About eight years ago, I decided to undertake some research in this area of baseball and began to compile some home run data on major league switch hitters.  It looked like an easy job.  The first step was to make a list of all switch hitters.  Several baseball encyclopedias listed the BATS for all players.  In addition, the official NL and AL batting averages have included BATS since 1917 and 1919 respectively.  Several Sporting News publications, Who’s Who in Baseball, the National League Green Book, and the American League Red Book also list BATS.

I compiled my initial list of switch hitters from a baseball encyclopedia.  Then, as I began obtaining data from the official batting averages, discrepancies began to appear between the BATS in the encyclopedia and those in the averages.  In checking out these discrepancies, additional problems began to appear.  I decided to postpone my original project and concentrate on compiling a reliable list of switch hitters.

One of the big problems was caused by the fact that many players switch hit during only a part of their major league career.  The encyclopedias usually listed these players as switch hitters. There are several players who switch hit for only one season and are listed as switch hitters in the encyclopedias.

I decided that my list would have to include notations on the years played in the majors that the player did not switch hit.  The best source of information for this was the yearly official batting averages.  However, this source was not entirely reliable.  In some cases, the official averages would carry a player as a switch hitter for several seasons after he had given up switching.  Also, there were many typographical errors on BATS in the official average.

It seemed that each day my records were becoming more confused.  In order to dig out of this confusion, I made switch hitter data forms.  A form was filled out for every player who was mentioned as a switch hitter by any source.  These forms listed, year-by-year, the player’s BATS from every possible baseball publication.  Each form was then studied and approximately 100 of them contained questionable data.  These forms were set aside for further investigation.  Many of the players involved were still living.  I have been fortunate in being able to contact most of these players.  I have also contacted close relatives of a few deceased players.  In other cases, information was obtained by searching through old newspapers.

Several examples of players with questionable records include the following:

Wally Schang is listed as a switch hitter by all sources with the exception of the 1927 and 1929 official averages.  These averages list him as a right handed batter.  Why would an established major league player give up switch hitting for two seasons in the latter part of his career?  Research through old St. Louis newspapers revealed that Schang really was a switch hitter in 1927 and 1928.

Augie Galan is listed in the official averages as a switch hitter from the beginning of his major league career in 1934 through 1940, as a right handed batter in 1941, as a switch hitter from 1942 through 1944, and as a left handed batter from 1945 through the end of his career in 1949.  Galan wrote that he was a switch hitter until 1943 when he began batting exclusively left handed.

Pete Reiser is listed in the official averages as a switch hitter from 1948 through 1951.  He is listed as a left handed batter for the balance of his major league career.  Several encyclopedias list him as a switch hitter.  Reiser wrote to me stating that he batted right handed about five times during his entire career.

During my investigation, I ran into a number of special cases.  As a result, I established a set of ground rules to define a switch hitter as follows:

If a player experimented with switch hitting for a short period during a season, he is not considered as a switch hitter.   For example, Chris Speier switch hit for the first four games of the 1972 season with 14 at bats.

He is not considered as a switch hitter.

If a player switch hit for an extended period of time during a season, he is considered as a switch hitter for that season. For example, Jerry Kindall switch hit for the last month of the 1960 season.  He is considered a switch hitter for that season.

If a player switch hit part of the time during an entire season, he is considered as a switch hitter for that season.  For example, for several years Grant Jackson was normally a switch hitter.  However, he batted left handed against certain left handed pitchers because he felt that there was a high risk of getting hit on his pitching arm (left arm) by these pitchers.   He is still considered as a switch hitter for those seasons.

There seems to be a trend towards more experimenting with switch hitting by present day players, particularly pitchers.   In spite of the fact that baseball record keeping in general has been improving, it is difficult to keep up with the switch hitters.   The official averages and the record books continue to contain many errors.  Each year I write to various public relations directors regarding switch hitters on their clubs.  I get only about a 60% response.    I usually get a better response by writing directly to the players.  Quite often, I can get information on active players by watching the newspapers closely.

The best example of obtaining information from current newspaper stories is an article in The Sporting News on Paul Blair.    Blair started the 1971 season as a switch hitter after having been a right handed batter for his entire career previously.    The article stated that Blair started batting right handed against certain right handed pitchers after the first several weeks of the season.   With a little more than a month of the season gone, he gave up batting left handed entirely.   At that point he had 11 hits for 57 at-bats with 3 runs batted in and no home runs while batting left handed.   His overall totals at that point were 23 hits for 92 at-bats with 11 runs batted in and 3 home runs.  With information like this on all switch hitters, there would be no problems.

There are still several “unsolved cases”.  The most interesting one is William “Pinky” Hargrave.   Pinky was the brother of Bubbles Hargrave, the NL batting champ in 1926.  Pinky was a pretty good player himself with a batting average of .278 for ten seasons.  The official averages listed his BATS as follows:  right handed from 1923 through 1926 while playing for Washington and the St. Louis Browns; switch hitter in 1927 in the International League; switch hitter from 1928 through 1932 with Detroit, Washington, and the Boston Braves; and left handed in 1933 with the Braves.   Unfortunately, both Pinky and his brother are deceased.   I haven’t made much progress on this case.

Other players with questionable switch hitting records are:

John Anderson – listed as a switch hitter in the Macmillan Encyclopedia and as a right handed batter in all other encyclopedias. Finished career before BATS were listed in official averages.

Jay Clarke – Listed as a left handed batter in the Macmillan Encyclopedia and as a switch hitter in all     others.  Listed as left handed batter in 1919 official averages.   Balance of career was before BATS were listed in official averages.

Wayland Dean – Listed as switch hitter in 1924 and 1925 official averages and as left handed batter in1926 and 1927 averages.

Frank Gibson – Listed in official averages as left handed batter in 1921 and 1922, switch hitter in 1923, left handed in 1924, and as switch hitter from 1925 through 1927.

William Lamar – Listed in official averages as switch hitter for 1927, his last season in the majors. Listed as a left hander for the balance of his major league career and, also, for 1928 while playing in the International League.

James Levey – Listed in the official averages as a right handed batter for 1930 and 1931, as a left hander for 1932, and as a switch hitter for 1933.

Earl L. Smith – Listed in the official averages as a switch hitter for 1919 and as a left handed batter from 1920 through 1922.   Listed in 1921 and 1922 as a left hander, and in all other encyclopedias as a switch hitter.

Ross Youngs – Played in only seven games in 1917 and not included in official averages.  Listed as switch hitter in averages for 1918 and as a left hander for the balance of his career.   Listed in Macmillan Encyclopedia as a left hander.   Listed in all others and in several Sporting News publications as a switch hitter.  A couple of oldtimers seem to think that Youngs came up to the Giants as a switch hitter and that John McGraw asked him to give it up after a short time with the club.

In spite of a number of these unresolved cases, a considerable amount of information is now available on switch hitters of the past.  Appended to this discourse is a listing of the all-time best season records and then the lifetime totals in various batting categories for the best ambidextrous batters.    (For lifetime totals I consider those who switch hit at least for one-half of their careers).  Stolen bases are not included because switch hitting should have no bearing on steals.   However, it bears mentioning that, for some strange reason, switch swingers seem to excel as base stealers far beyond their limited numbers. Take for example, such aggressive base runners as Max Carey, George Davis, Maury Wills, Frank Frisch, Bob Bescher, Donie Bush., Tommy Tucker, Tom Daly, Walter Wilmot, John Anderson, Miller Ruggins, Augie Galan, Jim Gilliam, Don Buford, and Sandy Alomar.   Maybe it is the switch hitters competitive desire to get on base one way or the other that carries over on the base paths.

SEASON RECORDS FOR SWITCH HITTERS

LIFETIME RECORDS FOR SWITCH HITTERS

 LIFETIME RECORDS FOR SWITCH HITTERS

August 14, 1929 was Charlie Gehringer Day in Detroit.  The “mechanical man” responded with a homer, three singles, and a steal of home.

The game moved slowly until the third inning when Ruth broke it open with a three-run homer off Howard Ehmke. The crowd of 74,000, largest in baseball history up to that time, went crazy with delight.  The Babe beamed from ear to ear and waved his cap to his many admirers as he jogged down the home stretch.  No wonder they called it the “House that Ruth Built.”

With two out in the ninth, the game was held up as the crowd swarmed on the field, around Ruth and others.  Umpire Tom Connally finally let the game proceed and George Burns fanned for the final out.

 A dozen of the 20 players in that game have passed on. Among the eight survivors are the rival pitchers, Ehmke, and Bob Shawkey, who won the first game in Yankee Stadium and scored the first run;  Joe Dugan, who knocked in the first run; Bob Meusel, who hit the first double; and Red Sox first sacker Burns, who collected the first hit and made the first error.

Here’s that historic box score:

BOX SCORE OF THE FIRST GAME AT YANKEE STADIUM

APRIL 18, 1923

* Grounded out for Ehmke in 8th                                Score by innings:                    R  H  E

                                                                        Boston            000 000 100 –           1   3   1

                                                                        New York       004 000  00x –           4   7   1

     Summary:  Runs batted in – Dugan, Ruth 3, McMillan.  Two-base hits – Meusel, Scott. Three-base hit – McMillan.  Home run – Ruth.   Sacrifice – Scott.   Double Play – Scott to Ward to Pipp (Collins). Left on bases – New York 5, Boston 4.  Struck out by Shawkey 5 (Collins, Burns 2, Shanks 2), Ehmke 4 (Witt, Dugan, Ward, Shawkey), Fullerton 1 (schang).  Bases on Balls off Shawkey 2 (Burns, McMillan), Emhke 3 (Witt, Ruth, Pipp), Fullerton 1 (Ruth).  Runs scored off Shawkey 1 (earned), Ehmke 4 (all earned).  Hits off Ehmke 7 in 7, Fullerton 0 in 1.  Hit by pitcher – by Shawkey (Fewster).  First base on errors – New York 0, Boston 1 (Harris).  Time of Game 2:05.  Losing pitcher – Ehmke. Attendance 74,200.   Umpires – Connolly, Evans and Holmes.

SABR sent ballots out to a selected list of old time writers, broadcasters, players, and some baseball historians of more tender years who at least knew how to research those early years.  Of more than 50 ballots sent out, only 24 were returned, including information from such authorities as Fred Lieb, Ken Smith, Leonard Gettelson, Ernie Harwell, and George Sisler.  While almost all selected their all-time fielding team, some did not fill out the early decades.  Therefore, it is not the most conclusive survey, but it did produce some results.  At least the voters did not automatically put down Tinker, Evers, and Chance for the NL 1900-09 team.  At the same time, readers should not assume that Fielder Jones was selected just because of his first name; he really was an excellent fielder.

Some voters complained about fitting certain good fielders into decades; others had problems picking an all-time fielding team because of the difficulties of comparing fielders of different generations such as Hans Wagner and Luis Aparicio.  The gloves have changed and the playing fields have changed.  Errors have been reduced about 50 percent since the early 1900’s.  Nevertheless, the voters have come up with a fielding team that is well balanced historically.

Carried below are the leaders by position, by decade, and by league since 1900.  Because of the small number of ballots, some ties resulted in the early periods.  For players to have competed in the decade listings, they must have played at least five years of that period.  Outfielders are chosen generally and not by specific position.  The team of the 1960’s is based primarily on annual gold glove winners and was not selected by the voters.  For the all-time team, the votes are given for the leaders and the chief contenders.

HISTORICAL SURVEY OF BEST FIELDERS BY POSITION

VOTING FOR ALL-TIME FIELDING TEAM, 1900-72

Smoky Joe Williams was born in 1876 near San Antonio, Texas, and was 33 years old, hurling in the obscure Texas leagues, when he defeated the famous Leland Giants, 3-0, in an exhibition game in 1909.  His opponent on the mound that day was Rube Foster, who signed him on the spot to a contract with that Chicago club.

Williams is best remembered for his years with the New York Lincoln Giants from 1912 through 1923, during which time he beat the likes of Walter Johnson, Grover Alexander, Jess Barnes, Eddie Rommel, Jeff Tesreau, and Rube Walberg.  One of his greatest efforts was an off-season no-hitter against John McGraw’s New York Giants in 1919, although Williams maintained that his finest game that season was another no-hit game against former teammate Dick Redding.  Sid Mercer, Bozeman Bulger, and other sportswriters of that period rated Williams with the best major league stars.  He was rated on a par with Christy Mathewson by Bulger, one of Matty’s closest friends.

In 1925 Williams joined the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh, where he remained until hanging up his spikes in 1933.  In his first five seasons there, he was charged with just six defeats. On August 3, 1930, at age 54, he faced the Kansas City Monarchs’ Chet Brewer in one of the first night games ever played in Negro ball.   He whiffed 27 Monarchs that evening, yielded one hit, and won 1-0 in 12 innings.  The matter-of-fact, almost casual way the game was reported in the press can be considered a tribute to the pitching genius of Williams.   His spectacular efforts by that time were almost routine.

Here is the report and the box score of that game, which also included some other familiar names, such as Oscar Charleston and Josh Gibson.

GRAYS WIN 1-0 AS “SMOKY JOE” FANS 27 K.C. PLAYERS

KANSAS CITY,  Aug. 3. — With “Smoky Joe” Williams and Brewer engaging in a pitching duel, the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh, Pa., last night took a 12-inning game from the Monarchs, 1-0, at Muehlebach Field for their second consecutive victory of the series.

The pitchers’ work bordered upon the sensational, with Williams fanning 27 of the 39 men to face him. Brewer fanned 19. Both were emery ball pitchers. None of the Grays’ outfielders had a chance, and only one chance was credited to the Monarch’s outfielders. The Monarchs got only one hit and the Grays were able to touch Brewer for only four.

The Monarchs threatened to score in the eighth when Joseph, first up, doubled and then stole third.  Williams then fanned Duncan, Stephens made a sensational backhand catch, and Brewer struck out to retire the side.

The Grays won the game in their half of the twelfth, when Charleston walked, Johnson popped out, Scales was an infield out, and White doubled to the left field foul line, scoring Charleston.

Grays………………..000 000 000 001 — 1
Kansas City…………000 000 000 000 — 0

Runs–Charleston.  Errors–Charleston, Mothel.  Two-base hits–Joseph, White. Struck out–By Williams, 27; by Brewer, 19.   Bases on balls–Off Williams, 1; off Brewer, 3.

During the 1882-91 period, the American Association existed as a rival major league. It started with six teams in 1882 and played 80 games. The next year, with 8 teams, it played a 98-game schedule. In 1885 it went to 112 games, and from 1886 to its demise in 1891, it played 140 contests. The 8-team Players League also had a 140-game schedule in 1890.

After the AA disbanded, the National League expanded to 12 teams in 1892, and the 154-game schedule made its debut with each team in the circuit playing each other 14 times. The League schedule was reduced to 132 games for the next 5 years (l893~97), but then went back to the 154-game card in 1898-99,  But the NL was finding the 12 teams a little unwieldy. For 1900 they were consolidated into 8 teams and a schedule of 140 games. The American League which has been a minor circuit known as the Western League gained recognition as a major league in 1901, and the two loops each played 140 games in 1901-03.

The 8-team, 154-game schedule, where each. team played each other for 22 games, was inaugurated in 1904 in both leagues and became traditional. That schedule pattern, which was also adopted by the Federal League in 1914-15, stayed in existence continuously from 1904 until 1960, except for the World War I year of 1918 and the next season as well. In 1918, the schedule was curtailed on September 2 on orders from the War Department, and each team played about 125 games.

The war ended in November 1918, and the clubs, hustling to get some of their players out of military uniform and into baseball uniform, decided on a 140-game card in 1919. The season turned out well; in fact, a new home run record by Babe Ruth gave great promise for the future. A 154-game schedule was mapped for 1920 and this was continued without a hitch through World War II.

In 1953 the first franchise shift in 50 years took place when the Boston NL club moved to Milwaukee. Other shifts followed, calling for a major realignment of teams. Expansion brought about the 10-team, 162-game schedule (18 games between opponents) with the American League expanding in 1961 and the NL following suit in 1962. The year 1961 marked the only year when the two major loops played schedules of unequal length and also the only year they had a different number of teams.

 The present set-up was inaugurated in 1969 in both Leagues, with each team playing 18 games with 5 opponents and 12 games with 6 others in a 12-team, 2-divisional arrangement. The total remains at 162 games, with the two divisional champions in each league meeting in a championship series (playoffs) of 3-out-of-5 games, with these games not counting in the final averages.

Several other schedules have been considered through the years. At the strong recommendation of Yankee President Larry MacPhail, the major leagues tentatively agreed to the longest proposed schedule in history at their joint meeting in August 1946. In order to capitalize on the post-war popularity of baseball and to compensate the owners for the pension benefits and other concessions granted to the players, a schedule of 168 games (8 teams playing 24 games with each opponent) was planned. However, heavy opposition from the public and the players doomed the plan and the majors voted at another meeting, held in September 1946, to continue with the 154-game schedule. Tom Yawkey of Boston was credited with convincing the owners that the MacPhail plan should be scrapped.

The NL tentatively agreed upon a 165-game schedule in 1968, with the idea of adopting it for use in their first 12-team year of 1969. The proposal called for each team to play 15 games against each opponent. Even though this would make impossible an equal home and road distribution of games, the owners felt that this would be more desirable than cutting back to 154 contests. The latter set-up would have been the same as the pattern adopted in 1892 and 1898-99. Ultimately, the NL went along with the American League plan, which called for divisional play.

The latest actual change, of course, occurred in 1972 when an early season player-strike led to the cancellation of the first 10 days of play. The owners and players could not agree on the issue of compensation for the replay of games postponed during the strike, so a compromise plan, put forth by the AL owners, was adopted which provided for cancellation of the 86 games scheduled during the strike period. This resulted in uneven cards of 153-156 games in the NL and 154-156 games in the AL. In the AL Eastern Division, Detroit was declared the champion by ½ game over Boston, based on a 86-70 won-lost record for the Tigers and 85-70 for the Red Sox.

The following table shows the changing pattern of the National and American League schedules from 1876 to the present day.

NATIONAL AND AMERICAN LEAGUE SCHEDULE LENGTHS

*Season ended on September 2 instead of September 29 by decree of U.S. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. Teams played 123-129 decisions that year (1918).

**National League expanded to 10 teams one year later than the American League. Leagues played uneven schedules in 1961.

***Schedules beginning in 1969 called for 12 teams in each league, with a split into two divisions. Each team played teams in its own division 18 times and teams in the other division 12 times. The two divisional champs then were to meet in a 3-of-5 playoff series (games not counted in regular standings) to determine the League pennant winner.

****The games scheduled on the first 10 days of the 1972 season were cancelled as a result of a player strike.

Teams played 153-156 decisions in NL and 154-156 decisions in AL. Season opened April 15 instead of April 5-6.

      OBA    =  Hits + Walks + Hit-by-Pitch
                     At Bats + Walks + Hit-by-Pitch

For example, if we were figuring out Frank Robinson’s career on base average, it would be compiled like this:  2641 hits + 1213 walks + 178 hit-by-pitch (4032), divided by 8810 at bats + 1213 walks + 178 HBP (10201). His OBA is .395, which happens to be the tops among active players, but does not compare very well with players of the past.   Sacrifice hits are ignored in this calculation.

On base average can be quite different from batting average.   Take for example Joe DiMaggio and Roy Cullenbine, once outfield teammates for the Yankees. DiMag had a lifetime batting average of .325 and Cullenbine .276. But Roy was walked much more frequently than Joe and made fewer outs; he had an OBA of .404, compared to .398 for the Yankee Clipper.

In calculating OBA, the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia was used for hits, at bats, and bases on balls.   Hit by pitch data are from official averages back to 1920 in the AL and 1917 in the NL. Figures back to 1909 have been compiled by Alex Haas from newspaper box scores.   Some data before then comes from Haas, John Tattersall, and Bob Davids. Additional information is available in some of the old newspapers, but has not yet been compiled. Players with incomplete totals are credited with HEP at the known rate from available data for those unknown appearances. When no data are to be obtained, league averages are used.   Before 1887, a batter was not awarded first base when hit by a pitch.

Who is the all-time leader in on base average? It is Ted Williams with a spectacular .483 mark.   Not surprisingly, Babe Ruth is second with .474. It is no secret that Williams and Ruth were both exceptionally good hitters as well as being among the most frequent walk receivers. It was not unusual for them to get on base 300 times a season. Ranking third is the all-time list is John McGraw, who was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager, but was also a fine hitter. In addition, he was adept at getting on base from walks and HBP. He holds the all-time NL record for OBA both lifetime and season. Billy Hamilton, the stolen base king, and Lou Gehrig are next in line, followed by such big names as Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx and Tris Speaker. Rounding out the top ten is Ferris Fain, former first baseman of the A’s, who quietly attained a very high OBA to go with his two batting titles.

Some players who many fans might not think to be among the leaders in OBA are Max Bishop, second baseman of the A’s last super teams of 1929-31, Clarence “Cupid” Childs, Cleveland second sacker in the 1890’s, Roy Thomas, Phil center fielder at the turn of the century, and Joe Cunningham, who played with the Cardinals and White Sox just a few years ago.   On the other hand, some of the famous hitters of baseball are not included in the accompanying list of players with lifetime on base averages of .400 or better.   Missing are such stars as Willie Keeler, Bill Terry, George Sisler, Nap Lajoie, Al Simmons, Hans Wagner, Cap Anson, Joe DiMaggio, and Roberto Clemente.

Since most of the players in the .400 list are either outfielders or first basemen, an additional table is shown that provides data on the top ten players at each position.   Many unheralded players are high in the OBA figures, such as Wally Schang, who played for many AL clubs in the teens and twenties, who is second among catchers, and Elmer Valo, another Connie Mack product, who ranks sixth in right field.

There are no active players with OBA’s of .400 or better, and only a few among the leaders by position. The level of OBA in the majors is presently quite low.   This could be attributed to many factors, such as improved pitching (bigger and stronger pitchers throwing from the unchanged distance of 60 feet 6 inches, more use of relief pitchers, and the widespread use of the slider as an extra pitch), larger ball parks, and increased emphasis on hitting home runs.   Those players with high OBA’s that are now active are shown below:

It is interesting to note that if hit by pitch were not included in figuring OBA, Frank Robinson would rank only fourth.

In regard to season averages, Dick Allen led the majors in OBA in 1972 with a mark of .422. Joe Morgan was the NL leader with .419. The only others with .400 or better on base average were Carlos may at .408, and Billy Williams at .403. These season averages are far, far below the top season averages of the past. The list of top season marks, which includes all instances of OBA of .500 or better, is dominated by another Williams named Ted, the all-time season leader, and by Ruth.

Ted Williams led the league in OBA every year he qualified except for his rookie season, and he had a higher OBA than the leader in three of his four seasons shortened by injury. Those leading the league most often in OBA are:

            AL       Ted Williams              12                    NL       Rogers Hornsby          8

                        Babe Ruth                 10                               Stan Musial                 5

                        Ty Cobb                     6                                Billy Hamilton             4

                        Lou Gehrig                 5                                Richie Ashburn           4

                        Carl Yastrzemski        5                                Mel Ott                       4

                                                                                            Honus Wagner            4

It is important to remember that OBA is only one component of hitting, and that slugging is equally valuable. Of course, the best long-ball hitters usually rank high in both departments because they are generally walked more frequently. One thing the OBA does is give percentage recognition to the players ability to get on via the walk and the HBP as well as the hit. He has saved his team an out and he is n a good position to score a run.

ON BASE AVERAGE LEADERS
1,000 games minimum – through 1972

+Hit by pitch estimated from partial career totals
*Hit by pitch estimated from league average

ON BASE AVERAGE LIFETIME LEADERS BY POSITION
1,000 games minimum – at least 500 games at position

In 1971, SABR conducted a survey on oldtime players who had not been elected to the Hall of Fame.  Although the period covered by the survey ran to 1951, many of the votes went to long-forgotten players of the 1880s and 1890s.  The research effort described below was conducted to establish just who were the good hitters of that period.  Essentially all figures were drawn from the Macmillan Encyclopedia, which is easily the best compiled source for the pre-1900 era.

First, several power categories were selected — runs, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, slugging average, and batting average — and 12 leaders in each category were chosen.  However, these leaders were determined not by their numerical listing in the all-time totals, but rather on a “per game” basis.   By doing this, players who did well but had shortened careers, were placed on an equitable basis with those who had long careers and compiled large numerical totals.  To be eligible, players had to play 10 years and participate in more than 1000 games. Thus Pete Browning who played only 12 years and had 295 doubles finished ahead of Cap Anson, who played 22 years and belted out 528 doubles.

Lists of the 12 leaders in the seven categories were then prepared, and quality points awarded to each player listed.  The player finishing first in a category received 12 points, the player placing second 11 points, and on down the list.   The points were then totaled up and a final list compiled.

Leading all of the 19th century players is Dan Brouthers with 67 points, followed by Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty.  Next comes Harry Stovey, Pete Browning, Roger Connor, and Mike Tiernan,  players long neglected by the Hall of Fame selection committee.  If such a study as this serves any purpose, it should be to demonstrate the need that Hall of Fame selections for the real oldtimers should be based more on detailed statistical records rather than obscure legends and personal preferences.

It was interesting to learn that the number of three-base hits was much higher in the old days and that it was a reflection of the long-ball hitter just as the home run was.  Also, almost all of the great run scorers played before 1900.  Three — Billy Hamilton, George Gore, and Harry Stovey  — averaged more than one run a game.

Hamilton had some very high season totals, including 192 in 1894, and one of the reasons he was scoring so frequently was that Sam Thompson, the best RBI man of the period, was batting behind him.

There follows the 12 leading batters in each category according to their per-game performance. In the case of slugging and batting averages, the regular percentage is given.  Complete figures on RBIs are not available for all early hitters; best estimates were made based on existing information.  Lastly, the final table shows the players who performed the best across the board on a percentage basis – the real power hitters of 19^th century baseball.

*Estimate

TOTAL QUALITY POINTS FOR PRE-1900 BATTERS

*Not in Hall of Fame

Ruth’s first home run came in the third inning off Jack Warhop, the starting Yankee right-hander.  He was the first batter in the inning and he hit Warhop’s first pitch into the second tier of the right-field grandstand.

The ball, a prodigious wallop, landed in Seat 26 of Section 3.  Although Ruth had been with the Red Sox for a few games in 1914, his first home run came on only his 18th time at bat in the majors.  He went to bat 10 times in 1914 and this was his eighth time up in 1915.  It was his fifth major league hit — his other hits up to that time included three doubles and a single.

Among the gathering of 8,000 who witnessed Ruth’s first circuit clout were Ban Johnson, president of the American League, Joseph Lannin, owner of the Red Sox, and two baseball reporters who later hit it big in the literary field after graduating from the sports desk — Damon Runyon and Heywood Broun.

Runyan, who covered the game for the New York American, wrote:

“Fanning this Ruth is not as easy as the name and occupation might indicate.  In the third inning Ruth knocked the slant out of one of Jack Warhop’s underhand subterfuges, and put the baseball in the right field stands for a home run.  Ruth was discovered by Jack Dunn in a Baltimore school a year ago where he had not attained his left-handed majority, and was adopted and adapted by Jack for use of the Orioles. He is now quite a demon pitcher and demon hitter – when he connects.”

Broun penned the following for the New York Tribune:

“Pitted against Pieh was Babe Ruth, the remarkable young player discovered by Jack Dunn in a reform school last year.  Ruth was put in the school at an early age, but seemingly he quit too soon to be completely reformed.  He is still flagrantly left-handed.  Babe (he was christened George) deserved something better than a defeat.   It was his home run into the second tier of the grandstand which gave the Red Sox their first run of the game, and later he singled twice.  He missed a chance to strike a telling blow in the eleventh inning for, with a runner on first and third with only one out, he was fanned by Pieh.”

Broun also added this humorous note: “Nobody can take a mark of distinction away from Ruth. He is practically the only left-handed pitcher in the country not called Rube.”

Another famous baseball writer who was on hand for Ruth’s first four-base blow was Fred Leib, a SABR member who now lives in retirement in St. Petersburg, Florida.  His story in the New York Press contained the following:

“George Ruth, the sensational kid who set the International League grass on fire last season, went the entire thirteen rounds for the crimson hose and but for his support would have registered a win in regulation rounds.  Bill Carrigan failed to hold the Yank runners and they kept on swiping bases on Chet Thomas who succeeded him. Warhop cooled off in the second and then Paul Shannon (reporter for the Boston Post) began to lecture on Babe Ruth’s ability as a smitter.  It was an illustrated lecture, as Babe illustrated Paul’s remarks by lifting the pill far up in the upstairs section of the right field stands for a merry-go-round trip.”

Wilmot E. Gif fin, who wrote under the pseudonym of “Right Cross” in the New York Evening Journal, was inspired by Ruth’s first blast thusly:

“This Ruthless Ruth, the stem-winder, is some hurler.  A pitcher who is so versatile that he can not only shoot all sorts of deliveries from the port turret, but can besides all this hit a home run, and a couple of incidental singles in one game is some asset, ladies and gentlemen, some asset indeed.  When he is not pitching they can use him for an outfielder and pinch hitter.  In these days of efficiency he is the ideal player.  It was a genuine home run that Ruth swatted the first time up, landing in the upper tier of the south grandstand with a thump.  Mr. Warhop of the Yankees looked reproachfully at the opposing pitcher who was so unclubby as to do a thing like that to one of his own trade.  But Ruthless Ruth seemed to think that all was fair in the matter of fattening a batting average.”

Ruth’s home run lingered in the mind of “Right Cross” into the next day, when he added a little poetry entitled “A Social Error.”

When a pitcher meets a pitcher,
Should a pitcher clout?
When a pitcher meets a pitcher,
Shouldn’t he fan out?
When a pitcher slams a pitcher
Lifts it from the lot,
You would call the gink unclubby,
Very, would you not?

To this he added the comment that “Pitcher Warhop has not yet recovered from the great mental anguish he suffered when a player in the e line of endeavor took one of his nicest twists and just naturally lifted it out of the lot.  Warhop probably will appeal to the other pitchers to ostracize Ruth over the violation of etiquette.”

Just about four weeks later, the Red Sox played a return engagement at the Polo Grounds.  On Wednesday, June 2, it was Ruth against Warhop again.  And once again on his first time up – in the second inning with two out and Chet Thomas on first – the Babe slammed one of Warhop’s pitches far into the right-field stands.  The ball landed on top of seat 31 in Section 3, more than ten feet further than the previous one.  This time the mighty Ruth was not denied.  He won handily, 7-1, setting the Yanks down on five hits.  The Babe was now on his way, gaining respect both as a star moundsman and a dangerous batsman, and in a few years was destined to forsake the pitcher’s box to fulfill his destiny as the greatest slugger of all time.

Although not primarily remembered as such, another notorious umpire baiter in his own way was Henry “Heinie” Zimmerman, renowned Chicago Cub infielder of some sixty years ago.

As the National League season of 1913 opened, the great Zim was at the peak of his career, having batted .372 the year before to win most of the batting honors.  He was to enjoy another highly successful season in 1913, but this time his umpire problems rather than his batting totals were to reach their all-time high.

Heinie went along smoothly until May 19, when umpire Charles Rigler ejected him in the fourth inning during a game at Philadelphia.   After that incident, all was calm until Friday, June 6, when he was given the heave-ho in the fourth inning for cursing arbitrator William Byron during a Cubs-Braves contest in Chicago.  Remaining quiet for exactly one week, Zimmerman then became baseball’s answer to a nihilist.   In what must be a record of some sort, Heinie earned the “distinction” of getting tossed out of three home games in a five-day period – June 13, 15, and 17.   Here is the grim chronicle of Zimmerman’s epic verbal bouts with the men in black:

June 13— In what is an apparent force of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Jake Daubert at third base, Daubert is ruled safe by umpire Malcolm Eason, after which, according to Chicago Tribune writer. Sam Weller, “Heinie roared, being ordered out of the game quick as one could wink.”

June 15— Upon being called out when attempting to slide into home plate during the seventh inning of the Cub-Dodger game, Heinie curses plate umpire William Brennan, and is promptly put out of the game.

June 17— In the third inning of the Cub- Phillie contest, Zimmerman, perched on third base and hoping to score, is banished for hollering at Bill Kiem after the latter calls Roger Bresnahan out on strikes.

By this time it appeared as if Zimmerman were on the verge of getting chased off the diamond every time he appeared thereon.    At last, the following letter of desperation appeared in the Chicago Tribune of June 19, 1913:

To the Sporting Editor of the Tribune:

I’m Irish and I haven’t much use for the Dutch, but there’s one Dutchman I think a whole lot of and that’s Heinie Zimmerman.  I think so much of him that I love to see him fight the other fellows.  And, ah, there’s the rub. Darn him, he doesn’t play regular. He gets canned too often for fighting the “umps”.     It ain’t fair for those who pay their money to see Zim swat the pill and it also ain’t fair to the rest of the bunch.

Now to come down to brass tacks: Here’s a $100 bill split in two.   Go give half to Heinie and if he stays in the game for two weeks – that is, if he doesn’t get canned by an ump in that period of time, pass him the other half and a piece of sticking plaster to stick `em together.

Seriously, I want Zim to quit kicking. Two weeks of living with umps will do everybody a lot of good, Zim most of all.

Please put a mask on my name, and sign:

1. “SPLIT” CENTURY

The Tribune sports staff did as instructed, giving half of the bill to Heinie and the other half to umpire

Bill Klem, the ballfield judge responsible for Zim’s June 17th ejection.  Upon hearing of the stipulations attached, Heinie boasted, “Say, just hand me that one-half and watch me get the other.  I’m through fussing with the umpires anyway.  It don’t get you anything.  I don’t intend to be put out of the game again this year.  From now on you’ll see me as a model guy on the ball field.”  Finally, he added, “That $100 is just as good as mine.”

But on June 20 Ring Lardner, then a sportswriter for the Tribune, brought up a thought-provoking question, as he asked, “But suppose that Zim is canned before the expiration of two weeks.  Will Mr. Century get his half back?”  That very day Heinie was fined $200 — no, not for breaking his truce with the umps — but for engaging in “backtalk” to his fiery manager, Johnny Evers.  “If he had said to Chance what he said to me, “Evers told Ring Lardner, ” he would not play all season long.”

“You’re right, John,”   Lardner replied.   “And we would have all been asked to chip in for a floral tribute.” (It was an open secret in Chicago that Zimmerman and his former manager, Frank Chance, had not gotten along very well.)  Lardner also commented that “Heinie would probably hit 1.075 if he played every other day and quarreled the rest of the time.”

By June 22, the “Split Century” had become the number one conversation piece of every baseball fan in Chicago, while the city’s gamblers, many of whom operated on the west side in the vicinity of the Cubs’ ballpark, were already laying 3-2 odds that Zim would win.  One fan at the West Side Grounds gave Heinie one-half of a dollar bill under the same conditions that “Split Century” had given him the half a hundred.

But the ordeal was no easy task for the Cub third baseman to endure.  At the June 24 game in St. Louis Heinie began to exchange harsh words with umpire Hank O’Day; fortunately he held his tongue not a moment too soon and remained in the game.

The following morning, after the Cubs had pulled into Cincinnati, Zimmerman received a visit at the team’s hotel from his former Cub teammates, Joe Tinker and Mordecai Brown, both of whom had been traded to the Reds during the winter of 1912-13.  Tinker and Brown had heard of the “Split-Century” affair but, thinking it to be some sort of hoax, demanded to see the bill for themselves.  Upon Zim’s producing the half, Tinker, still believing the whole thing was a joke, grabbed it from Heinie’s hand and tore it in two.  Zimmerman wrenched the precious certificate away before the Red shortstop could perpetrate further damage upon it, but, as the Tribune correspondent noted, “now instead of one-half he has two quarters of a yellowback.”

So, with a taped-up half of a gold certificate in his back pocket, Heinie sweated through the remainder of his

“good behavior” probation.  By July 2, 1913 he had lasted one week and six days without being exiled from a game.  If he could play one more game without “getting the ax” the reward would be his.  That afternoon, in a game with Pittsburgh at Chicago’s West Side Park, the grandstand held its’ breath as Heinie began to yell at umpire Ernest Quigley after the latter had ruled him out when he attempted to steal home.  However, remembering the money, he managed to hold his temper and kept it in check for the rest of the game.   The miracle had been completed — Henry Zimmerman had played two full weeks without having to take an early shower.

Bill Klein awarded him the other half of the “Split Century” while the fan who had given Kim half of a one dollar bill came forward with the remaining portion, thus giving the great Heinie a total of $101 for his good conduct.

Said the boisterously jubilant infielder after the game, “I knew I could win that money after the first day. . . . I’m not going to say anything to an umpire that will give him cause to put me out of a game.  I’m through bothering those guys.   It doesn’t get you anything.” He then added, however, “Just the same I think I was safe at the plate and couldn’t help telling the umpire so,” an indication that he would soon be back in his old form — which he was.    –

Al Schacht, famous as a baseball clown, also had a few rare moments on the mound.  The 142-pound right-hander, pitching for Washington on April 19, 1920, shut out the Athletics 7-0.  He pitched parts of three years in the majors, winning 14 and losing 10.

For a number of years, the Research Club of the National Baseball Library, under the leadership first of the late Lee Allen and now of Cliff Kachline, has been involved in a continuing project designed to acquire completed biographical questionnaires for all major-league players, 1871 to the present.  Names of almost 11,000 men have appeared in box scores of championship games.  Questionnaires have been obtained for all but about 3,300 of these.

With each passing day the task becomes more difficult for two somewhat related reasons.  First, and quite obviously, those players whose trails have been easiest to follow are the ones for whom questionnaires have been obtained for the most part.  Second, more than half of the missing questionnaires are for players whose careers were completed prior to 1900 with the result that the search for their survivors has been obscured by the passing of time, the dearth of legal records, and the increased mobility of Americans.

And yet the search is anything but hopeless.  Many of the more obscure players have been tracked down and, even in those cases in which the trails lead to apparent dead-ends, half the fun is in the searching.  But where does one begin the search?  Below are some of the resources that the writer had used, or expects to use, in his investigations.  They are organized categorically by type of resource.

Books

Probably the major stimulus for the investigations that have carried on to this day was provided by the publication of The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball in 1951.  This compilation by Hy Turkin and S.C. Thompson was the culmination of years of research into the births, deaths, and playing records undertaken by the junior author largely as a hobby.  Through several editions and updated revisions, it reigned as the most complete reference of baseball records.  In 1969, however, it was surpassed for completeness by The Baseball Encyclopedia.  Such data as height, weight, and site of death, not included in OEB, were listed in TBE and its compilation of birth data was considerably more comprehensive.  Not in all instances, however, was TBE’s information, when it conflicted with OEB’s, necessarily correct.  It is interesting to note the fairly sizable number of players who returned to or near the cities of birth after their careers were completed.  This knowledge often provided leads in the search for the “missing.”

Two other books, The National Game by A.H. Spink, and History of Baseball in California and Pacific Coast Leagues, 1847-1938 by Fred W. Lange, have provided useful clues to the possible fates of many players.  The Story of Minor League Baseball helped to fill in some of the gaps in the playing career of some whose baseball lives were spent mostly in the minors.  Many cities have published histories and, particularly in the cases of the smaller communities, the names and addresses of former players living there at the time of publications are often included.  One of these, Letters of the Early Pioneers of Big Bear Lake by B.G. Holmes, provided names and addresses helpful to the writer as he pursued the trail of Robert Brush, who played in two games for the Boston National League Club in 1907.

Death Records

If the date and site of death are known, a copy of the death certificate may be obtained.  Each county has a recorder’s office or hall of records or bureau of vital statistics from which the copy is available for a small charge.  These are also procurable from each state’s division of vital statistics.  Addresses for these offices may be found in Where to Write for Birth and Death Records, which may be purchased for fifteen cents from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.  The State of California publishes an annual, alphabetized Death Index which permits a fairly rapid search for all those who died in California between 1905-1968 (no Indexes were published 1940-1948 and the past several years’ records are yet to be printed).

The form of death certificates varies somewhat from state to state and from one era to another.  Most of them contain full name, date and site of birth, date and site of death, place buried, names of father and mother, and name of informant.  Caution must be observed, however, in accepting the information as accurate because it is limited by the informant’s knowledge of the deceased.

Newspapers

Many public libraries have back issues of local newspapers and often of several large-city papers as well.  Increasingly, back issues are available on microfilm which serves to expedite the search since the microfilm readers permit rapid movement from page to page.  The Library of Congress in Washington has probably the largest collection of U.S. newspapers available in a single building.

Sports pages of hometown papers often contain information about obscure players who gained little print in the papers of the cities in which they played.  But even the obscure sometimes were reported in sufficient detail to provide the clues necessary in the solution of a case.  A description in the Chicago Record-Herald of August 2, 1908 of the only major-league game in which Carl Spongberg played included the note that he was from Utah and had been born in Idaho.  The one line eventually led to Spongberg’s son in San Francisco.

Early editions of The Sporting News and Sporting Life often contained short news notes such as the brief item that John B. Kelly was married on May 7, 1907 to Virginia Fredricka Truelieb, daughter of the orioles’ groundskeeper, in Baltimore.  The clue was helpful in locating records of Kelly’s death in Baltimore on March 19, 1944.

Occasionally it has been productive to inquire of sports editors of papers in cities in which a man played.  Even if they are unable to offer direct assistance, they will frequently include the inquiry in their columns with the hope that some reader will respond.

Directories and Compilations

These are of several kids and are organized below for the reader’s convenience.

Telephone directories.  Most public libraries contain a collection of out-of-town directories as do the local telephone companies.  Name of possible relatives of a deceased player may be found in the directory of the city in which he died even if he has been dead for several decades.  George Borchers’ son was found in this way more than 30 years after his father’s death.

For the smaller towns, the information operator may be reached at no charge by simply dialing the area code and then 555-1212.  The late evening and early morning hours are the best times to call as the operators are seldom busy and seem to enjoy a break from the monotony of silence.  Vivan Lindaman’s daughter was located thusly more than four decades after his death.

City directories.  Most cities have back copies of local directories.  These may be perused from year to year until a player is no longer listed.  Such absence may indicate that he has moved to another city (often specified in earlier editions) or that he has died.  These directories will often list members of his family, information that may be helpful in searching for survivors after his death.

Address lists.  The work of Jack Smalling is of particular note.  His compilation of addresses of thousands of present and former players has been of considerable assistance in simplifying the task of location the older veterans.  Other sources of addresses include the major-league clubs’ directors of public relations; Chuck Stevens of the Association of Professional Ball Players of America; The Sporting News; and certain individuals such as Fred Lieb.

Clubs and fraternal organizations.  Many of these groups have maintained membership records.  It becomes a rather painstaking method to search randomly through these lists on the chance that one of the “missing” may be found, but this was the way that the son of Fred B. Stem was found.  If a player is known to have attended a college, the institution’s alumni office may be able to assist.  A letter from homer Hillebrand (1905) advised that Arthur Ernst (Dutch) Meier (1906) had been a teammate of his not only at Pittsburgh, but at Princeton as well.  An inquiry to Princeton University’s alumni secretary elicited this reply from William C. Stryker, Director of Sports Information:  “ . . . Meier was a member of the Princeton Class of 1902 and died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Chicago on March 23, 1948.”

Genealogies.  The Mormon Church in Salt Lake City is reported to have the largest collection of genealogies in the United States.  Several commercial houses are engaged in genealogical compilations.  Readers interested in such investigations are alerted to the anticipated publication next fall by Doubleday of Roots by Alex Haley.  It is a stirring and heartwarming story of one black man’s successful efforts at tracing his descendancy back into Africa.

Simenic’s list.  Immediately following the organizational meeting of the Society for American Baseball Research at Cooperstown in August 1971, Joe Simenic compiled a listing by year of debut of all those players for whom no questionnaires had been completed.  This had served to expedite the work of members of the Research Club and is further facilitated by the distribution of a monthly updating by Cliff Kachline.

Government organizations.  Information about players may be obtained on occasion by writing to the police department or the postmaster of the city in which the player is known or believed to have lived.

Human Contacts

If all of the suggestions offered above prove unproductive, a case may be solved through contact with those who were acquainted with the player.  Clues suggested to the writer by fellow Research Club members Bill Haber, Tom Hufford, and Joe Simenic have led to solutions.  Tom Shea has been the source of much indirect information, and other SABR members who have been of assistance include Lefty Blasco, Bob Brauner, Bob Davids, George Hilton, Bob McConnell, John Pardon, Marshall Smelser, Bill Weiss, Ralph Winnie, and the late Warren Mouch.

Teammates and neighbors.  Letters to and personal conversations with teammates and neighbors should not be overlooked.  In the course of tape-recorded interviews, players such as Chief Meyers, Walter Nagle, Willie Hogan, Bill Steen, Al Boucher, and Harry Hooper have offered clues about teammates in the course of their narratives.  Letters to those not convenient for personal interviews always include a specially-designed sheet for information such as height, weight, bats, and throws in addition to space for inquiries about addresses of missing teammates.

After nearly a year and a half of frustration, it was not until the writer drove to San Bernardino County and Big Bear Lake that he was able to locate a relative of Brush’s who could provide most of the information necessary to complete a questionnaire.  The trail led from one townsperson to another and, just as it appeared that another dead end had been reached, the key address was uncovered.

The task still confronting the Research Club members is formidable to say the very least.  More enthusiastic research investigators are needed if the work is to be completed.  The thrill of a successful quest is one that the writer has seldom experienced in other pursuits.

“Try it – You’ll like it.”