 Three days after his debut , Nicol faced the Athletics again in his second major league start . He followed up his dazzling debut with another solid performance , giving up just one hit — a single — in a 7 – 3 win that ended after five innings . His subsequent starts were disappointing , most notably a 10 – 3 loss against the Toledo Maumees , where his inability to hold baserunners was first exposed . He finished the season with a win – loss record of 2 – 1 , a 4 @.@ 76 earned run average ( ERA ) , had 16 strikeouts but walked 19 in three games started . After his contract expired at the end of the season , no major league team signed Nicol , so he began the 1891 season with the Davenport Pilgrims , a minor league baseball team that competed in the Illinois – Iowa League . 
