"Gilbert believes Creighton threw the first curveball, ahead of the man long credited with that milestone, William Arthur Candy Cummings. There's a longstanding debate over who threw the first curveball, Gilbert says. All candidates did it 10 years after Creighton did."
"One hundred years ago, his impact was clear, Gilbert says. Until the turn of the 20th century, he was remembered and talked about. When Albert Spalding wrote his book on baseball in 1911, he said: Obviously Creighton was the greatest, fastest pitcher ever."
James Creighton, a prominent pitcher for the Brooklyn Excelsiors, died at 21 in 1862, leaving behind a legacy of baseball achievements. His grave became a shrine, and historian Thomas Gilbert advocates for his Hall of Fame inclusion in 'Death in the Strike Zone.' Gilbert claims Creighton was possibly the first to throw a curveball, predating others by a decade. He researched Creighton's career through photos and newspaper accounts, highlighting catcher Joe Leggett's influence on Creighton's training and development.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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