Prior to his arrival to Boston John Clarkson was considered one of the best Pitchers in the National League.  With the Chicago White Stockings (which would later be named the Chicago Cubs), he had twice finished first in Wins (1885 & 1887) and was thought of as an elite Pitcher.  The Boston Beaneaters sure thought so and they purchased him from Chicago for $10,000, which was a fortune in 1888!  This proved to be a decent choice, and Clarkson had a good 1888 with a 33 Win season (2^nd overall) but exploded the following season with what has to be considered one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.

Debuting as a rookie with the Boston Beaneaters in 1898, Vic Willis would win the ERA Title as a sophomore with a 2.50 ERA with 27 Wins.  He was also first for bWAR for Pitchers that season.  1900 was not great as his ERA ballooned over 4.00 but he rebounded with four straight seasons with an ERA below 3.00 and he finished up with Boston in 1905 with a 3.21 ERA.  Unfortunately, in those last two seasons in Boston he would have a record of 30 and 54 as he was the victim of limited run support.  He would finish his stint in Boston with a record of 151 and 147 and an ERA of 2.82.