Cy Falkenberg

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Cy Falkenberg
Pitcher
Born: September 17, 1880
Chicago, Illinois
Died: April 14, 1961 (aged 80)
San Francisco, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 21, 1903
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Final game
July 4, 1917
for the Philadelphia Athletics
Career statistics
Pitching Record     130-123
Earned run average     2.68
Strikeouts     1164
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Cy Falkenberg (born Frederick Peter Falkenberg on December 17, 1880 in Chicago, Illinois; died April 14, 1961 in San Francisco, California) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1903 and 1917.

Cy Falkenberg attended the University of Illinois, becoming one of the few university educated ballplayers of the time. He debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 21, 1903, but struggled his first year in the majors, losing 5 of 6 decisions. He spent 1904 back in the minor leagues. He returned to the majors in 1905, this time with the Washington Senators, but he did not achieve his greatest success until 1913 with the Cleveland Naps.

He was known for throwing the "emery ball", a baseball that had been scuffed with a piece of emery board hidden in the heel of his glove. Although this practice is currently against the rules of baseball, it was legal at the time. By scuffing the ball, the ball moves in a less predictable manner, making it harder to hit, giving him a 23-10 record in 1913. By 1915 he was struggling again, and was back in the minors by 1916. He appeared in 15 games in the majors in 1917, and finished his pro career in the minors in 1918 and 1919.

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