Deacon Phillippe

About

Charles Louis “Deacon” Phillippe (originally Phillippi) (May 23, 1872 – March 30, 1952) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Born in Rural Retreat, Virginia to Andrew Phillippe and Jane Margaret Hackler, Phillipe was one of eight children (two brothers and five sisters). When he was three, his family moved to the Dakota Territory near the town of Athol, located in what is now the state of South Dakota, where he would play semi-pro ball for many years.

Phillippe first appeared in pro baseball with the National League’s Louisville Colonels in 1899. He had a 21–17 record that year, which was highlighted by a no-hitter in his seventh career game. While the Colonels disbanded after the season, owner Barney Dreyfuss moved a number of Louisville players, including Phillippe, to the Pirates, another team Dreyfuss co-owned.

Phillippe won 20 games for four straight seasons as the Pirates won three straight National League pennants from 1901 to 1903. In 1900, he pitched for the Pirates in Game 3 of the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series to determine the National…