Biography

Born in 1879, Jonathan “Steel Arm” Taylor was the second-oldest of the five famous members of the Taylor clan. A right handed pitcher, he played his first organized baseball in the spring of 1898 with Biddle University of Charlotte, North Carolina. After school was out for the summer, he played with two teams in South Carolina; first with the Greenwood Red Stockings and later for the local Greenville team. During the next two seasons, 1899-1900, Taylor pitched for his hometown team, Anderson, South Carolina, winning 90 percent of his starts. In 1903 he joined the Birmingham Giants, managed by his older brother C.I. Taylor. During the next several seasons the durable Steel Arm routinely pitched between thirty to forty games a season, never losing more than 7 games in any year. In addition to his lightning fastball, he had a good assortment of curves and excellent control. In 1908 Taylor and another great pitcher, Smokey Joe Williams, were hooked up in a classic pitcher's duel that is still discussed today. With his rival Williams’ team at bat in the bottom of the ninth and the bases loaded, but Taylor’s Giants holding a slim 1-0 lead, Taylor struck out three straight batters to take the day.

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