page_title: Ed Killian
section_title: Three consecutive American League pennants
hierarchical_section_title: Ed Killian / Professional baseball player / Detroit Tigers (1904-10) / Three consecutive American League pennants
caption_attribution_description: 1911 cigarette card of Detroit player Ed Killian.
context_page_description: Edwin Henry Killian, nicknamed "Twilight Ed" and the "Twilight Twirler", was an American left-handed baseball pitcher.
  Killian played professional baseball from 1902 to 1912, including seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers from 1904 to 1910. He recorded a won-loss record of 103-78 for a winning percentage of .569. Twice a 20-game winner, Killian's career earned run average of 2.38 ranks 26th best in major league history. He also helped lead the Tigers to three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 to 1909, including winning both games of a doubleheader on September 30, 1909, to clinch the third pennant.
  As a hitter, Killian posted a .209 batting average with 56 runs, 52 RBI and 16 bases on balls.
  Killian allowed only nine home runs during his major league career. He holds the major league record for the longest streak without allowing a home run -- a streak of 1,001 innings that ran from September 19, 1903, to August 7, 1907.
  Killian played in the minor leagues for the Rockford Red Sox of the Three-I League and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League.
context_section_description: In 1907, Killian had the best season of his career.  He started 41 games and compiled a 25–13 record with a 1.78 ERA. His ERA was 81 points lower than the league average of 2.59. He ranked among the American League's leaders with his 1.78 ERA (second), 25 wins (third), 29 complete games (sixth), and 1,270 batters faced (sixth). Killian also excelled as a batter in 1907, compiling a .320 batting average and .410 slugging percentage. His batting average was 73 points higher than the league average of .247. 
  Killian's 8.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 1907 was the highest of any player in the American League at any position, higher even than teammate Ty Cobb. Only Honus Wagner in the National League had a higher WAR rating at 9.0.
  Killian's performance helped lead the 1907 Tigers to their first American League pennant and was one of the best pitching performances in the club's history. Unfortunately, Killian's arm was worn out for the post-season, and he pitched only four innings in relief with no decision during the 1907 World Series against the Chicago Cubs.
  In 1908, Killian appeared in 27 games and compiled a 12-9 record and 2.99 ERA as the Tigers won their second consecutive pennant. He also started one game in the 1908 World Series, giving up five hits, three walks, and three earned runs in 2-1/3 innings.
  In 1909, Killian did not appear in his first game until mid-May. He ultimately appeared in 25 games and compiled an 11-9 record with a 1.71 ERA.  On September 30, 1909, he pitched both games of a double-header against Boston and won both games to help the Tigers clinch their third consecutive American League pennant. He was pitching a no-hitter in the first game until the eighth inning and was then removed after the eighth inning to rest up for the second game. The Tigers won the first game by a 5-0 score.  In the second game, Killian pitched a complete game (bringing his day's total to 17 innings), and the Tigers won by an 8-3 score.
caption: 1911 tobacco card
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