Jesse Winters Jesse Franklin Winters ( December 23 , 1893 – June 5 , 1986 ) , nicknamed " Buck " and " T - Bone , " was a professional baseball player . Listed during his playing career at 6 ' 1 " , 165 - pound , Winters was a right - handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1919 to 1923 . He also played in the minor leagues until 1925 for the Kansas City Blues , Toronto Maple Leafs , Hartford Senators , Portland Beavers and Wichita Falls Spudders . He began his professional career in 1916 at the age of 22 and played for nine seasons , until the age of 31 in 1925 . He split his career between the major leagues and the minors , spending four full seasons and a part of a fifth at the former level . In the minors , he spent two full seasons at the Double - A level , parts of two seasons at the Double - A level and part of one season at the Single - A level . Based on the record that is available , it is known that he pitched in 106 minor league games , going 36 – 36 with a 3 . 70 ERA in 656 innings . He also had 241 at bat s , hitting . 212 with four doubles . He played in the major leagues from 1919 to 1923 , appearing in 110 games and going 13 – 24 with a 5 . 04 ERA in 405 innings . He allowed 510 hits and 164 walks , while striking out 94 batters . He was used both as a relief pitcher and a starting pitcher , finishing in the top 10 on the National League leader board in games finished and saves multiple times . As a batter , he hit . 171 in 117 at bats and in the field , he committed 10 errors for a . 929 fielding percentage . He was also involved in six double plays . He was a highly - touted young player at the onset of his career , being initially compared to Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson and eventually former 21 - game winner Ferdie Schupp . According to contemporary accounts of the time , his assets were many - fold : " He has every physical qualification , " stated the " New York Tribune " , " as well as a varied assortment in the pitching line . " He also had a quick pickoff move to first base , with Giants ' manager John McGraw claiming " ( Winters ) can peg to first base more quickly than any other man in the National League . " He performed well in the minor leagues , however a lack of control at the major league level , an indifference towards the game , a lack of ambition and eventually a bad arm ended his hopes of stardom . Following his playing career , he owned a tire company in Abilene , Texas , later becoming that town ' s mayor . Early and personal life . Winters was born on December 22 , 1893 , in Stephenville , Texas , to John W . Winters and Fannie Winters , the oldest of three children . Prior to playing baseball professionally , he attended two Texas - based universities , playing football and baseball at John Tarleton Junior College , now known as Tarleton State University ( into whose Hall of Fame he was elected in 1980 ) , and Hardin - Simmons University . It was during his time at Tartleton State University that he acquired the nickname " T - Bone . " While dining at a restaurant on a road trip , he ordered a T - bone steak . When his waitress brought him a boneless piece of meat , he became unhappy and created a scene . As a result , his teammates gave him the nickname " T - Bone . " There have been multiple printed variations of his name . He is listed as Jesse Frank Winters on Baseball - Reference . com , however his middle name is also listed as Franklin by other sources and his first name was commonly spelled " Jess " during his playing days . Professional career . Early years . Winters began his professional career in 1916 with the Denison Railroaders of the Western Association , though the league disbanded in midsummer . Following his tryout with Denison , he was preparing to enter medical school ; however the Giants signed him to a professional contract . He practiced with the Giants during spring training in 1918 , trying out for the team out of college . He was released to the Kansas City Blues of the American Association under an optional agreement prior to the beginning of the season . He spent his entire 1918 season with the Blues , going 3 – 2 with a 2 . 42 ERA in 13 games . In 67 innings , he allowed 64 hits , 23 walks and nine unearned runs . His early performance impressed Hall of Fame Giants manager John McGraw so much that McGraw considered Winters " . . . the finest pitching prospect he had seen since Christy Mathewson . . . " Winters also served in the United States Army after being drafted in June of that year . He served as a lieutenant at a San Antonio - area training camp . His professional career was threatened that year , as his outfit had been ordered overseas to fight in World War I . However , the war soon ended and Winters was never sent overseas , allowing him to make his major league debut the following season . Major league debut . On April 12 , 1919 , it was announced that Winters had made the Giants ' roster for the upcoming season . The team played its first game of the year on April 23 , and about two weeks later , on May 3 , Winters made his major league debut . Pitching against the Philadelphia Phillies that day , Giants ' starter Jean Dubuc allowed three runs in 5 . 1 innings . Winters was called upon to relieve Dubuc and pitched 3 . 2 scoreless innings . He struck out two batters and walked one , while allowing three hits . The Giants won the game 4 – 3 , with Winters earning the win . At the start of the regular season , manager McGraw was " banking heavily " on the success of Winters as a regular on the staff . Winters played 16 games with the Giants that year , appearing mostly in relief . He won one game while losing two , posting a 5 . 46 ERA with 13 walks and six strikeouts in 28 innings . He saved three games that year , tying for second in the National League behind Oscar Tuero with , among others , Jean Dubuc . He also finished 11 games , which tied for seventh most in the league and second - most on the team , behind Dubuc . He also hit three batters , which was second on the team behind Rube Benton . Despite being used primarily as a reliever , Winters also started two matches . His first start came on August 22 against the St . Louis Cardinals . He allowed five hits , four walks and three runs to score in 2 1 / 3 innings and was replaced by Dubuc . He made his second start on August 28 against the Phillies . In six innings , he allowed 10 hits and four walks , which led to nine earned runs . He was again replaced by Dubuc and earned the loss . 1920 : Last year with the Giants . While prior to his major league career , Winters was being compared to Christy Mathewson , by April 12 , 1920 , the " Milwaukee Sentinel " was comparing him to Ferdie Schupp . The newspaper noted Winters ' lack of control on the mound and related him to Schupp , who , like Winters , was a very highly touted prospect that initially showed poor control . As Winters did not appear in many games in his rookie season , Schupp too spent the early part of his career primarily in the dugout . However , by 1917 , he blossomed by winning 21 games for the Giants . The newspaper predicted a similar blossoming for Winters . During that year ' s spring training , he got into a quarrel with batter Benny Kauff , which came to fisticuffs before teammates pried them apart and on August 28 of that year , he got into a fistfight with teammate Ross Youngs . He would later be described by the " The Oklahoma Miner " as temperamental and high - strung . Winters appeared as a reliever in 21 games for the Giants that year , going 0 – 0 with a 3 . 50 ERA . He walked 28 batters and struck out 14 in 46 1 / 3 innings . He also finished 13 games , which tied Earl Hamilton and George Smith for seventh most in the league . In 1920 , Winters set a record that would stand until 1925 . He became the first pitcher ever to appear in 20 or more games in a season without earning a decision . The previous record was 17 appearances , reached by Hooks Wiltse in 1913 . The record was broken five years later by Jack Wisner , who made 25 appearances without a win or loss . Coincidentally , both Wiltse and Wisner pitched for the Giants when they set their respective marks . Back to the minors and Philadelphia Athletics . On January 7 , 1921 , the Giants released Winters and fellow pitcher Bunny Hearn to the Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association , though by early February Winters ' release was recalled and he returned to the Giants . He was then released to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League with Vern Spencer on April 11 . He pitched in 21 games for the Maple Leafs , going 11 – 8 with a 2 . 91 ERA . In 161 innings , he allowed 156 hits , 54 walks and 23 unearned runs . He also finished third on the team in winning percentage ( . 579 ) . In July , the Giants traded Winters to the Phillies . There is some uncertainty as to who was involved in the deal that sent Winters to the Phillies and when the deal took place . One source says he was traded on July 25 with Curt Walker , Butch Henline and $ 30 , 000 for Irish Meusel and another source claims he was traded with John Monroe for pitcher Cecil " Red " Causey on July 10 . He was used mostly as a starting pitcher for the Phillies in 1921 , starting 14 of the 18 games in which he appeared . He went 5 – 10 with 10 complete games and a 3 . 63 ERA in 114 innings , allowing 142 hits , 27 unearned runs and 28 walks while striking out 22 batters . He led the team ' s starting pitchers in ERA . At the plate , he collected five hits in 39 at - bats for a . 128 batting average . On July 21 , he was involved in a triple play . He was on first base when Goldie Rapp hit a line drive to the St . Louis Cardinals ' second baseman Rogers Hornsby , who tossed the ball to second base to get John Peters . The ball was thrown to first before Winters could return , thus completing the play . Winters began the 1922 season by posting a 2 . 25 ERA in his first 16 innings of work . He then posted a 5 . 74 ERA the rest of the way , en route to a season record of 6 – 6 and an ERA of 5 . 34 in 34 games , nine of which he started . He walked 56 batters and had 29 strikeouts . He was second on the team in winning percentage ( . 500 , behind Petie Behan ) and games finished ( 16 , one behind George Smith ) , also leading the club in saves , with two . He tied for seventh in the league in saves and eighth in the league in games finished . At the plate , he hit . 256 with two doubles in 45 at bats . He played his final major league season in 1923 , going 1 – 6 with a 7 . 35 ERA in 21 games , six of which he started . In 78 . 1 innings , he allowed 116 hits and 39 walks , while striking out 23 batters . He threw one complete game , against the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 27 . His four fielding errors were the fourth - most in the league . Through May 16 , he was 1 – 2 with a 4 . 60 ERA in seven games . Due to his performance to that point in the season , Phillies manager Art Fletcher requested waivers for Winters , which could have potentially ended the pitcher ' s major league career at that point . However , he stuck around until July 30 , his final major league game . After his final big league appearance , the Phillies sent Winters to the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League , with whom he played until the end of the season . Final years . He began 1924 with the Phillies in spring training , however he was sold to the Portland Beavers before the season began . He appeared in 42 games for the Beavers that year , going 16 – 20 with a 4 . 11 ERA . In 285 innings , he allowed 333 hits and 101 walks , leading the team in victories , innings pitched , runs allowed ( 174 ) and bases on balls . He finished second behind Charlie Eckert in losses , games , hits allowed and earned runs allowed ( 144 ) . He spent the majority of 1925 with the Beavers , going 5 – 6 with a 5 . 17 ERA . He also appeared in eight games for the Wichita Falls Spudders , posting a 1 – 0 record and a 2 . 57 ERA . Combined , he went 6 – 6 with a 4 . 41 ERA in 30 games , walking 71 batters and allowing 116 hits in 143 innings . He retired due to a bad pitching arm . Post - playing career and death . Following his playing career , Winters became a businessman , opening up D & W Tire Company in Abilene , Texas , in 1929 , which he owned until 1950 . He later served as the mayor of Abilene from 1957 to 1959 , where he died on June 5 , 1986 , at the age of 92 . The Winters Freeway , which runs through Abilene , is named after him . He was interred at Elmwood Memorial Park in Abilene , Texas .