Otto Hess


Otto C. Hess born in Bern, Switzerland was a pitcher for the Cleveland Bronchos/Cleveland Naps and Boston Braves.
In 1914, Hess was a member of the Braves team that went from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July. He is the first person born in Switzerland to play Major League Baseball.
In 10 seasons he had a 70-90 win-loss record in 198 games, with 165 games started, 129 complete games, 18 shutouts, 5 saves, 1,418 innings pitched, 1,355 hits allowed, 663 runs allowed, 25 home runs allowed, 448 walks allowed, 580 strikeouts, 83 hit batsmen, 38 wild pitches and a 2.98 ERA. He died in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 47.
Hess was a good hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a.216 batting average with 63 runs, 21 doubles, 9 triples, 5 home runs, 56 RBI and 27 bases on balls. He also played 51 games in the outfield and 6 games at first base.