Dick Redding
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Richard Redding (April 14, 1890 - October 31, 1948), nicknamed "Cannonball", was an American pitcher, outfielder and manager in baseball's Negro Leagues, regarded as perhaps the fastest pitcher in the history of black baseball (which makes the origin of his name no mystery). In his career, he played for the Philadelphia Giants, New York Lincoln Giants, Lincoln Stars, Indianapolis ABC's, Chicago American Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, and Bacharach Giants.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia in the era of racial segregation, he was functionally illiterate and was not allowed to play in the Major Leagues because of his race. Against all levels of competition he threw seven no-hitters in one year and approximately thirty in his career. Quiet and clean-cut off the field, he was as intimidating as anyone on it. He had a limited pitching repertoire, but his main pitch, his fastball, was feared by batters all over the league. It was likely faster than Bob Feller's and was far more accurate than Steve Dalkowski's. Redding gained an extra advantage by throwing "brushback" pitches inside, similar to that of today's stars like Pedro Martinez.
His career began in 1911 with the Philadelphia Giants. That year, at the age of twenty, he won seventeen consecutive games. Early in his career he was at his best, and in 1914, playing for the New York Lincoln Giants, he was 12-3 against official competition and 31-9 in barnstorming. He served in World War I in 1918, and was a player-manager from 1919 to 1922. His playing career was essentially over by the mid-1920s, but he managed the Brooklyn Royal Giants from 1927 to 1932.
Ten years after retiring in 1938, he suffered a sudden bout of mental illness in 1948 and died in a mental hospital in Islip, New York later that year at age 58. He was considered by many to be as good or better than rival Smokey Joe Williams, and certainly comparable with Walter Johnson of the major leagues. Unlike Williams or Johnson, he is not currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is considered by many to be a major oversight. He is also know for using, possibly even before Satchel Paige, the hesitation pitch.
His career average is known to be 81-62. Hall of Famer Buck Leonard once said about Redding: "was a nice fellow, easy going. He never argued, never cursed, never smoked as I recall; I never saw him take a drink."
