[LansdowneSt]

In September of 1901, the New York Giants were hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates for a double header. They desperately needed pitching, so they poached a pitcher from a local semi-pro team. After the first game, the newbie suited up and took the mound to start the nightcap. It didn’t go well from the start.

There were a few things that contributed to Hesterfer’s catastrophic start. First, the lone umpire from game one, Frank Dwyer, just wasn’t feeling like sticking around for game two, so he left, and the game was called by players on both teams. When Hesterfer was pitching, Pirates players were calling balls and strikes, and vice versa. Seems fair, right? In addition to a clearly biased strike zone, the Giants’ fielders were tired and uninterested in playing defense behind a pitcher they didn’t know. They committed 7 errors which led to 10 unearned runs for Hesterfer. After the 6th inning the game was called for darkness, and Larry Hesterfer’s major league career was over. He threw a complete game (6 innings) while allowing 15 runs on 15 hits (and the errors, of course). With a record of 0–1, Hesterfer left the ballpark and bid the New York Giants farewell… forever. He never played in another Major League Baseball game.

But wait, I forgot the best part of the story. As a national league pitcher, Hesterfer hit for himself. In his first at bat, he came to the plate with men on first and second. He hit a line drive to Honus Wagner, the Pirates’ shortstop, who caught the ball, stepped on second, and threw to first to complete the 6–6–3 triple play. He remains the only player in baseball history to hit into a triple play in his first career at bat. - "The Saddest Career in Baseball History" by Ben Porter

Redid the facegen.