George Wright remembers: Baseball bats
From SABR member John Thorn at Our Game on February 22, 2012:
As the response to George Wright’s “lost” interview from 1888 about baseball uniforms was highly complimentary, I give this space over to him once again. The time is again June 1888, the subject is baseball bats—including a number of variants that recall the corked bats of recent times—and the authority is impeccable.
In the undefeated 1869 campaign of the Cincinnati Reds, in 57 contests that came against National Association clubs, George Wright’s bat produced an average of five hits and ten total bases per game, collecting 49 home runs among his 304 hits and batting .629. To the argument that the opposition was frequently soft: In the club’s 19 games against fellow professionals (the Reds won all, of course), he hit 13 home runs and batted .587. I am indebted to my friend and estimable historian Bob Schaefer for the woodcut illustrations below.
Now, to quote the nonpareil player of the age.
Read the full article here: http://ourgame.mlblogs.com/2012/02/22/george-wright-remembers-baseball-bats/
Originally published: February 23, 2012. Last Updated: February 23, 2012.