1914-1915

When Ted Cather got into another fistfight during a game in late June of 1914, the St. Louis Cardinals had enough of him and he was traded to the last-place Boston Braves. He was a right-handed-hitting platoon player, and would become one of the several pieces that fell into place for the "Miracle" Braves.

Ted Cather was gaining notoriety as a pitcher while in school. As he got older, he found himself pitching for local semipro teams. By 1909 he was getting some praise in the Philadelphia semipro leagues.

His break came that year when the Johnstown Johnnies of the Class B Tri-State League, came to play a game against the Delaware County All-Stars. Ted shut out the Johnnies and their manager signed him to a contract soon after the game. He made a big splash right away, pitching a two-hitter against Lancaster.

Ted's ability as a batter allowed him to play in the outfield on occasion. He signed with Lancaster for the 1910 season and responded by going 20-9, finishing second in the league in wins. Immediately after the season he was sold to Toronto of the Eastern League.

Ted started the season at Toronto in 1911 but by mid-season his record was only 3-4 and he was demoted to Troy of the Class B New York State League. There, he finished with a 6-7 record and what was once a promising career seemed to be headed in the wrong direction.

The Scranton Miners of the Class B New York State League picked him up in 1912 and he was called on to both pitch and play the outfield. In his first game as a pitcher, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and went 4-for-4 at the plate with a triple. He played in 80 games for the Miners, 49 as an outfielder.

He ended the season batting .312, a figure that caught the notice of the sixth-place St. Louis Cardinals. Looking to find any kind of hitting, the Cardinals drafted Ted from Scranton in September. A week later he made his major-league debut against Brooklyn.

Playing in the outfield, Ted was red-hot in the five games he played in, and the buzz began to grow in the off-season that he would become a key player for the Cardinals in 1913.

By the time Ted arrived in Columbus, Georgia, for spring training, he was already penciled in as an extra outfielder on the big-league roster. His hitting won him a spot going north with the big club.

The Cardinals moved Ted permanently from pitcher to everyday player and his 1912 season proved that he was a better everyday player. He started the season on the bench but soon became a starter in the outfield. Unfortunately, just as soon as he was getting accustomed to starting, he broke his arm when he crashed into wall making a catch and was out for about a month.

He made it back onto the field by mid-July and started the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Giants. In the third inning on a short fly ball between Ted and Lee Magee, the two colliding on a ball that Magee had called. As they ran in at the end of the inning, they began jawing at each other. Then Ted swung and hit Magee with a punch. Several Cardinals players moved in to break up the melee, and when peace was restored, both players were thrown out of the game. National League President Thomas Lynch fined each player $25.

Having batted just .213 for the season, Ted was sent to Indianapolis. He was facing what could have been the end of his major-league career, but in 1914, his luck changed. The Indianapolis team decided they didn’t want him, and returned him to the Cardinals. But with the Federal League making raids on the major leagues, the Cardinals needed Ted to fill in as an extra outfielder.

He went to camp with St. Louis and made the squad as one of only two right-handed-hitting outfielders. Ted started the season on fire and was among the league leaders in hitting. Toward the end of May, her was hitting .352, tied for third in the National League.

Events of May 27th however, signaled the beginning of the end of his tenure with the Cardinals. During a 7-4 home loss to the Braves, Ted had a fight with his pitcher Dan Griner after Griner became incensed over a play Ted made in the outfield. The two went at it long enough for a gash to open on Ted's chin that required five stitches. They were fined $100 apiece by the Cardinals and left at home when the team traveled to Chicago.

A month later, despite his hot bat off the bench, Ted was traded to the Braves. Whatever the reason for the trade, he would pay off for Braves manager George Stallings, playing left field when the Braves opposed a left-handed pitcher, In the 50 games he played after the trade, Ted would hit .297 with 27 RBIs. The team would turn around shortly after the trade and win the pennant.