View source for Eddie Plank

{{short description|American baseball player (1875-1926)}}
{{for|the 1970s pitcher|Ed Plank}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Eddie Plank
|image=Eddie_Plank_Baseball.jpg
|caption=Plank in 1905
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1875|8|31}}
|birth_place=[[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|1926|2|24|1875|8|31}}
|death_place=Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Left
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=May 31 
|debutyear=1901
|debutteam=Philadelphia Athletics
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 6
|finalyear=1917
|finalteam=St. Louis Browns
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=326–194
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=2.35
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=2,246
|teams=
* [[Oakland Athletics|Philadelphia Athletics]] ({{mlby|1901}}–{{mlby|1914}})
* [[St. Louis Terriers]] ({{mlby|1915}})
* [[History of the St. Louis Browns|St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1916}}–{{mlby|1917}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1910}}, {{wsy|1911}}, {{wsy|1913}})
* [[Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame]]
* [[Athletics Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate = [[1946 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1946]]
|hofmethod = Old-Timers Committee
}}

'''Edward Stewart Plank''' (August 31, 1875 – February 24, 1926), nicknamed "'''Gettysburg Eddie'''", was an American professional [[baseball]] player. A [[pitcher]], Plank played in [[Major League Baseball]] for the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] from 1901 through 1914, the [[St. Louis Terriers]] in 1915, and the [[History of the St. Louis Browns|St. Louis Browns]] in 1916 and 1917.

Plank was the first left-handed pitcher to [[Win (baseball)|win]] 200 games and then 300 games, and now ranks third in all-time wins among left-handers with 326 career victories ([[List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders|13th all time]]) and first all-time in career shutouts by a left-handed pitcher with 66. Philadelphia went to the [[World Series]] five times while Plank played there, but he sat out the 1910 World Series due to an injury. Plank had only a 1.32 [[earned run average]] (ERA) in his World Series career, but he was unlucky, with a 2-5 [[win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] in those games.

Plank died of a stroke in 1926. He was posthumously elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1946 by the [[Veterans Committee]].

==Early life==
Plank grew up on a farm near [[Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]]. He was the fourth of seven children born to Martha McCreary and David Plank.<ref name=sabr>[http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/339eaa5c Eddie Plank | SABR<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> His father was a school director and tax collector in Gettysburg.<ref name=Father>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank's Father is Dead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SI49AAAAIBAJ&pg=3280,6194786&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=New Oxford Item|date=June 19, 1930}}</ref> Plank did not play baseball until the age of 17, when he started playing for local teams in the Gettysburg area. He practiced pitching by throwing a baseball against his barn door, drawing lectures from his father for all the dents he left.<ref name="Russo 251">Russo, p. 251</ref> When Plank was about 22, [[Frank Foreman]], the [[Coach (baseball)#Pitching coach|pitching coach]] at [[Gettysburg College]], asked him to try out for the school's baseball team.<ref name=sabr/><ref name=Farmer/><ref name="Russo 251"/> History books often erroneously state that Plank graduated from Gettysburg College. He attended [[Gettysburg Academy]], a prep school affiliated with the college. However, he played for the college's team without ever being enrolled there.<ref name=Son/>

==Career==
In 1900, Plank signed with the [[Richmond Colts]] of the [[Virginia League (1900)|Virginia League]], a [[Minor League Baseball|minor league]]. The league folded before Plank could pitch for the Colts.<ref name="Russo 251-2">Russo, pp. 251-52</ref> However, next May, Foreman recommended Plank to [[Connie Mack]], the [[manager (baseball)|manager]] of the [[Oakland Athletics|Philadelphia Athletics]], who liked what he saw and signed Plank to a contract.<ref name=sabr/><ref name="Russo 252">Russo, p. 252</ref>

[[File:Eddie Plank circa 1911.jpg|thumb|left|Plank, circa 1911]]
Plank made his major league debut for the Athletics on May 13, 1901. As a rookie, Plank pitched well,<ref name="Russo 252"/> posting a 17–13 [[win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] with a 3.31 [[earned run average]] (ERA) and 28 [[complete game]]s in 32 [[games started]]. He won 20 games for the first time in his career in 1902, posting a 20–15 record and a 3.30 ERA as the Athletics won the [[American League]] (AL) [[List of American League pennant winners|pennant]]. Only [[Rube Waddell]] won more games that year for the Athletics, as Mack pointed out.<ref name="Russo 252"/> He won 23 games in 1903 while leading the AL in games started.<ref name=sabr/> In 1905, Plank made his first trip to the [[1905 World Series|World Series]]. He faced [[Christy Mathewson]] in the first game and [[Joe McGinnity]] in the fourth game. Though Plank gave up only three runs in 17 innings during the series, the Athletics lost to the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] in five games and did not score an earned run in the entire series.<ref name=WS1905>{{cite web|title=1905 World Series|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1905ws.shtml|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> The Athletics returned to the World Series in 1910, but Plank was forced to sit out with a sore arm, although newspapers were speculating that he would pitch during the series.<ref name=WS1910>{{cite web|title=1910 World Series|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1910ws.shtml|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2022-10-12|newspaper=Cincinnati Enquirer|date=October 20, 1910|page=8|title=Rain may stop the game|author=Ryder, Jack|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111193740/the-cincinnati-enquirer/}}</ref>

By 1911, Plank was the last member of the Athletics remaining from the 1901 team.<ref name=Original>{{cite news|title=But One Original Athletic is Left|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tSwbAAAAIBAJ&pg=2560,383186&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press]]|date=December 16, 1911}}</ref> The 1911 team made the World Series and faced the Giants again. After Plank won Game Two and lost in a relief appearance in Game Five, the Athletics won the series in six games.<ref name=WS1911>{{cite web|title=1911 World Series|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1911ws.shtml|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> In 1913, the Athletics and Giants met again in the World Series, and Plank faced Mathewson in Games Two and Five. Mathewson hit a tenth-inning single off of Plank to set up a Giants victory in Game Two, but Plank and the Athletics bested Mathewson 3–1 in the fifth and deciding game of the series.<ref name=WS1913>{{cite web|title=1913 World Series|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1913ws.shtml|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> In 1914, Plank's final year with Philadelphia, he went to the World Series again. Plank pitched a complete game in Game Two, but he lost 1–0 and the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] won the series in four games.<ref name=WS1914>{{cite web|title=1914 World Series|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1914ws.shtml|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref>

During his tenure in Philadelphia, Plank was one of the most consistent pitchers in the game, winning over 20 games seven times.<ref name=Pitching>{{cite web|title=Eddie Plank Pitching|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/planked01-pitch.shtml|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> In the four World Series in which he played, Plank earned a 1.32 ERA but only a 2–5 win–loss record. As Plank was one of the best pitchers on the Athletics, Mack would usually match him up against [[Christy Mathewson]], another Hall of Famer, when the Athletics played the Giants in the World Series.<ref name="Russo 253">Russo, p. 253</ref> Plank pitched complete games in all six of his World Series starts.<ref name=BAWS>{{cite web|title=Eddie Plank World Series Stats|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/playerpost.php?p=planked01&ps=ws|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> His quiet personality led to him getting overshadowed in media coverage by other Athletics pitchers such as Hall of Famers Waddell and [[Chief Bender]], but Plank would win more games than either of these.<ref name="Russo 252-3">Russo, pp. 252-53</ref>

In November 1914, it was rumored that Plank would be sold to the [[New York Highlanders]].<ref name=Sold>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank Will Be Sold to Highlanders|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AxNQAAAAIBAJ&pg=759,5580393&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel|date=November 13, 1914}}</ref> In December, Plank signed a contract to play in the [[Federal League]]. Mack expressed no regret at Plank's departure, saying, "I wish him the best of luck... I was through with him. He was after the money. He was a wonderful pitcher and he is a good one yet."<ref name=Sentinel>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank Takes Leap; Goes to St. Louis Feds|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P0FQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4167,3115704&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel|date=December 3, 1914}}</ref> He played for the outlaw league's [[St. Louis Terriers]] and won 21 games, the eighth and final time he reached the 20-win plateau. Some baseball reference works decline to acknowledge the Federal League as a major league, and therefore give Plank credit for only seven 20-win seasons and 305 total wins.

When the Federal League folded, Plank applied for free agency but was declared to belong to the [[History of the St. Louis Browns|St. Louis Browns]] for 1916. In September of that year, Plank predicted that he might be able to pitch ten more seasons, saying, "I don't know whether it is that I have more on the ball this season than I had in other years, but at any rate I feel that I have just as much stuff as I ever did."<ref name=PP>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank May Last Many More Seasons|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R-wbAAAAIBAJ&pg=2548,629992&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press]]|date=September 3, 1916}}</ref> However, by June 1917 newspapers reported that Plank's career was nearly over; he had struggled with arm problems and had left the team at one point due to a nervous breakdown.<ref name=Veiock>{{cite news|last=Veiock|first=Jack|title=Eddie Plank About Through in the Majors|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hRwbAAAAIBAJ&pg=6759,2339186&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press]]|date=June 23, 1917}}</ref> He retired in October 1917, citing stomach difficulties brought on by the stress of baseball.<ref name=Quits>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank Quits the Box After 17 Years in Major League|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3BAaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5609,5121151&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal|date=October 13, 1917}}</ref> His final game was a 1–0 11-inning complete game loss to [[Walter Johnson]] and the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] on August 6, 1917. Despite his announcement, the [[New York Yankees]] traded pitchers [[Urban Shocker]] and [[Nick Cullop (pitcher)|Nick Cullop]], infielders [[Fritz Maisel]] and [[Joe Gedeon]], catcher [[Les Nunamaker]], and cash to the Browns for Plank and [[Del Pratt]]. Plank refused to report to New York, insisting he was retired.<ref name=sabr/>

Over his career, Plank amassed a 326–194 record, a 2.35 ERA, and 2,246 strikeouts. He won 305 games in the [[American League]] (AL), making him that league's winningest left-handed pitcher. He was the winningest left-hander in baseball history until 1962, when [[Warren Spahn]] won his 327th game.<ref name="Russo 251"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/spahnwa01.shtml|title=Warren Spahn Stats|work=Baseball-Reference|accessdate=April 30, 2021}}</ref> In addition, he was the winningest pitcher (left or right-handed) in the AL until 1921, when he was surpassed by Walter Johnson.

Plank was known as a finesse pitcher with a good sidearm sweeping curveball. His best-known pitch was nicknamed the "cross-fire." Thrown across his body, it reached home plate at an angle, making it difficult for hitters to track, especially if they were left-handed.<ref name="Russo 251"/> Plank was active on the mound before he threw a pitch, even sometimes talking to the baseball before he delivered it. This strange behavior helped to unnerve opposing hitters.<ref name="Russo 253"/> His consistent performance and strong work ethic led Mack to use him frequently, part of the reason Plank at times developed sore arms during his career.<ref name="Russo 253"/> Plank was also known for his long pauses on the mound, which some claimed lengthened the duration of the games in which he pitched.

Plank was also a good hitting pitcher in his career, compiling a .206 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (331-for-1607) with 130 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], 3 [[home runs]], and 122 [[Run batted in|RBI]]. He recorded a career .971 [[fielding percentage]], which was 28 points over the league average for AL pitchers from 1901 to 1917.

==Personal life==
Plank married Anna (''[[née]]'' Myers) in 1915. They had a son, named Edward Stewart Plank Jr.<ref name=sabr/> According to baseball historian Frank Russo, he was "as solid a family man as you could ever find."<ref name="Russo 253"/> Plank's brother Ira was the baseball coach at Gettysburg College for more than 20 years.<ref name=Brother>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank's Brother 24 Years at Gettysburg|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QbJQAAAAIBAJ&pg=2916,2051963&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal|date=June 27, 1936}}</ref> Friendly by nature, Plank did the unusual by taking time to mentor the rookie pitchers on the Athletics' staff, and he befriended [[Louis Van Zelst]], a [[Kyphosis|hunchback]] who served as the team's mascot.<ref name="Russo 253"/>

==Later life==
After retirement, Plank opened a [[Buick]] dealership in Gettysburg.<ref name="Russo 253"/> He pitched the 1918 season for the Steelton club of the Bethlehem Steel League, an industrial baseball league. Steelton was only {{Convert|40|mi|km|abbr=|sp=us}} from his home and the arrangement allowed him to manage his business during the week.<ref name=BSL>{{cite web|last=McKenna|first=Brian|title=Bethlehem Steel League|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/bethlehem-steel-league|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref>

Plank did not seem to be in ill health after his career, but on February 22, 1926, his wife awoke to discover her husband paralyzed on the left side due to a stroke and suffering garbled speech. Upon arriving at the Plank home, the family physician and Plank's wife decided he should be left where he was for treatment, rather than moved to a hospital. The pitcher showed signs of recovery briefly, then started having bouts of lost consciousness. He lost the ability to speak, and by the 24th, no one expected him to recover. He died at 2:49 P.M. that day.<ref name="Russo 254">Russo, p. 254</ref><ref name=Evening>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank Succumbs to Paralysis; Stricken Sunday While Sleeping|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J9lPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5990,6656218&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[Evening Independent]]|date=February 25, 1926}}</ref>

Two days after his death, Plank's funeral was held at Gettysburg's First Presbyterian Church. The Rev. W. C. Space said, "Eddie...was true to his manhood, true to his parents, true to his wife and home, true to his God and church. What better could be spoken of any man?"<ref name="Russo 254"/> He was buried in [[Evergreen Cemetery (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)|Evergreen Cemetery]] in Gettysburg.<ref name=Son>{{cite news|last=Kuttler|first=Hillel|title=Eddie Plank: A Favorite Son of Gettysburg|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/sports/baseball/eddie-plank-a-favorite-son-of-gettysburg.html?_r=0|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 29, 2013}}</ref> Anna lived 29 more years before her death in 1955.<ref name="Russo 254"/>

Upon hearing of Plank's death, Connie Mack said that he felt like a father who had just lost a son. "Eddie Plank was one of the smartest left-hand pitchers it has been my pleasure to have on my club. He was short and light, as pitchers go, but he made up for the physical defects, if such they were, by his study of the game and his smartness when he was on the pitching peak", he said.<ref name=Duttera>{{cite news|last=Duttera|first=Sharon|title=Eddie Plank's Death Stunned Connie Mack|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l8IlAAAAIBAJ&pg=2689,5555859&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[The Gettysburg Times]]|date=July 14, 1986}}</ref> Former teammate [[Jack Coombs]] said, "I have always been thankful that I was thrown into such intimate contact with so inspiring a man in the days when the majority of ballplayers were of a much lower type than at the present time."<ref name=Daily>{{cite news|title=Jack Coombs Mourns Inspiring Associate in Death of Eddie Plank |url=http://libserv23.princeton.edu/princetonperiodicals/cgi-bin/princetonperiodicals?a=d&d=Princetonian19260226-01.2.17&e=-------en-20--1--txt-IN----- |access-date=August 7, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Daily Princetonian]] |date=February 26, 1926 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Plank was a [[Freemason]] and a member of Good Samaritan Lodge No. 336 in Gettysburg.

==Legacy==
{{Infobox PAhistoric
| name                 = Eddie Plank
| PAhistoric_type      = PA
| designated_PAhistoric_type = August 31, 2000<ref name="PHMC Eddie Plank">{{cite web|title=Eddie Plank|url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/PHMCWebSearch/ViewMarker.aspx?markerId=1187|website=PHMC Historical Markers|access-date=27 March 2017}}</ref>
| image                = 
| alt                  = 
| caption              = 
| coordinates          = {{coord|39.83635|-77.23134|display=inline}}
| locmapin             = 
| map_alt              = 
| map_caption          = 
| location             = Intersection of Carlisle St. & West Lincoln Ave., Gettysburg
| built                = 
| demolished           =
| architect            = 
| architecture         = 
| governing_body       = 
}}
{{Quote box |width= 18em |border= 2px |align=right |bgcolor= #FAF0E6 |qalign= center | title=Line-Up for Yesterday|quote=''P is for Plank,''<br/>''The arm of the A's;''<br/>''When he tangled with [[Christy Mathewson|Matty]]''<br/>''Games lasted for days.''
|source= — [[Ogden Nash]], [[Sport (US magazine)|''Sport'' magazine]] (January 1949)<ref>{{cite web|title=Baseball Almanac|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml|access-date=2008-01-23 }}</ref> }}

In 1943, former teammate [[Eddie Collins]] remembered Plank as the greatest pitcher in baseball. "Not the fastest. Not the trickiest, and not the possessor of the most stuff, but just the greatest", Collins said.<ref name=Farmer>{{cite news|last=Grayson|first=Harry|title=Farmer Eddie Plank Ranks Among Great Lefthanded Pitchers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uL5RAAAAIBAJ&pg=3938,4490291&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[Evening Independent]]|date=October 14, 1943}}</ref> [[Babe Ruth]] thought he was the hardest pitcher to hit, and [[Ty Cobb]] selected him to his all-time team.<ref name="Russo 253"/> He was inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1946 and voted into the [[Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1972.<ref name=PSHOF>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank, Henry Bream Selected for Pennsylvania Hall of Fame Induction|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=67JbAAAAIBAJ&pg=7271,586556&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[The Gettysburg Times]]|date=September 6, 1972}}</ref>

Gettysburg College began planning for the Eddie Plank Memorial Gymnasium at the college shortly after Plank's death.<ref name=Memorial>{{cite news|title=The Eddie Plank Memorial Gymnasium|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19260621&id=srElAAAAIBAJ&pg=4817,1968969|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[The Gettysburg Times]]|date=June 21, 1926}}</ref> The gym was completed in 1927 and indoor sports such as basketball and wrestling were played there until 1962.<ref name=Reign>{{cite news|title=Eddie Plank Gymnasium is Ending Reign|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m4ElAAAAIBAJ&pg=898,2078087&dq=eddie+plank&hl=en|access-date=August 7, 2013|newspaper=[[The Gettysburg Times]]|date=January 26, 1962}}</ref> A restaurant in downtown Gettysburg honors Plank's career.<ref name=Restaurant>{{cite web|title=Eddie Plank |url=http://www.gettysburgeddies.com/about_eddie_plank.html |publisher=Gettysburg Eddie's |access-date=August 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007213110/http://gettysburgeddies.com/about_eddie_plank.html |archive-date=October 7, 2013 }}</ref> A portion of Plank's childhood farm is a housing development known as Plank's Field.<ref name=Son/> Plank is mentioned in the 1949 poem "[[Line-Up for Yesterday]]" by [[Ogden Nash]].

In 2006, a [[T206]] [[tobacco cards|tobacco card]] featuring Plank was described as the "second most valuable card in existence."<ref name=Harris>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Craig|title=Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick reveals $2.8 million secret Honus Wagner card|url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/20100415arizona-diamondbacks-owner-ken-kendrick-honus-wagner-card.html#ixzz2e8aeWW00|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130906183300/http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/20100415arizona-diamondbacks-owner-ken-kendrick-honus-wagner-card.html%23ixzz2e8aeWW00|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 6, 2013|publisher=[[The Arizona Republic]]|access-date=September 6, 2013}}</ref> It was owned by [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] owner [[Ken Kendrick]] and was part of a collection that Kendrick loaned to the Baseball Hall of Fame for display there. The most valuable baseball card in existence, a [[T206 Honus Wagner]] card, is in the same collection.<ref name=Harris/>

The first full-length biography of Eddie Plank, ''Gettysburg Eddie: The Story of Eddie Plank'' by Lawrence Knorr, was published in 2018 by Sunbury Press.

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*[[List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career FIP leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders]]
*[[List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

*{{cite book|last=Russo|first=Frank|title=The Cooperstown Chronicles: Baseball's Colorful Characters, Unusual Lives, and Strange Demises|location=New York|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4422-3639-4}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{bbhof|plank-eddie}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=120616|espn=|br=p/planked01|fangraphs=1010385|brm=|retro=P/Pplane101}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070914230415/http://www.gettysburgeddie.com/ Eddie Plank Documentary film]
*[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fdU-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=wkwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4830,4337424&dq=harry-grayson+eddie+plank&hl=en Collins Calls Plank Greatest Pitcher; Kept Batters Waiting], by [[Harry Grayson]], April 19, 1943
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{1902 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{1910 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{1911 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{1913 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{Oakland Athletics HOF}}
{{Oakland Athletics Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{300 win club}}
{{Philly Baseball Wall of Fame}}
{{Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame}}
{{1946 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plank, Eddie}}
[[Category:1875 births]]
[[Category:1926 deaths]]
[[Category:Gettysburg Bullets baseball players]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Adams County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Athletics players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Terriers players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:St. Louis Browns players]]
[[Category:People from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Adams County, Pennsylvania)]]