Harry Harper

Harry Clayton Harper (April 24, 1895 - April 23, 1963) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams between 1913 and 1923. Listed at 6' 2", 165 lb., Harper batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Throughout his career, Harper was a back luck pitcher either do to injury or playing on a bad baseball team. He entered the majors in 1913 with the Washington Senators, playing for them seven years before joining the Boston Red Sox (1920), New York Yankees (1921) and Brooklyn Robins (1923). His most productive season came in 1916 with Washington, when he posted career-numbers in wins (14), strikeouts (149) and innings pitched (249⅓), while recording a earned run average of 2.45.

In 1918 Harper went 11-10 in 244.0 innings, but his 2.18 ERA ranked him sixth between the American League pitchers. He had a 6-21 record with a 3.72 ERA for the hapless Senators in 1919 to lead the AL in losses, and in 1920 he had a 5-14 mark with the Red Sox. He did, however, manage to get a solid 3.04 ERA to rank seventh in AL. He also started for the Yankees in Game 6 of the 1921 World Series, but did not have a decision.

In a 10-season career, Harper posted a 57-76 record with 623 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA in 219 appearances, including 171 starts, 66 complete games, 12 shutouts, five saves, and 1256.0 innings.

Following his baseball career, Harper made a fortune as a New Jersey industrialist. He died in New York, New York, just one day short of his 68th birthday.

Sources

• Baseball Reference
• Baseball Library
• Retrosheet