Frank Kitson (baseball)

American baseball player (1869–1930)

Frank R. Kitson (September 11, 1869 – April 14, 1930) was an American baseball pitcher. A native of Michigan, Kitson played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles (1898–1899), Brooklyn Superbas (1900–1902), Detroit Tigers (1903–1905), Washington Senators (1906–1907), and New York Highlanders (1907). Kitson helped lead the 1900 Brooklyn Superbas to the National League pennant. He had 22 wins in 1899 and won at least 15 games five consecutive years from 1899 to 1903. He compiled a career record of 128–117 with a 3.18 earned run average (ERA) and 729 strikeouts. He appeared in 304 games and threw 211 complete games.

The first record of Kitson's professional baseball career is in 1895 when he played for the Grand Rapids Gold Bugs in the Western League. He played in the Virginia League in 1896 and then in 1897 for the Burlington Colts of the Western Association. He compiled a 14–17 record for Burlington.

In August 1897, the Baltimore Orioles purchased Kitson from Burlington. Ned Hanlon, manager of the Orioles, later recalled that he arranged the purchase of Kitson without having seen him. Interviewed in 1900, Hanlon recalled: "I'll never take another man without first seeing him work. It took over a year to teach Kitson to earn the $500 that we gave for him, but it cost me enough worry to last a lifetime. He is now one of the best pitchers in the league, but when I got him he couldn't pitch a little bit, and as for fielding his position, that was out of the question." Kitson's major league career got off to a roller coaster start in Baltimore. In his first start on May 19, 1898, he shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates. Six days later, the Cubs scored 20 runs off him; the game was called after seven innings with the Cubs ahead 20–4. In his second season in Baltimore, Kitson appeared in 40 games and compiled a 22 16 record in 326 2/3 innings pitched. He was a key player for the 1900 Brooklyn team that compiled an 82 54 to win the National League pennant. He appeared in 40 games in 1900, compiling a 15 13 record with a 4.19 ERA in 253 innings pitched. In 1902, Kitson again won 19 games for Brooklyn, compiling a 19 13 record with a 2.85 ERA in 32 games pitched. He ranked among the National League's leaders with 19 wins (eighth), 109 strikeouts (ninth), and 29 complete games (10th). He was interred in Hudson Corners Cemetery.