Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a former bricklayer, Ramsey is credited as the inventor of the knuckleball pitch. He had severed the tendon in the index finger of his pitching hand with a trowel. The result was that Ramsey\'s pitches had a natural knuckleball motion. He threw with a fastball motion, holding the ball with his index finger retracted, since he could not straighten it, and with just his finger tip on the ball. Some historians have disputed that he threw a knuckleball in the modern sense, in that his ball movement was like what is now known as knuckle curve.\n', '

Ramsey was playing for the Chattanooga, Tennessee team of the Southern League, when he was traded to Louisville Colonels of the American Association in exchange for John Connor and $750 on August 29, 1885. He was brought in to spell star pitcher Guy Hecker, who had a sore arm, and made his major league debut on September 5, in a complete game 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Browns. In that first season with the Colonels, he started nine games, completing them all with a 3-6 win-loss record.\n', '

For the 1886 season, his first full season in the majors, Ramsey became the number one starting pitcher for the Colonels, sharing starts with Hecker. Ramsey logged in a league leading 588⅔ innings and 66 complete games in 67 starts. In addition to his league leading statistics that season, his earned run average of 2.45 and 38 wins were good for third in the league. His 499 strikeouts that season finished second behind Matt Kilroy\'s record setting total of 513. Ramsey\'s total is the second-highest total in major league history. Ramsey and Hecker\'s relationship steadily became more at odds the more the Ramsey\'s status with the team grew. At one point, Ramsey said that Hecker was jealous of his success and it would be good for the team if Hecker were released.\n', '

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