Jesse Barnes

Born in 1892 in Oklahoma but raised in Ontario and Circleville, Jesse Barnes began his professional career as a first baseman for Holton in the short-lived Eastern Kansas League in 1910.  When the Holton team folded, he moved to a team in Seneca.

Five years later, Barnes was in the major leagues as a pitcher.  He was 3-0 as a rookie in 1915 for the Boston Braves.  Two years later he was 13-21 and the Braves traded him to the New York Giants.

After a 6-1 1918 season, Barnes led the National League in wins in 1919.  He was 25-9 with a 2.40 earned run average.  He followed that with a 20-win season and would win 73 games for the Giants over a four-year period.  In 1920, he no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies.

Barnes was the star of the 1921 World Series as he won two games and saved another.  He struck out a Series record 18 batters, including 10 in a row, as the Giants beat the Yankees 5 games to 3.  He also made one start in the 1922 World Series, allowing two earned runs in ten innings of work, but did not factor in the decision.

Barnes returned to Boston during the 1923 season and won 36 games in three seasons for the Braves.  He finished his career with the Brooklyn Robins, winning ten in 1926.  Barnes was 152-150 in his 13-year major league career.

After pitching in the minor leagues a few seasons, Barnes moved to Holton where he ran a pool hall and managed American Legion and semi-pro teams.  He played for the El Dorado Skelly Oilers in the 1932 Kansas State NBC Tournament and would later manage the team.  In 1942 he joined the El Dorado police department and spent 13 years on the force.

Barnes and his wife lost their home in the 1958 El Dorado tornado and moved to California.  He died in 1961 at the age of 69.

For more, read Jesse Barnes’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.