Ed Killian

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American baseball player (1876–1928)

title: "Ed Killian" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1876-births", "1928-deaths", "major-league-baseball-pitchers", "cleveland-naps-players", "detroit-tigers-players", "rockford-red-sox-players", "toronto-maple-leafs-(international-league)-players", "baseball-players-from-racine,-wisconsin", "burials-at-woodlawn-cemetery-(detroit)", "deaths-from-cancer-in-michigan"] description: "American baseball player (1876–1928)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Killian" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American baseball player (1876–1928) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox baseball biography"]

Field	Value
name	Ed Killian
image	Ed Killian Detroit cigarette card.jpg
caption	Killian on a 1909 tobacco card
position	Pitcher
bats	Left
throws	Left
birth_date
birth_place	Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
debutleague	MLB
debutdate	August 25
debutyear	1903
debutteam	Cleveland Naps
finalleague	MLB
finaldate	July 15
finalyear	1910
finalteam	Detroit Tigers
statleague	MLB
stat1label	Win–loss record
stat1value	103–78
stat2label	Earned run average
stat2value	2.38
stat3label	Strikeouts
stat3value	516
::

Cleveland Naps ()
Detroit Tigers (–)

Edwin Henry Killian (November 12, 1876 – July 18, 1928), nicknamed "Twilight Ed" and the "Twilight Twirler", was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Killian played professional baseball from 1902 to 1912, including seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers from 1904 to 1910. He recorded an MLB won-loss record of 103–78 for a winning percentage of .569. Twice a 20-game winner (including a 25–13 season in 1907), Killian's career earned run average (ERA) of 2.38 ranks 26th best in major league history. He also helped lead the Tigers to three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 to 1909, including winning both games of a doubleheader on September 30, 1909, to clinch the third pennant. As a hitter, Killian posted a .209 batting average (127-for-609) with 56 runs, 52 runs batted in and 16 bases on balls.

Killian allowed only nine home runs during his major league career. He holds the major league record for the longest streak without allowing a home run – a streak of 1,001 innings that ran from September 19, 1903, to August 7, 1907.

Killian played in the minor leagues for the Rockford Red Sox of the Three-I League (1902–1903) and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League (1910–1911).

Early years

Killian was born in 1876 in Racine, Wisconsin. He did not begin playing professional baseball until he was in his mid-20s. He played independent baseball in Racine and worked in a planing mill where he was "receiving $1.25 per day for ten hours of hard manual labor."

Professional baseball career

Rockford and Cleveland (1902–03)

Killian began playing professional baseball in the spring of 1902 with the Rockford Red Sox of the Three-I League for a salary of $75 per month.

In August 1903, Killian was sold by the Rockford team to the Cleveland Naps. Killian made his major league debut with Cleveland on August 25, 1903. He appeared in nine games in the closing weeks of the 1903 season, compiling a 3-4 record with a 2.48 ERA.

Detroit Tigers (1904–10)

The "twilight twirler"

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Ed_Killian_Detroit_1908.jpg" caption="Killian in 1908"] ::

In January 1904, Killian was traded by the Naps with Jesse Stovall to the Detroit Tigers for Billy Lush. Killian pitched the rest of his major league career with the Tigers. In 1904, Killian had 32 complete games and a 2.44 ERA in 331 innings, but lost 20 games.

As proof that his 1904 win–loss record was not indicative of his talents, Killian battled Cy Young in one of the most remarkable pitching duels in history on May 11, 1904. Young and Killian each pitched 14 scoreless innings, before the Red Sox scored a run in the 15th inning, winning 1–0. Early in his career with the Tigers, Killian received the nicknames "Twilight Ed" and the "Twilight Twirler" after pitching multiple extra-inning games that extended into the twilight hours.

In 1905, Killian reduced his ERA further to 2.27. He started 37 games and completed 33. He wound up with a 23–14 record, the third best win total in the American League and fourth best in complete games. His eight shutouts in 1905 was tops in the American League.

Suspension in 1906

Killian started only 16 games in 1906 and finished 10–6 with a 3.43 ERA. During the suspension, Killian left Detroit and pitched semipro ball in Chicago (for $100 per game) and did not pitch in a game for the Tigers until September 19.

1,001 innings without a home run

After surrendering a home run to Freddy Parent on September 19, 1903, Killian would not surrender another home run until August 7, 1907 when Socks Seybold ended the streak, a span of nearly four years and 1,001 innings. In his entire career, he allowed only nine home runs – an average of one home run every 178 innings. According to BaseballLibrary.com, he was "the hardest pitcher to homer against in ML history." He reportedly used a "sinkerball" to induce batters to hit groundballs.

Three consecutive American League pennants

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/1911_Ed_Killian_Detroit_cigarette_card.jpg" caption="1911 tobacco card"] ::

In 1907, Killian had the best season of his career. He started 41 games and compiled a 25–13 record with a 1.78 ERA. He ranked among the American League's leaders with his 1.78 ERA (second), 25 wins (third), 29 complete games (sixth), and 1,270 batters faced (sixth). Killian also excelled as a batter in 1907, compiling a .320 batting average and .410 slugging percentage. His batting average was 73 points higher than the league average of .247.

Killian's 8.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 1907 was the highest of any player in the American League at any position, higher even than teammate Ty Cobb. Only Honus Wagner in the National League had a higher WAR rating at 9.0.

Killian's performance helped lead the 1907 Tigers to their first American League pennant and was one of the best pitching performances in the club's history. Unfortunately, Killian's arm was worn out for the post-season, and he pitched only four innings in relief with no decision during the 1907 World Series against the Chicago Cubs.

In 1908, Killian appeared in 27 games and compiled a 12-9 record and 2.99 ERA as the Tigers won their second consecutive pennant. He also started one game in the 1908 World Series, giving up five hits, three walks, and three earned runs in innings.

In 1909, Killian did not appear in his first game until mid-May. He ultimately appeared in 25 games and compiled an 11-9 record with a 1.71 ERA.

Final season

In 1910, Killian appeared in only 11 games for the Tigers, compiling a 4-3 record with a 3.04 ERA. He appeared in his final major league game on July 15, 1910. At the time of his release, the Detroit Free Press wrote: "Gameness has been one of Killian's chief assets. He has the reputation of being as nervy a pitcher as ever stepped to the slab and repeatedly won games when his arm was out of condition through sheer pluck. Killian also is the possessor of a great pitching head, studying the opposing batsmen and preying upon their weaknesses. For a slabman, he hits well and also is a good fielder."

Toronto Maple Leafs (1910–11)

In 1910 and 1911, Killian played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Eastern League. He compiled a 2-6 record with a 1.96 ERA in 1910 and a 4-3 record and 3.51 ERA in 1911.

Family and later years

Killian was married to Lottie McAfee in June 1908 at Alpena, Michigan. She died in 1920, and he was subsequently married to Millie Ann Moore in 1920. He had no children. In the last years of his life, he worked at an automobile factory in Detroit.

In 1928, Killian died at his home in Detroit at age 51 after battling cancer for several months.

References

"Career Leaders & Records for Earned Run Average". Sports Reference LLC.
"Ed Killian Stats". Sports Reference LLC.
"Ed Killian Minor League Statistics". Sports Reference LLC.
(August 23, 1903). "Selling of Killian But One of Many Deals Nicols Has Made". The Decatur Review.
"1904 AL Team Statistics". Sports Reference LLC.
(May 12, 1904). ""Overtime Ed" Killian Starred in Day of Notable Baseball". Detroit Free Press.
(September 11, 1904). "Each Used The Brush a Bit". Detroit Free Press.
(August 27, 1906). "Ed Killian Gets Bumps". Detroit Free Press.
(September 8, 1906). "Killian To Return". Detroit Free Press.
(September 20, 1906). "In Winning Way". Detroit Free Press.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS190309180.shtml
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA190708070.shtml
"Ed Killian". Baseball Library.com.
Dan Holmes. (2006). "Ed Killian". Society for American Baseball Research.
"1907 AL Awards, All-Stars and Other Leaders". Sports Reference LLC.
"1907 MLB Awards, All-Stars and Other Leaders". Sports Reference LLC.
Joe S. Jackson. (May 18, 1909). "Killian Victor In His First Game, Long Hit By Wahoo Deciding It". Detroit Free Press.
(June 24, 1908). "Killian Now a Benedict". Detroit Free Press.
(July 19, 1928). "Death Claims Eddie Killian". Detroit Free Press.
(July 20, 1928). "Killian Funeral To Be Held Today". Detroit Free Press.

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