Harry Schafer
Encyclopedia
For the Austrian-American economist, see Harry G. Shaffer
.
Harry C. Schafer (August 14, 1846 – February 28, 1935) was a professional baseball
player who played for eight seasons in Major League Baseball
. He played for the Boston Red Stockings in the National Association
for five seasons, and remained with the franchise for three additional years when it joined the National League
in 1876 as the Boston Red Caps. He played third base
for much of his career.
.288 in 1872, and had an above average fielding percentage
. He was a member of the Red Stockings teams that won four consecutive National Association championships from 1872 to 1875.
While playing for the renamed Red Caps in 1876, the first year of the National League, Schafer again led the league in games played. He played in only half of the Red Caps' games in 1877, and was moved to right field
for the season, but was nevertheless part of a team that won the National League championship. In his final season, 1878, he played in only two games for a Red Caps team that won a second consecutive league championship. Schafer had a career batting average of .271, and was a part of six championship teams in his eight seasons in the majors.
According to the Sporting News' 2008 Complete Baseball Record Book, he is credited with recording four outfield assists
in an 1877 game, a National League record. The accuracy of this record has been called into question by statisticians. Modern sources, including those on the official website of Major League Baseball, only credit Schafer with a single outfield assist for the 1877 season and four outfield assists for his entire career.
Schafer died on February 28, 1935 at the age of 88 in Philadelphia.
Harry G. Shaffer
Harry G. Shaffer was Professor Emeritus of the Economics Department at the University of Kansas. He was born on August 28, 1919, in Vienna, Austria. Fluent in German, Shaffer served in World War II, in which he acted as a translator. He was active in the Civil Rights movement and the movement...
.
Harry C. Schafer (August 14, 1846 – February 28, 1935) was a professional baseball
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 who played for eight seasons 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...
. He played for the Boston Red Stockings in the National Association
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
for five seasons, and remained with the franchise for three additional years when it joined the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
in 1876 as the Boston Red Caps. He played third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
for much of his career.
Career
In the National Association, Schafer was a durable player who played in every game in the Red Stockings' first four seasons, earning at least a share of the league lead in games played in 1873 and 1874. Schafer hitBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.288 in 1872, and had an above average fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
. He was a member of the Red Stockings teams that won four consecutive National Association championships from 1872 to 1875.
While playing for the renamed Red Caps in 1876, the first year of the National League, Schafer again led the league in games played. He played in only half of the Red Caps' games in 1877, and was moved to right field
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
for the season, but was nevertheless part of a team that won the National League championship. In his final season, 1878, he played in only two games for a Red Caps team that won a second consecutive league championship. Schafer had a career batting average of .271, and was a part of six championship teams in his eight seasons in the majors.
According to the Sporting News' 2008 Complete Baseball Record Book, he is credited with recording four outfield assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
in an 1877 game, a National League record. The accuracy of this record has been called into question by statisticians. Modern sources, including those on the official website of Major League Baseball, only credit Schafer with a single outfield assist for the 1877 season and four outfield assists for his entire career.
Schafer died on February 28, 1935 at the age of 88 in Philadelphia.