Gettysburg Eddie: The Story of Eddie Plank

by Lawrence Knorr

Who is the winningest left-handed pitcher in American League history?Who threw more shutouts than any left-handed pitcher in baseball history? Who is the winningest left-handed pitcher in Philadelphia baseball history? Who is third in wins all-time among left-handed starters? Few know the answer is Edward Stewart Plank, also known as "Gettysburg" Eddie.Born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, only a dozen years after the bloody Civil War battle, Eddie grew up on a farm and was a late-bloomer. By his early twenties, he was a local star on the town ball team and enrolled in the Gettysburg Academy in order to pitch for the Gettysburg College team. Soon after, Connie Mack from the Philadelphia Athletics in the newly-formed American League came calling and the rest is history. Eddie Plank was the mainstay of Connie Mack's early success from 1901 through 1914. Plank's unorthodox delivery and pinpoint control brought him consistent results.While others out-pitched him during individual seasons, "Steady-Eddie" provided Mack excellence year after year while others came and went. Gettysburg Eddie chronicles the life of this clean-living baseball superstar who worked hard, saved his money, and was always the perfect gentleman. Said Mack upon hearing of Eddie's premature death in 1926, "I feel like a father must feel who has lost a son."

425 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 11, 2018

About the author

Lawrence Knorr has authored or co-authored over 20 books, mostly on history or biography. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the Sons of the American Revolution, and numerous other historical organizations. He enjoys most writing about the formerly famous and his beloved Pennsylvania Dutch culture. He is a lifetime Penn State alum.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Gettysburg (now living in Pittsburgh) and when I go back home to visit, we like to eat at a restaurant called Gettysburg Eddie's. It's themed for the Hall of Fame baseball player, and I bought this book there. Reading about the history of base ball in central PA and the early major leagues was fun and enlightening. Than you Lawrence Knorr for a great book about this PA baseball legend.

[Raymond Medrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remembering greatness

Growing up I researched many of the old time stars.Ty Cobb was my favorite. I knew about Eddie Plank. Therefore, it was good to read about him and many of the other old time players.

[Jason Hallmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. It wasn’t necessarily the best story telling job ever done, but was more just a straight telling of facts, few of which were insightful or eye-opening. I don’t know that I’d recommend this book to anyone but the most hardcore of baseball historians.