Samuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "
Wahoo Sam", was a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
player who played outfield for the
Cincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. They are members of the Central Division of the National League....
and
Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in . The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant 10 times...
. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957.
Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood 6'0" tall and weighed 190 pounds. He was one of the greatest sluggers of the
dead-ball eraThe dead-ball era is a baseball term used to describe the period between 1900 and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919. In 1919, Ruth hit a then-league record 29 home runs, a spectacular feat at that time.The dead-ball era refers to a period in baseball characterized by low-scoring...
and still holds the Major League records for
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in a career (309) and for
inside-the-park home runIn baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run or "leg home run" is a play where a hitter scores a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
s in a season (12). He is second all-time for most inside-the-park home runs in a career (51). He finished his career with 2,961
hitsIn baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and a .309
batting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
, and was the first player to lead both the American League and the National League in home runs (1901 and 1908).
Baseball legend,
Ed BarrowEdward Grant Barrow was an American manager and executive in Major League Baseball, primarily with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox...
, who managed Crawford in his first two years with Detroit, and went on to convert
Babe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , also popularly known as "Babe" Ruth, "The Bambino", and "The Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from –...
to an outfielder as general manager of the Yankees, once said that “there never was a better hitter” than Crawford.” One of his contemporaries,
Fielder JonesFielder Allison Jones was an American center fielder and manager in baseball. Born in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania, his playing career began with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas in 1896. In , he joined the Chicago White Stockings in the new American League, where he would finish his playing career...
, said of Crawford: “None of them can hit quite as hard as Crawford. He stands up at the plate like a brick house and he hits all the pitchers, without playing favorites.”
Crawford was among the American League leaders in
hitsIn baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, RBI, extra base hits,
slugging percentageIn baseball statistics, slugging percentage is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats:...
, and
total basesIn baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run....
every year for eleven consecutive years from 1905-1915. Using the “Gray Ink Test,” which awards points based on how often a player is among the league batting leaders, Crawford ranks as the 9th best hitter of all time, ahead of greats such as
Ted WilliamsTheodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. He played 21 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot...
,
Mickey MantleMickey Charles Mantle was an American baseball player who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974....
, and
Barry BondsBarry Lamar Bonds is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds. He debuted in the Major Leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986 and joined the San Francisco Giants in 1993, where he stayed through 2007.Bonds has led a controversial...
, among others.
Early years
Crawford was born in
Wahoo, NebraskaWahoo is a city in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,942 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Saunders County.-About:...
in 1880, the son of Stephen O. Crawford (born 1842 in Vermont) and Nellie Crawford (born 1855 in Iowa). In 1910 he is living in Detroit, Michigan (born Nebraska, parents born Vermont & Ohio) and married to Ada (maiden name probably Lattin), born abt 1880 in Nebraska. He married Ada around 1908, according to the 1930 census. He is listed as a ballplayer in 1910, and had one daughter, Virginia, born about 1905 in Michigan. Various ship records confirm his birthdate and wife Ada. By the 1920 US census he is living in Los Angeles still with wife Ada and daughter Virgina, and a new addition: Samuel, born ~1918 in California (Samuel Earl Crawford, 15 Mar 1918 - 18 Oct 1996).
According to a biography from the Nebraska Hall of Fame, Crawford was a star athlete at Wahoo High School, leading the team to two state football championships in 1896 and 1897 and was also noted for “foot racing” where ever he played. In 1898, he joined a traveling baseball team in Wahoo. They traveled on a lumber wagon from town to town for weeks at a time, challenging the locals to baseball games, and passing the hat to pay their expenses. Crawford was offered an opportunity in the spring of 1899 to play for the Chatham Reds of the Canadian League for $65 a month, plus board. Crawford seized the opportunity and left behind his job as a barber’s apprentice. From Chatham, Crawford moved on to play for the
Grand RapidsGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
Rustlers in the Western League.
Cincinnati Reds: 1899-1902
In September 1899, Grand Rapids sold Crawford to the
Cincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. They are members of the Central Division of the National League....
. Crawford played in 31 games for the Reds at the end of the 1899 season. At age 19, and just one year removed from his days playing for Wahoo’s traveling team, Crawford was playing in the major leagues with future Hall of Famers
Jake BeckleyJacob Peter Beckley , nicknamed "Eagle Eye", was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. He was born in Hannibal, Missouri....
and
Bid McPheeJohn Alexander "Bid" McPhee was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was the last second baseman to play without a glove....
.
Crawford took advantage of the opportunity, hitting .307 in 31 games with the Reds in 1899. In 1900, at age 20, Crawford played in 101 games and was among the
National LeagueThe 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...
leaders in
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
with 15 and
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s with 7.
Crawford proved to be one of the best sluggers in baseball in 1901, batting .330 and hitting a major league leading 16
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s. Crawford was also 3rd in the National League in
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(16), RBIs (104), and
slugging percentageIn baseball statistics, slugging percentage is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats:...
(.524). Crawford had another solid year in 1902, leading the
National LeagueThe 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...
in
total basesIn baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run....
(256) and
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(22), and placing second in
batting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
(.333),
slugging percentageIn baseball statistics, slugging percentage is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats:...
(.461), and extra base hits (43). Crawford hit a remarkable 12 inside-the-park home runs in 1901 – a major league record that has never been equaled. He also holds the career record with 51 inside-the-park home runs.
Detroit Tigers: 1903-1917
At the end of 1902, a bidding war for players developed between the National and American Leagues. Crawford signed contracts with both the Reds and the
Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in . The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant 10 times...
. The competing contracts led to a publicized legal dispute, with a judge ultimately awarding Crawford to the Tigers but requiring $3,000 in compensation to the Reds.
Crawford joined the Tigers for the 1903 season and remained there until the end of his major league career in 1917. In 1903, he led the
American LeagueThe 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, that eventually aspired to major league...
with 25
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and finished second in the batting race with a .335
batting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
.
With the addition of
Ty CobbTyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was a baseball player and is regarded by some historians and journalists as the best player of the dead-ball era, and is generally seen as one of the greatest players of all time.In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the...
at the end of the 1905 season, the Tigers had two of the best hitters in baseball. Cobb and Crawford led Detroit to three straight American League pennants in 1907, 1908, and 1909, but both of them slumped in their World Series appearances, contributing to the Tigers’ losses in back-to-back-to-back World Series. Crawford hit for a .243 average in three World Series, and Cobb hit an uncharacteristic .200 in the
1907 World SeriesThe 1907 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, with the Cubs winning the Series four games to none for their first championship....
and .231 in the
1909 World SeriesThe 1909 World Series featured the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates won the Series in seven games to capture their first championship of the modern Major League Baseball era and the second championship in the club's history....
.
Although Crawford never got to play in another World Series, he remained one of the most feared hitters in baseball through 1915. In 1911, he hit a career-high .378 with 115 RBIs and 57 extra base hits. From 1913-1915, Crawford played in 472 consecutive games for the Tigers. In another remarkable feat, Crawford was among the American League leaders in hits, RBIs, extra base hits,
slugging percentageIn baseball statistics, slugging percentage is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats:...
, and
total basesIn baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run....
every year from 1905-1915. He led the American League in
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
five times, including an American League record 26
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in 1914. Crawford remains the all-time major league leader with 309
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in his career.
Though his fielding suffered in his later years, Crawford was an excellent fielder in his prime. In 1905, he led all
American LeagueThe 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, that eventually aspired to major league...
outfielders with a .988
fielding percentageIn 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...
–35 points higher than the league average. And in 1900, his
range factorRange Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
was 2.68 – 55 points higher than the league average of 2.13.
In 1916, the Tigers began transitioning the right field responsibilities from Crawford to their young hitting star,
Harry HeilmannHarry Edwin Heilmann , nicknamed “Slug,” was a major league baseball player who played seventeen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.Heilmann was a line drive hitter who won four American League batting crowns: in 1921, 1923,...
. That year, Crawford played 78 games in right field, and Heilmann played 66. Despite leading the league in both RBIs (112) and
extra base hitIn baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
s (54) in 1915, Crawford saw his plate appearances cut almost in half in 1916 (from 694 to 368) as the Tigers made room in the lineup for Heilmann.
In 1917, Crawford lost his spot in the lineup altogether and was relegated principally to a pinch-hitting role. In his new limited role, Crawford did not fare well, batting .173 in 104 at bats. At the end of the 1917 season, Crawford was released and did not play again in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
.
Player, coach and umpire in California: 1918-1936
Despite being discarded by the Tigers, Crawford was not ready to quit playing. He joined the Los Angeles Angels in the
Pacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor league baseball league operating in the West, Midwest, and Southeast of the United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League...
, helping them to win league championships in 1918 and 1921. Perhaps hoping to show the Tigers were wrong in casting him aside, Crawford exploded on the scene for the Angels, as he got two hits, stole a base, and threw out two runners in his first game. Crawford played four seasons for the Angels (1918-1921). In 1919, he hit .360 with 239 hits, 41 doubles, 18
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 14 home runs, and 14 stolen bases. He collected another 239 hits, 46 doubles, and 21
triplesIn baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in 1920, and even in 1921 managed 199 hits and 44 doubles.
Crawford decided to stay in Southern California, and in 1924, he accepted a position as the head coach of the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
baseball team. Crawford was the USC baseball coach from 1924-1929 and was instrumental in the development of the
California Intercollegiate Baseball AssociationThe California Intercollegiate Baseball Association was a college baseball association that competed under the Pacific Coast Conference, much like a 'division' in modern day college athletic conferences. The association was formed in 1927 by USC, Cal, Saint Mary's College of California, Santa...
in 1927. He led USC to a second-place finishes in his last two seasons. Crawford was 59-46-3 as the USC coach and 55-33 against other college teams. Crawford later worked as an umpire in the
Pacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor league baseball league operating in the West, Midwest, and Southeast of the United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League...
from 1935-1938. Crawford found it to be a thankless job and a lonely life, and quit after four years.
The Crawford-Cobb rivalry
Sam Crawford and
Ty CobbTyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was a baseball player and is regarded by some historians and journalists as the best player of the dead-ball era, and is generally seen as one of the greatest players of all time.In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the...
were teammates for parts of thirteen seasons. They played beside each other in right and center field, and Crawford followed Cobb in the
batting orderBatting order may refer to:*batting order *batting order...
year after year. Despite the physical closeness, the two had a complicated relationship.
Initially, they had a student-teacher relationship. Crawford was an established star when Cobb arrived, and Cobb eagerly sought his advice. In interviews with
Al StumpAl Stump , was an American author and Sports writer. Stump spent a great deal of time with Ty Cobb before Cobb's death. Stump wrote two books on Cobb and a handful of magazine articles about the time the two men spent together...
, Cobb told of studying Crawford’s base stealing technique and of how Crawford would teach him about pursuing fly balls and throwing out base runners. Cobb told Stump he would always remember Crawford’s kindness.
The student-teacher relationship gradually changed to one of jealous rivals. Cobb was not popular with his teammates, and as Cobb became the biggest star in baseball, Crawford was unhappy with the preferential treatment given to Cobb. Cobb was allowed to show up late for spring training and was given private quarters on the road – perks not offered to Crawford. The competition between the two was intense. Crawford recalled that, if he went three for four on a day when Cobb went hitless, Cobb would turn red and sometimes walk out of the park with the game still on. When it was initially (and erroneously) reported that
Nap LajoieNapoléon "Nap" Lajoie [la-ZHWAH, or often la-ZHWAY, per the Canadian French pronunciation; or, as he himself usually pronounced it, LAJ-a-way] , also known as Larry Lajoie, was an American major league baseball player of French Canadian descent from Woonsocket, Rhode Island...
had won the batting title, Crawford was alleged to have been one of several Tigers who sent a telegram to Lajoie congratulating him on beating Cobb.
In retirement, Cobb wrote a letter to a writer for
The Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
accusing Crawford of not helping in the outfield and of intentionally fouling off balls when Cobb was stealing a base. Crawford learned about the letter in 1946 and accused Cobb of being a “cheapskate” who never helped his teammates. He said that Cobb had not been a very good fielder, “so he blamed me.” Crawford denied intentionally trying to deprive Cobb of stolen bases, insisting that Cobb had “dreamed that up.”
When asked about the feud, Cobb attributed it to jealousy. He felt that Crawford was “a hell of a good player,” but he was “second best” on the Tigers and “hated to be an also ran.” Cobb biographer Richard Bak noted that the two “only barely tolerated each other” and agreed with Cobb that Crawford’s attitude was driven by Cobb’s having stolen Crawford’s thunder.
Although they may not have spoken to each other, Cobb and Crawford developed an uncanny ability to communicate nonverbally with looks and nods on the base paths. They became one of the most successful double steal pairings in baseball history.
After Cobb died, a reporter found hundreds of letters in Cobb’s home answering letters Cobb had written to influential people lobbying for Crawford’s induction into the Hall of Fame. Crawford was reportedly unaware of Cobb’s efforts until after Cobb had died.
The Baseball Hall of Fame and The Glory of Their Times
Crawford was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the
Veterans CommitteeThe Veterans Committee, officially the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Baseball Veterans, is a committee of the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame that provides an additional opportunity for Hall of Fame election to players passed over in initial Hall of Fame balloting by the Baseball Writers...
in 1957. At the time, Crawford was living in a little cabin on the edge of the
Mojave DesertThe Mojave Desert , , locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
near
Pearblossom, CaliforniaPearblossom is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of 2,435...
. Reporters showed up in Pearblossom with the news, shocking the locals who were unaware that their neighbor had even played
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
. After his election, Crawford told the curator in Cooperstown that he wanted his plaque to read, “Wahoo Sam.” He noted: “That’s my hometown, and I’m proud of it.”
In retirement, he became somewhat reclusive, staying away from official baseball functions. In March 1964, in Baywood Park, California, Crawford was interviewed by
Lawrence RitterLawrence S. Ritter was an American writer whose specialties were economics and baseball.Ritter was a professor of economics and finance, and chairman of the Department of Finance at the Graduate School of Business Administration of New York University. He also edited the academic periodical...
for his 1966 book
The Glory of Their TimesThe Glory Of Their Times: The Story Of The Early Days Of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It is a book, edited by Lawrence Ritter, telling the stories of early 20th century baseball. It is widely acclaimed as one of the great books written about baseball...
, a series of interviews with the players of the early 20th Century. Crawford's tales of Tiger teammates such as Cobb, Cincinnati teammates like deaf player
William "Dummy" HoyWilliam Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from 1888 to 1902, most notably the Cincinnati Reds and two Washington, D.C...
, and opponents such as Wagner helped to make the book one of the most admired ever written about baseball.
Crawford spent much of his later years working in his garden and reading. During the Ritter interviews, Crawford quoted from the works of philosopher
George SantayanaGeorge Santayana , was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters. Of his nearly 89 years, he spent 39 in the U.S...
and abolitionist
Robert IngersollColonel Robert Green Ingersoll was a Civil War veteran, American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism.-Biography:...
, and discussed the works of one of his favorite writers,
Honoré de BalzacHonoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of almost 100 novels and plays collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the fall of Napoléon Bonaparte in 1815.Due to his keen observation of detail...
. As for how he hoped to be remembered, Crawford said: “When I kick off they’ll say, ‘Well, good old Sam, he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. Everything considered, he was pretty fair and square. We’ll miss him.’”
Crawford suffered a stroke on May 26, 1968, and died two weeks later at Hollywood Community Hospital in Los Angeles at age 88. He was interred in the
Inglewood Park CemeteryInglewood Park Cemetery, was founded in 1905 in the city of Inglewood, California. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed here.-List of notable and celebrity burials at Inglewood Park:...
in
Inglewood, CaliforniaInglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. In 2006, its population was estimated at 129,900. The city is in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area...
. In 1999, he ranked Number 84 on
The Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the
Major League Baseball All-Century TeamIn 1999, Major League Baseball All-Century Team was chosen. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest players from the past century. Fans then voted on the players using paper and online ballots....
.
Career statistics
| G Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
|
AB In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
|
R |
H |
2B In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
|
3B In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
|
HRIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
|
RBI |
SB |
CS In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt...
|
BB A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
|
SOIn baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters. Pitchers with a greater number of strikeouts are often praised, while batters with a greater number of...
|
BA Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
|
OBP In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
|
SLG In baseball statistics, slugging percentage is a popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats:...
|
TB In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run....
|
SH |
HBP In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher...
|
| 2517 |
9570 |
1391 |
2961 |
458 |
309 |
97 |
1525 |
366 |
n/a |
760 |
104 |
.309 |
.362 |
.452 |
4328 |
241 |
23 |
See also
External links