Jimmy Sheckard

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Jimmy Sheckard baseball card

Samuel James Tilden "Jimmy" Sheckard (November 23, 1878 - January 15, 1947) was an American left fielder and left-handed leadoff hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas (1897-98, 1900-01, 1902-05), Baltimore Orioles (NL) (1899), Baltimore Orioles (AL) (1902), Chicago Cubs (1906-12), St. Louis Cardinals (1913) and Cincinnati Reds (1913).

Sheckard was born in Chanceford Township, Pennsylvania. He enjoyed a great 1901 season with the Superbas, hitting .353 with 11 home runs and 104 runs batted in, and leading the league with 19 triples and a .536 slugging average. In that season Sheckard became the first 20th-century player to hit grand slams in two consecutive games.

With Baltimore in 1899, Sheckard led the league with 77 stolen bases. He played in four World Series with the Cubs, winning championships in 1907 and 1908; and he led the league in 1911 with 121 runs and 147 walks – a major league record until broken by Babe Ruth in 1920, and still a team record.

Sheckard was also the first man to lead the league in homers and steals in the same season (1903). Ty Cobb (1909) and Chuck Klein (1932) are the only other players to do so in the majors.

In his 17-year career, Sheckard hit .274, with 56 home runs, 813 RBI, 1296 runs, 354 doubles, 136 triples, and 465 stolen bases in 2122 games played.

Jimmy Sheckard died at age 68 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from injuries suffered when he was hit by a car while walking to work along a highway.