Ashland Little League seeks marker recognizing baseball legend

ASHLAND – A legendary 19th-century baseball player who learned his strength working in the local coal mines is one step closer to getting a state historical marker in his hometown.

Just ahead of the state’s June 1st deadline, local historian Adam J. Bernodin III officially submitted a detailed nomination packet to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) to honor John “Happy Jack” Stivetts.

The proposed marker is sponsored locally by Ashland Little League Baseball Inc., with plans to place it right at the entrance of Eureka Park to inspire the next generation of local ballplayers.

To win approval from the state review panel, an application must prove the nominee had a major impact both across Pennsylvania and the entire country.

Bernodin’s research shows that Stivetts was far more than just a hometown hero, he was a genuine statewide and national star. To bolster the historical case, Bernodin successfully coordinated a massive coalition of local, state, and national sports and civic organizations.

The nomination packet is backed by an impressive array of official letters of support, including the Atlanta Braves Front Office, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) – Christy Mathewson-Eddie Plank Chapter, the Jerry Wolman Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Borough of Ashland, the North Schuylkill School District, the Schuylkill League, Pennsylvania State Senator David Argall, and Pennsylvania State Representative Tim Twardzik.

Throughout his entire baseball life, Stivetts served as the original blueprint for a two-way star player, finding massive success as both an ace pitcher and a powerful hitter. He possessed an incredibly rare versatility, actively playing every single position on the diamond except catcher from his early days in the Pennsylvania independent leagues all the way through the major leagues.

“Whenever he wasn’t on the mound pitching, his managers routinely had him play the field just to keep his dangerous bat in the everyday lineup,” Bernodin explained. “Yet for decades, this legendary versatility was overlooked. His records stood alone collecting dust, reduced to mere footnotes to baseball historians who viewed his stats as a quirky relic of a bygone era rather than a groundbreaking athletic feat.”

In truth, his accomplishments served as a direct historical forerunner to later icons like Babe Ruth and modern stars like Shohei Ohtani. Over his illustrious 11-year major league career, “Happy Jack” won 203 games, held a strong .298 career batting average, and hit 21 of his 35 career home runs specifically as a pitcher.

The historical synergy between Stivetts and Ohtani is stunningly precise. On June 27, 2023, modern baseball fans watched in awe as Ohtani became the first Major League player in 133 years to pitch a game, strike out at least 10 batters, hit two home runs, and reach base safely four times. The last man in baseball history to achieve that elite single-game benchmark was Jack Stivetts on June 10, 1890, when he struck out 10 hitters and blasted two home runs—including a dramatic, walk-off “ultimate grand slam” in the bottom of the 9th inning to win his own ballgame.

Furthermore, during that legendary 1890 season, Stivetts blasted 7 home runs while serving as the pitcher of record. This single-season power showcase established a major league record for pitchers that stood completely untouched for 41 years, finally eclipsed by Wes Ferrell in 1931. Today, Stivetts remains tied with Ohtani and a select few legends for the second-highest single-season home run total by a pitcher in AL/NL history.

Bernodin’s research successfully tracked down Stivetts’ early career from 1887 to 1889, proving he developed his famous pitching arm right here in the independent baseball leagues of Pennsylvania. The nomination maps out his journey from playing town ball for Ashland in 1887, where he posted a brilliant 1.35 ERA, to playing for the Allentown Peanuts in 1888, and finally dominating for the York Hayseeds in 1889, where he went 15–3 and gave up just one earned run in his final nine starts. In June 1889, Stivetts pitched an exhibition game for York against the reigning world champion St. Louis Browns. His dominance caught the eye of the Browns’ manager, future Hall of Famer Charlie Comiskey. While the hometown Philadelphia Phillies wanted to keep the Pennsylvania boy in his home state, they moved too slow. Comiskey aggressively outbid the Phillies on the spot, signing Stivetts straight to the Major Leagues.

Once on the national stage, Stivetts became a true superstar, playing for the biggest baseball franchises of the era. With the St. Louis Browns (1889–1891), he instantly captured the American Association ERA crown in his 1889 rookie season with a brilliant, league-leading 2.25 ERA. Two years later, in 1891, he topped the major league leaderboards once again, securing the league championship title in both strikeouts (259) and total games pitched (64) while logging an extraordinary 33-win season.

Moving to the Boston Beaneaters (1892–1898), Stivetts established himself firmly as the powerhouse second-best pitcher on one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history, anchoring a legendary rotation that led Boston to four spectacular National League championships. “He was the dominant number two anchor who led those legendary Boston teams to multiple world championships,” Bernodin explained.

Stivetts won a career-high 35 games in 1892 and threw a legendary no-hitter on August 6, 1892. Because the Beaneaters eventually became the Atlanta Braves, Stivetts officially holds the record for throwing the very first no-hitter in the entire history of the Braves franchise. In the team’s official support letter, Sam Wallace emphasized how high Stivetts still ranks in the franchise’s deep history.

“The Atlanta Braves are proud to recommend Pennsylvania native Jack Stivetts to be honored with a state historical marker,” Wallace wrote. “The Braves are the longest continuously operating sports franchise in North American history, and have had over 1,000 pitchers compete for our team. Over 130 years after his last game, he still stands as one of the top 20 we’ve ever had.”

Stivetts also pitched a historic 11-inning shutout duel against the legendary Cy Young in Game 1 of the 1892 World’s Championship Series. Even late in his career, his bat remained so dangerous that during the 1897 season, he actually led the entire pennant-winning Boston Beaneaters team in both batting average and slugging percentage over 61 games.

The application also highlights a groundbreaking moment in civil rights and sports history from 1898. Stivetts served as the mechanical mound mentor to Mahanoy City native Lizzie Arlington, coaching her and giving her the pitching tools she needed to sign with the Reading Coal Heavers. With Jack’s guidance, Arlington became the very first woman in baseball history to sign a professional contract in the minor leagues. Long before modern civil rights and equality movements were ever thought of, Stivetts was a man completely ahead of his time. He didn’t see gender or social boundaries; he simply saw Arlington’s immense talent and faith. He chose to look past the prejudices of the 19th century and mentor her simply because he wanted to do the right thing for the pure love of the game.

Reflecting on this milestone, Bernodin emphasized the deeper impact of Stivetts’ character. “He stepped up to mentor Lizzie Arlington from Mahanoy City to become the first woman with a minor league contract,” Bernodin said. “He did that long before civil rights were actively discussed, driven completely by her talent, her faith, and his own desire to do the right thing for the love of the game.”

What makes this marker application special is how it directly connects Stivetts’ legendary athletic success to the brutal, gritty labor of the anthracite coal fields. As a young man, Stivetts worked grueling days driving mules at the Merriam Colliery and supervising intensive crews at the Alaska Colliery. It was deep within these local mines that he built the raw physical strength, iron endurance, and pure physical versatility that would define his historic baseball career. The heavy, multifaceted demands of colliery work strengthened an elite, all-around athlete capable of dominating the diamond day after day.

This tireless work ethic translated directly into an astonishing on-field workload that leaves modern baseball fans in disbelief. During his prime, Stivetts’ arm seemed completely immune to fatigue; he regularly shouldered burdens that would shatter a modern pitching staff, incredibly hurling well over 400 innings in a single season on three separate occasions (419.1 innings in 1890, 440.0 innings in 1891, and 415.2 innings in 1892).

“Jack Stivetts took the hard work, endurance, and spirit of an anthracite miner and showed it to the entire country,” Bernodin stated.

The dangers of the mines hit close to home for Stivetts when his father, Adam Stivetts, was tragically killed in a mining accident in 1894. Even after finding fame and success in big cities, Stivetts never forgot where he came from. When his playing days were over, he came straight back home to Ashland. He lived on Market Street and spent the rest of his life working right in his community as a mine carpenter. He also remained deeply dedicated to his fellow townsfolk, serving as a proud volunteer, active member of the Washington Fire Company No. 1 “Hookies,” protecting the streets of Ashland long after leaving the national spotlight.

Submitting the nomination packet ahead of the June 1st deadline marks a major milestone for Adam J. Bernodin III. “This is about giving the Stivetts family the recognition they deserve and inspiring local kids,” Bernodin noted. “We are making sure his legacy remains a permanent part of the town he proudly called home.

This project is the latest in a long line of historical successes for Bernodin, who has worked for years to protect Ashland’s landmark history. In 2013, he served as the official nominator for the state-approved Ashland Boys’ Association historical marker, which stands proudly at the base of the Mothers’ Memorial on North Hoffman Boulevard, honoring the town’s legendary homecoming tradition. Later in 2020, he guided the successful effort to place the Mothers’ Memorial, Hoffman Memorial, and Veterans Memorial on the National Register of Historic Places, giving federal protection to the historic district. His 2026 submission of the state marker application for John “Happy Jack” Stivetts completes a rare trio of local historical honors.

Now that the application is safely submitted into the state’s PA-SHARE portal, the independent panel at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will spend the coming months reviewing it against entries from across the state. Backed by a powerful list of endorsements ranging from local leaders to Major League Baseball executives, Ashland residents and baseball fans can expect to find out at the end of the year if the marker is approved to be cast in the state’s iconic blue and gold and brought home to Eureka Park.

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