 Overall, Orval
Chicago N.L.
 1904: Senior captain of
Univerity of California football and baseball teams
Lifetime 2.23 ERA
ORVAL OVERALL
Overall, Orval
b: 2/2/1881, Farmersville, Cal. d: 7/14/47, Fresno, Cal.
BB/TR, 6'2", 214 lbs. Deb: 4/16/05
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YEAR TM/L W L PCT G GS CG SH SV IP H HR BB
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1905 Cin-N 18 23 .439 42 39 32 2 0 318 290 4 147
1906 Cin-N 4 5 .444 13 10 6 0 0 82^1 77 1 46
*Chi-N 12 3 .800 18 14 13 2 1 144 116 1 51
Yr 16 8 .667 31 24 19 2 1 226^1 193 2 97
1907 *Chi-N 23 7 .767 36 30 26 8 3 268^1 201 3 69
1908 *Chi-N 15 11 .577 37 27 16 4 4 225 165 3 78
1909 Chi-N 20 11 .645 38 32 23 9 3 285 204 1 80
1910 *Chi-N 12 6 .667 23 21 11 4 1 144^2 106 2 54
1913 Chi-N 4 5 .444 11 9 6 1 0 68 73 1 26
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Total 7 108 71 .603 218 182 133 30 12 1535^1 1232 16 551
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Called the "big groundhog", because he was born on Groundhog's Day, Orval Overall was part of a magnificent
pitching staff for the world champions, Chicago Cubs. Overall, teamed with 'Three Fingers'
Mordecai Brown, Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfiester and Carl
Lundgren, helped the Cubs win the National League pennant in 1906 with a record of 116-36. That regular
single season record has been challenged since then but has never been broken.
Orval attended the University of California at the turn of the century where he excelled academically, studying
agricultural science and was voted the freshman class president. An outstanding athlete, Orval captained his university's
football team and was an All-American football player for the university. At 6'2" and 215 lbs., Overall played
guard and punted and was considered the 'dread of Stanford'. He was also the star player and captain for the Bears
baseball team and became the first major league baseball player from the school.
Headed on the fast track to the majors, Orvall was bid upon by several teams including the Cubs and Cincinnati
and was signed by the Reds. He became an immediate starter pitching 318 innings in his rookie year. When Ned Hanlon
became the Red's manager in 1906, he had Orval traded to the Cubs for Bob Wicker and $2000. This deal was considered
by many to have been the Reds worst deal in their history until 1966 when the team traded Hall of Famer Frank Robinson
to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Milt Pappas.
Considered a 'money pitcher', Orval pitched and won 3 games combined in the 1906 and '07 series, both against
the Detroit Tigers. He held Hall of Famer, Ty Cobb to a .125 batting average in the games
he pitched. Until he left the Cubs in 1910, Orval was the Cubs opening day pitcher for each season and pitched
the opening game of every regular season series. His arm gave out prematurely after the 1910 season and although
he attempted a comeback in 1913 his major league career, ostensibly, was finished.
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