Criss started out in the Texas League where he was a key player for the Cleburne Railroaders championship team in 1906.

In his first season on the big leagues, Criss became the first player to pinch hit at least 40 times in a season, with 41 out of 82 at-bats, making 12 pinch hits, (28 overall) for a .341 batting average, higher than the league leader, Ty Cobb.

A minor controversy ensued as St. Louis fans were outraged that the then Commissioner of Baseball, Ban Johnson, declared Cobb as the batting average winner instead of Criss.

[3] He led the American League in pinch at-bats and hits in every season of his four-year career.

Pitching wise, Criss had three wins and nine losses in his career with a 4.38 earned run average and 70 strikeouts.