This is real, believe it or not.
Phillies' Nolan Hoffman makes history not done since a player named The Only Nolan in 1885 originally appeared on The Sporting News
There was once a Major League Baseball player named The Only Nolan.
There's really no other way to begin this story than by sharing that fact.
It's relevant this week because Nolan Hoffman pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night. And he's the first Nolan to play for the Phillies since our friend The Only Nolan, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
As Gelb wrote, "He's no longer The Only Nolan."
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And now, you get to learn everything we know about The Only Nolan.
His real name? Edward Sylvester Nolan.
He was born on Nov. 7, 1855 in Trenton, Canada.
The Only Nolan was a 5-foot-8 left-hander who pitched along with playing the outfield and third base.
He made his MLB debut in 1878 for the Indianapolis Blues, who played in the National League.
The Only Nolan returned to the majors, again the NL, for the Cleveland Blues in 1881.
In 1883, The Only Nolan pitched for Allegheny City in the American Association.
In 1884, it was onto the Wilmington Quicksteps in the Union Association.
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And in 1885, The Only Nolan competed in his final season, back in the NL, for Philadelphia, which didn't even have a nickname yet.
The Only Nolan had a 4.17 ERA in seven appearances with Philadelphia. He also batted .077 in 29 plate appearances.
He was actually an OK hitter the rest of his career, at a .240 average even including that rough ending.
As a pitcher, The Only Nolan compiled a 23-52 win-loss record but did it with a 2.98 ERA across 676 innings. In that era, he only had 274 strikeouts across nearly three-times the innings.
The Only Nolan died at age 57 on May 18, 1913, in Paterson, N.J. and is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetary in Totowa, N.J.
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