How many people pointed at Bert Blyleven’s 287 career wins year after year and championed his Hall of Fame cause? We don’t know the exact number, but we are sure that it is a lot more than those who created logs extolling the virtues of Tony Mullane’s 284 Major League victories.
Maybe people should marvel at those wins. Mullane was an ambidextrous hurler who could easily baffle batters, as back in his day, pitchers did not wear gloves, thus they had no idea which arm he would throw with. Mullane was an innings-eater who recorded 30 wins on multiple occasions. Like many in his day, Mullane was a very much a free spirit who challenged the reserve clause, was suspended for the 1885 season, and sat out part of the 1892 season in protest over pay cuts. This may have cost him the magical 300-win number, and the fact that he played in the American Association (and not the National League) and had subpar seasons late in his career has made the switch-pitching Tony Mullane a distant afterthought among the folks at Cooperstown.
Should Tony Mullane be in the Hall of Fame?
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