Harry Hoch
Encyclopedia
Harry Keller Hoch was a professional baseball
player and lawyer
. He pitched
in Major League Baseball
for the Philadelphia Phillies
and St. Louis Browns
in 1908, 1914, and 1915. Hoch was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds.
, in 1887. He attended Kutztown State Normal School (now Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
), where he played baseball in 1905 and 1906, and is a member of that school's Athletics Hall of Fame. He started his professional baseball career in 1907 with the Tri-State League
's Wilmington Peaches. In 36 games, he had a win–loss record of 12–18. The following season, he made his major league debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16, 1908. Hoch started three games for Philadelphia and went 2–1 with a 2.77 earned run average
. However, he did not stay on the roster and spent most of the season in the Tri-State League, where he went 11–15.
Hoch played in the New York State League from 1910 to 1913. He won a career-high 17 games in 1910 while pitching for the Elmira Colonels, and then he won 16 games in 1911. In August 1913, Hoch was purchased by the American League
's St. Louis Browns. He appeared in 15 games for them in 1914 and went 0–2 with a 3.00 ERA. In 1915, his ERA rose to 7.20, and he made his last MLB appearance on June 24.
.
Hoch died in Lewes, Delaware
, in 1981 and was buried in Townsend Cemetery.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He pitched
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in 1908, 1914, and 1915. Hoch was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds.
Baseball career
Hoch was born in Woodside, DelawareWoodside, Delaware
Woodside is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 181 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Woodside is located at ....
, in 1887. He attended Kutztown State Normal School (now Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania , is an American public university located in rural Kutztown, Berks County, Pennsylvania and is one of fourteen schools that comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary...
), where he played baseball in 1905 and 1906, and is a member of that school's Athletics Hall of Fame. He started his professional baseball career in 1907 with the Tri-State League
Tri-State League
The Tri-State League was the name of five different circuits in American minor league baseball.-History:The first league of that name played for four years and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia....
's Wilmington Peaches. In 36 games, he had a win–loss record of 12–18. The following season, he made his major league debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16, 1908. Hoch started three games for Philadelphia and went 2–1 with a 2.77 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. However, he did not stay on the roster and spent most of the season in the Tri-State League, where he went 11–15.
Hoch played in the New York State League from 1910 to 1913. He won a career-high 17 games in 1910 while pitching for the Elmira Colonels, and then he won 16 games in 1911. In August 1913, Hoch was purchased by the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
's St. Louis Browns. He appeared in 15 games for them in 1914 and went 0–2 with a 3.00 ERA. In 1915, his ERA rose to 7.20, and he made his last MLB appearance on June 24.
Law career
Unlike many ballplayers of his era, Hoch was educated and attended Dickinson Law School in the offseason. He was nicknamed "Schoolmaster" because of this. After Hoch's baseball career ended in 1915, he became a lawyer in Delaware and practiced until 1962. Among his clients was inventor Alfred LawsonAlfred Lawson
Alfred William Lawson was a professional baseball player, manager and league promoter from 1887 through 1916 and went on to play a pioneering role in the US aircraft industry, publishing two early aviation trade journals...
.
Hoch died in Lewes, Delaware
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
, in 1981 and was buried in Townsend Cemetery.