Stricklett attended
Santa Clara University, where he played
college baseball for the
Santa Clara Broncos baseball team. Stricklett split the 1900 season with Wheeling and the
Toledo Mud Hens, also of the Interstate League, pitching to a 13–8 record. The
Chicago White Sox of the
American League (AL) invited Stricklett to
spring training in 1904, where he roomed with
Ed Walsh. Stricklett taught Walsh the spitball. After pitching in one game for the White Sox, allowing eight
earned runs in seven IP, he received his release, and pitched for the
Milwaukee Brewers of the Class-A
American Association for the remainder of the season, where he pitched to a 24-11 record in 267
innings pitched (IP). The
Brooklyn Superbas of the
National League (NL) chose Stricklett from Milwaukee after the 1904 season in the
Rule 5 draft. He debuted with the Superbas in the
1905 season, pitching to a 9–18 record and a 3.34
earned run average (ERA) in IP. In 1906, Stricklett went 14–18 with a 2.72 ERA in IP, the ninth most losses and IP in the NL that season. Stricklett pitched on
Opening Day for the Superbas in 1907, a game the Superbas lost. That year, Stricklett had a 12–14 record and a 2.27 ERA in IP. In four MLB seasons, Stricklett went 35–51 with a 2.84 ERA and 10 shutouts. Though he applied for reinstatement, his banishment was upheld. Stricklett continued to pitch for San Jose through 1910, pitching to a 23-12 record in 1909 and a 19-14 record in 1910. However, he applied for reinstatement in 1912, which was granted by the
National Baseball Commission. Stricklett was fined $100 ($ in current dollar terms) for playing outside organized baseball for the previous three years. The Superbas sold his rights to the
Binghamton Bingoes of the
New York State League, and he pitched for the team. In minor league baseball, Stricklett won 20 games in a season at least five times, compiling a 169-99 record across nine seasons. The pitch would act "exactly the same way as reverse English does on a
billiard ball". who learned about it from
Frank Corridon. Stricklett played an important role in popularizing the spitball. Stricklett taught the spitball to
Jack Chesbro, who saw him use the pitch while pitching in minor league baseball. Though Chesbro had experimented with the pitch in the minor leagues, Stricklett showed him how to master it in 1904. Stricklett taught it to
Ed Walsh while they roomed together with the White Sox. ==Later life==