Leever's first year in the Major Leagues was 1898 at age 26, making his debut on May 26 against the
Washington Senators. Of that debut, the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "The interest of the 1,300 spectators was largely centered in the work of Leever, who had his first chance in a championship game. Leever is a big, strong fellow, who has plenty of speed and some good curves to help out in a pinch ... He is not afraid to put the ball over the plate." That year he pitched in 5 games for the Pirates. However, the following year he led the
National League in games pitched with 51 and in innings pitched with 379 as he posted a record of 21–23. In 1901 and 1905 he led the league in winning percentage (14–5 and 20–5, respectively), as well as in 1903, when he had his best season, going 25–7 with a league-leading 2.06
earned run average (ERA). In 1903 Leever also led the Pirates to their third consecutive National League pennant. However he injured his shoulder late in the season and was ineffective in the first-ever
World Series, losing both of his starts as the Pirates were defeated by
Boston. Leever later went 8–1 for the 1909 Pirates, when they won their first World Series title. His lifetime ERA was 2.47, and he had a 194–100 record, 847
strikeouts, 39 shutouts, 241 complete games, 587
walks, and only 29
home runs allowed in 2,660.2 innings. As a hitter, Leever posted a .184
batting average (183-for-993) with 90
runs, 17
doubles, 14
triples, 2
home runs, 78
runs batted in, and 49 bases on balls. ==Personal life==