A 1914 advertisement for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes featuring “the famous $22,000 pitcher,” Marty O’Toole of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“If I could smoke Sweets while pitching, I’d make a world’s record for strike-outs.”
O’Toole’s contract was purchased by Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss from the St. Paul Saints for $22,500, and along with his Saints teammate, catcher William Kelly became “The $30,000 Battery,” although the sum paid for Kelly remains in dispute and was anywhere from $5000 to $12,500 depending on the source.
Whether it was because of his inability to smoke on the mound or not, O’Toole struck out just 300 battersin 599.1 innings over five major league seasons.
Baseball History Daily 