Dazzy Vance

'Dazzy Vance could throw a cream puff through a battleship,' said former Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Johnny Frederick. Renowned for his blazing fastball, Vance was the premier strikeout pitcher of the 1920s. He led the National League in strikeouts for seven consecutive seasons from 1922-'28, and often he led by wide margins. In 1924, he had more strikeouts than the second- and third-place pitchers combined.

In 1922 a 31-year-old seemingly washed up fireballer hit the major league scene with ten years of minor league experience under his belt and an 0-4 record and 4.09 ERA from three failed trials with major league clubs. By the end of the season he would be Brooklyn’s second best pitcher behind Dutch Ruether and would embark on a 14-year odyssey that would see him become the National League’s strikeout king for the next seven consecutive seasons, as well as its MVP in 1924. This after recovering from an inflamed elbow diagnosed in 1916 that took exactly five years to heal, just as his doctor had predicted. Who, you ask, is this unlikely hero?

Fastballs, poker, and laundry. All the ingredients for a Hall of Fame career.

Could a friendly poker game among minor-league teammates lead to a Hall of Fame career for a 29-year-old who had been pitching in professional baseball for nine years, never had won a major-league game, and seldom had put together two good years back to back in the minors? Perhaps. Arthur Vance had earned the nickname Dazzy for the dazzling fastball he had shown as a teenage semipro in rural Nebraska. He even had two shots at the major leagues, but nary a victory there as his total big-league record consisted of zero wins and four losses. In the minors he showed occasional flashes of brilliance, but his best performances were usually followed by a sore arm and a disappointing next season. He was with the New Orleans Pelicans in the Southern League that evening when the fateful poker game occurred.

Dazzy Vance earned 197 career victories after his 30th birthday. Learn more about this Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and see his statistics.

Career: 197-140, 3.24 ERA, 2045 SO (70th), P, HOF in 1955, 1924 NL MVP, Robins/Dodgers/... 1915-1935, t:R, 7x SO Leader, born in Unite. 1891, died 1961

Learn about Dazzy Vance: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more.

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Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was an American professional baseball player.[1] He played as a pitcher for five different franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) in a career that spanned twenty years. Known for his impressive fastball, Vance was the only pitcher to lead the National League in strikeouts seven consecutive seasons.[2] He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.[2]