 In 1888, Getzein compiled an 18 – 22 record and a 3.05 ERA. He started 46 games and completed 45 of them with 404 innings pitched. However, Getzein lost his role at the team's leading pitcher, as Pete Conway compiled a 30 – 14 record and a 2.25 ERA for the 1888 Wolverines. After Getzein gave up 10 runs in an August 1888 game against Washington, the Detroit Free Press dubbed him the "Pulverized Pretzel." The newspaper reported: "The Detroits were defeated again to-day ... simply because Getzein could not keep the ball away from the Senatorial bat. When he pitched high they hit it. When he delivered his famous drop, he was knocked out of the lot, and his in and out curves were as big as balloons to Ted Sullivan's men." As the 1888 season progressed, relations between Getzein and the Detroit manager became strained. After a game in which Getzein gave up 21 hits against Boston, The Sporting Life reported on speculation that Getzein may have intentionally thrown the game:
