March 1st, 1873: Al Pratt, pitcher for the Cleveland Forest Citys for the past 2 seasons, announced his retirement today. Pratt led the league in batting average for 2 straight seasons, batting .455 in 1871 and .524 in 1872. Pratt wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers at the plate, and while his ERA was 4.60 in 1871, he improved to 2.47 in 1872.
"I love baseball," said Pratt, "But it isn't for me right now. I got some other avenues I want to explore." It seems hard to believe we've seen the last of Al Pratt, but that's where it stands. Here are his final statistics:
