What Is it
Jim Devlin the ace pitcher for the Louisville Grays was involved and implicated in the gambling scandal that shook the baseball world in 1877. It put a hurt on Louisville having a baseball team, or really any professional team for that matter after this scandal. Devlin and three other teammates, were accused of throwing some league games and three exhibition games. The four players were banned for life from playing in Major League Baseball.
How it started
In June 1876, Grays right fielder, George Bechtel (a player who was suspended for crookedness in the most recent game the Grays played against the Mutuals) got into further trouble when Jim Devlin showed the manager of the Grays a telegram. The telegram showed that Bechtel told Devlin he could make
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It was then that Charles Chase, who had not taken seriously previous telegrams telling him of gambling going on on his team, started to investigate matters.
Chase wanted to inspect players's telegrams, during his team's losing. Bill Craver, shortstop, was the only player who did not agree, and cited not being paid very much.
When question by Chase, Devlin and Hall both said that they had in fact thrown non-league games and threw Al Nichols and Bill Craver under the bus. Devlin, after relentless questioning from Chase, admitted to selling games to gamblers. Devlin would say that he was not paid enough by the Grays, and the gamblers for his problem. The owners of the club, Devlin said, did not pay an honest wage and was driven into the arms of gamblers.
By admitting his guilt, he was expelled from the team, like the other players. Craver was expelled, partly due to previous gambling (which led to him being guilty by association), but also because of a failure on his part to cooperate.