Howard Ehmke was from the small town of Silver Creek, located on the banks of Lake Erie, about 35 miles southwest of Buffalo. He pitched for Silver Creek High School and also for a local town team, the Horseshoes. Being from an affluent family, it was widely expected that he would follow his brothers’ footsteps and enroll at Brown University. But when his brother moved to Los Angeles, Howard followed him and attended Glendale High School.

The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League signed Howard in 1914, and playing against mature competition, the 20-year-old won his first eight decisions. In doing so, he became the "phenom" of the PCL, immediately attracting the attention of big-league scouts having a 2.79 ERA. By June, major-league teams were scrambling to sign the player who was routinely compared to Walter Johnson.

The Washington Nationals purchased him from the Angels, but Ehmke refused to sign the contract presented to him. He went to play in the Federal League in 1915, by signing with the Buffalo Blues. When he was plagued by elbow miseries, his season was a bust. Then when the Federal League disbanded after the season, his future was unclear.

In 1916 Howard signed with the Syracuse Stars of the Class B New York State League. En route to winning a league-high 31 games and a 1.55 ERA, while leading the club to the league title, he once again attracted national attention.

In July of 1916, the Detroit Tigers signed him. He took personal satisfaction by tossing his fourth straight complete game to defeat Walter Johnson, and finish the season with a 3-1 record. In 1917, he had a 10–15 record with a 2.97 ERA. It was noted that he weakened after seven innings, compiling a 1.60 ERA in the first seven innings and 9.00 in the eighth and ninth innings.

In the wake of the country's entry into World War I, Howard enlisted in the Navy and missed the entire 1918 season. He was discharged from the Navy in March 1919, and tossed a complete game for the Tigers in defeating Cleveland on Opening Day. Despite missing almost three weeks in August with a sore arm, he finished with a 17-10 record and a 3.18 ERA.

Howard got off to a miserable start in 1920, losing his first five starts, but turned his season around by winning nine of his next 10 starts and finishing with a 1.79 ERA from July to August.

The next two years were anything by pleasant for Howard as his relationship with his skipper, Ty Cobb, grew increasingly acrimonious. The mild-mannered pitcher abhorred Cobb’s unsportsmanlike play. Cobb was also an uncouth ornery racist, and a nasty drunk. Howard on the other hand, was described as a gentleman who was soft spoken and shy, who never drank liquor nor smoked tobacco.

In October 1922, he was shipped to the Red Sox and arrived on a team that was in last place. Even though the Sox repeated as cellar-dwellers the next year, Howard was described as an inspiration to his teammates and became a fan favorite at Fenway Park.

For a terrible team that had just 61 wins in 1923, Howard won 20 of them and tossed a no-hitter against Philly in September. He followed the performance up with a one-hitter against the Yankees four days later, with the only hit being a ground ball that bounced off the third baseman's chest. He holds the American League record for fewest hits allowed (one) in two consecutive games (Johnny Vander Meer's consecutive no-hitters in 1938 is the Major League record).

The 30-year-old hurler might have enjoyed his best season in 1924 for the seventh-place Red Sox despite tying for the AL lead with 17 losses. He won 19 games, finished second in complete games, with 119 strike-outs and also tossed a career-high four shutouts.

In spring training of 1925, he injured a ligament in his arm and was sent to a hospital in Rochester, New York, where he got the flu. When he came back, he led the AL with 22 complete games in 31 starts.

Despite being the only consistent contributor for the Red Sox, there were constant trade rumors for the cash-strapped club since his acquisition in 1922. After he pitched erratically in 1926, winning just three of 13 decisions, with a miserable 5.46 ERA, he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics.

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Howard Ehmke (pic)

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