Jim Creighton, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJim Creighton
baseball player
Date of Birth: 15-Apr-1841
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, United States
Date of Death: 18-Oct-1862
Profession: baseball player
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Aries 
About Jim Creighton
- For the basketball player, see Jim Creighton (basketball).James Creighton, Jr.
- (April 15, 1841 – October 18, 1862) was an American baseball player during the game's amateur era, and is considered by historians to be its first superstar.
- In 1860 and 1862 he played for one of the most dominant teams of the era, the Excelsior of Brooklyn.
- He also was reputed to be a superb cricketeer, and played in many amateur and professional cricket matches. During this early, pre-professional period of baseball's evolution, Creighton's pitching technique changed the sport from a game that showcased hitting, running, and fielding into a confrontation between the pitcher and batter.
- Under rules of the day, a pitcher was required to deliver the ball in an underhand motion with a stiff arm/stiff wrist movement.
- The intention was to induce the batter to swing and put the ball in play, thus initiating action on the diamond.
- Creighton's swift delivery was difficult for opposing batters to hit, because they were accustomed to balls being lobbed over the plate.
- The speed with which Creighton was able to hurl the ball had previously been considered impossible without movement of the elbow or wrist, which was prohibited by existing rules.
- If there were any such movements by Creighton, they were imperceptible.
- Nonetheless, he was accused by some opponents and spectators of using an illegal delivery.
- In effect, because Creighton was exceptionally successful, his opponents assumed he was cheating. However, the competitive advantage of this delivery, and his success as a pitcher, eventually led others to emulate his technique.
- Historian Thomas Gilbert, in his 2015 book Playing First: Early Baseball Lives at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, which includes a chapter on Creighton and his extended family, referred to Creighton's pitching style as "weaponizing the ball."In October 1862, at the height of his popularity, Creighton injured himself in a game when he suffered a ruptured abdominal hernia hitting a home run.
- The rupture caused internal bleeding, and he died four days later.
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