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{{Short description|American baseball player (1869–1922)}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=George Cuppy
|image=George Cuppy 1893.jpg
|caption=1893 baseball card of Cuppy
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|birth_name=George Joseph Koppe
|birth_date={{birth date|1869|7|3}}
|birth_place=[[Logansport, Indiana]]
|death_date={{death date and age|1922|7|22|1869|7|3}}
|death_place=[[Elkhart, Indiana]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 16
|debutyear=1892
|debutteam=Cleveland Spiders
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 7
|finalyear=1901
|finalteam=Boston Americans
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=163–98
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.48
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=504
|teams=
*[[Cleveland Spiders]] ({{Baseball year|1892}}–{{Baseball year|1898}})
*[[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Perfectos]] ({{Baseball year|1899}})
*[[Boston Beaneaters]] ({{Baseball year|1900}})
*[[Boston Americans]] ({{Baseball year|1901}})
|highlights=
}}
'''George Joseph "Nig" Cuppy''' (July 3, 1869 – July 27, 1922) was an American [[professional baseball]] [[pitcher]]. In his 10-year [[Major League Baseball|major league]] career, he played mostly for the [[Cleveland Spiders]], compiling a [[Win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] of 163–98.

==Biography==
Cuppy was born '''George Joseph Koppe''' in [[Logansport, Indiana]], on July 3, 1869,<ref name="Cava">Cava, Pete (2015). ''Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players''. p. 47.</ref> to Christian Koppe and Christina Stieffenheffer Koppe.<ref name="Cuppy">{{cite news| title= Cuppy to be inducted into Indiana Baseball HOF |url=https://www.pharostribune.com/sports/article_7fcb32e4-14bb-11ea-b234-df51853e8d1e.html| date= 3 December 2019 | access-date=18 May 2021 |publisher= Pharos Tribune}}</ref> It is unclear when he changed his name, but "Cuppy" is the phonetic spelling of the German name "[[Koppe (surname)|Koppe]]".<ref name="retrosheet">{{cite web| title = Nig Cuppy | work = Retrosheet.org | url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pcuppn101.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-27 }}</ref> His nickname was a reference to his dark complexion; before the [[Baseball color line|integration of baseball]], ballplayers with a dark complexion were sometimes [[Nig (nickname)|nicknamed "Nig"]]. Cuppy was of [[Bavaria|Bavarian]] descent.<ref name="Fleitz">Fleitz, David L. (2017). ''Rowdy Patsy Tebeau and the Cleveland Spiders''. pp. 57–58.</ref>

Cuppy started his professional baseball career in 1890. In 1890 and 1891, he played for [[Minor League Baseball|minor league]] teams in the [[Indiana State League]], [[Tri-State League]], and New York–Pennsylvania League.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=cuppy-001geo "George Cuppy Career Stats Leagues Statistics & History"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.</ref>

Cuppy then joined the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s Cleveland Spiders, and for the next few seasons, he was the team's number two starter behind [[Cy Young]]. In his rookie season of 1892, Cuppy had a win–loss record of 28–13 and an [[earned run average]] (ERA) of 2.51, a performance better than either of Young's first two major league seasons. The February 11, 1893, edition of ''[[Sporting Life (American newspaper)|The Sporting Life]]'' featured a drawing of Cuppy on the first page with the caption: "George Cuppy, the clever young pitcher of the Cleveland club."<ref>[https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/48978/ "The Sporting Life, February 11, 1893"]. la84.org. Retrieved May 11, 2021.</ref>

In 1893, the distance between the [[Baseball field#Pitcher's mound|pitcher's mound]] and [[Baseball field#Home base|home plate]] was increased from {{convert|50|ft|m}} to {{convert|60|ft|6|in|m}}.<ref>{{cite web| title = Baseball Rule Change Timeline | work = Baseball-Almanac.com | url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rulechng.shtml | accessdate = 2006-11-27 }}</ref> That season, Cuppy had a record of 18–10. In 1894, he went 24–15 and led the league with three shutouts. In 1895, he went 26–14, and in 1896, he went 25–14; he had the fifth-most wins in the National League during both seasons.<ref name="stats">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cuppyni01.shtml "George Cuppy Stats"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.</ref> Afterwards, his workload decreased, and he never won more than 11 games in a season again.

In three post-season appearances with the Spiders (1892, 1895, 1896), Cuppy had a record of 1–4. In three of his four losses, his teammates were shut out.<ref>Glory Fades Away, by Jerry Lansche, 1991, Taylor Publishing, {{ISBN|0-87833-726-1}}</ref> On August 9, 1895, Cuppy scored five runs against the [[Chicago Colts]] in an 18–6 victory,<ref name="baseballlibrary">{{cite web | title = Nig Cuppy | work = baseballbiography.com | first = Al | last = Arthurs | url = https://baseballbiography.com/nig-cuppy-1869 | accessdate = 2006-11-27 }}</ref> the most runs ever scored by a pitcher in a major league game.<ref>{{cite web| title = Runs Scored Records | work = Baseball-Almanac.com | url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_runs1.shtml | accessdate = 2006-11-27 }}</ref>

Cuppy remained with the Spiders until March 29, 1899, when the club's owners transferred him, along with the majority of the roster, to their other team, the [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Perfectos]].<ref name="retrosheet"/> He spent only one season with the Perfectos before being sold to the [[Boston Beaneaters]] on May 23, 1900.<ref name="retrosheet"/> The 1900 season was the only year of his career in which he did not pitch with Young. At the end of the season, in which Cuppy recorded a record of 8–4 and an ERA of 3.04, he moved across town to the newly formed [[Boston Americans]] of the [[American League]].

The 1901 season, Cuppy's last in the major leagues, resulted in the only season in which he had a losing record, and he had a career-low 13 appearances. He was released by Boston in August 1901.<ref name="retrosheet"/> Cuppy finished his major league career with a record of 163–98 and a 3.48 ERA in 2,283 [[innings pitched]].<ref name="stats"/> He was known for taking his time between pitches while on the mound, which annoyed fans, umpires, opposing batters, and his own teammates.<ref name="Cava"/><ref name="Fleitz"/><ref>''Major League Baseball Profiles, 1871–1900, Volume 1'' (2011). pp. 40–41.</ref>

Cuppy died at the age of 53, of [[Bright's disease]], on his farm in [[Elkhart, Indiana]]. He was interred at Rice Cemetery in Elkhart.<ref name="stats"/><ref name="Cuppy"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Baseballstats |mlb=112949 |br=c/cuppyni01 |brm=cuppy-001geo |retro=C/Pcuppn101}}, or [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=cuppyni01 Baseball Almanac]
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{1895 Cleveland Spiders}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuppy, George}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1922 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Cleveland Spiders players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Perfectos players]]
[[Category:Boston Beaneaters players]]
[[Category:Boston Americans players]]
[[Category:Dayton Reds players]]
[[Category:Meadville (minor league baseball) players]]
[[Category:Jamestown (minor league baseball) players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Indiana]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]

George Cuppy - Revision history

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