David Luther Foutz was born in Carroll County, Maryland on September 7, 1856, the son of Solomon Augustus Foutz and Miriam Cook. Always known as Dave, he was asthmatic all his life. When he was 21 Foutz drifted out to Leadville, Colorado and worked for a while in the lead mines. While in Leadville, Foutz started playing baseball, pitching for the Leadville Blues, an amateur team. Shortly after, he signed with the Bay City, Michigan minor league team, where he played until 1884. By 1884, Foutz\'s talent had been spotted by Chris von der Ahe, the owner of the American Association St. Louis Browns. He wanted Foutz\'s contract so badly he bought the entire Bay City, Michigan franchise. Before joining the major league, Foutz acquired a reputation as a gambler and drinker, figuring if he was going to die young, he would enjoy himself before.\n', '

As a player, Dave Foutz was often called "Scissors" and other nicknames, due to his tall (6 foot 2 inch) and thin (161 pounds) build. His first six seasons in the major leagues were spent in the American Association with the St. Louis Browns, all the while suffering from asthma. With the Browns he became their powerhouse right-hander who helped St. Louis win four straight American Association pennants. Along the way, Foutz built up an impressive record and on April 10, 1885, in an exhibition game, Foutz pitched a no-hitter to defeat the St. Louis Maroons, 7-0. Later on June 3, 1886, Foutz pitched a shutout against Brooklyn in what became a 19-0 rout.\n', '

But on August 14, 1887 while pitching against the Cincinnati Reds for St. Louis, Foutz was hit by a ball and suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Sidelined for nine weeks, when Foutz eventually returned to pitching‚ he was ineffective and his pitching career was virtually ended. While he was pitching, Foutz won 114 games over a four-year span from 1884–1887, with a career high of 41 in 1886. He ended up with a 147-66 record, which is a .690 percentage and is tied for third-best ever. In 1887, Foutz achieved a rare feat when he won 20 or more games as a pitcher (25) and drove in 100 or more runs as a hitter (108).\n', '

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