1920 Letter on the Origin of the Spitball

Here is the text of a remarkable letter that explains the origin of the spitball. George Hildebrand, who became a respected American League umpire of more than 20 years (1912-34), played in the majors briefly in 1902. In this 1920 letter that he wrote to baseball statistician Ernest Lanigan, he recounts how he accidentally discovered the spitball.

This letter is provided courtesy of the Bradshaw Hall Swales Baseball Collection, 1871-1930
Manuscripts and Archives Division
The New York Public Library
Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations

San Francisco, Feb. 20th 1920

My dear Mr. Lanigan,

Yours received, very glad to hear from you. In regard to the spit ball only to (sic) pleased to tell you what I know of the discovery of same.

While at Providence, in 1902: One day I was warming up with a young pitcher named Frank Corridon. I notice him throwing a slow ball with quite a break. He did this by wetting the tips of his fingers before pitching.

I noticed him pitch several of these all of which broke with a downward drop. After awhile I told Corridon I would show him a real drop. While Corridon only dampened his fingers, I, in the parlance of the diamond, slobbered all over the ball, just as some of the masters of the spit ball do nowadays when the ball is breaking well. I held the ball the same as Corridon, only wetting it a great deal more. The ball I threw broke a good deal more than Corridon’s and hit Aubrey(?) who was catching in the knee.

Corridon noticed this quick break and started experimenting with a wet ball, later getting this ball under control. This I think was the birth of the spit ball. Corridon later on joined the Philadelphia club, Nat. League.
In the fall of 1902 I returned to Pac. Coast. This long season had a couple of months more to go so I finished with the Sacramento club. Here I met Stricklet who was about to be released on account of a sore arm. I showed him this spit ball. Stricklet with an arm that was almost gone mastered this spit ball and went out & won eleven straight games. Late in 1902 the All Americans and All Nationals came to the Coast. Jack Chesbro who was one of the pitchers with the N. Y. Americans was with this crowd. He studied this delivery under Stricklet & used same in 1903 quite a bit but it wasn’t until 1904 that he had it down right. This was the year he pitched in more than fifty games and lost the pennant for N. Y. in the last game of the season with a wild pitch.

Hoping this will help you some, I am
Most Sincerely,

Ger. Hildebrand
1273-10th Ave.
S. F. Calif.