Sherman and Parker drew a sigh of relief.
“It was just like eating pie for Parker to explain the play and he did so to the satisfaction of all concerned. Sherman admitted the play bothered him more than any problem that had come up in the extra session of congress and that was going some.”
Parker did not work as an umpire again after the 1911. He returned to Chicago to practice medicine and teach billiard; contemporary newspaper accounts said he trained two champions—Calvin Demarest and Welker Cochran.
He died in Chicago in 1941.
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