Fred Snodgrass

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Fred Snodgrass

Frederick Carlisle Snodgrass (October 19, 1887 - April 5, 1974) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1916 for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. He played under manager John McGraw and with some of the early greats of baseball including Christy Mathewson.

Fred Snodgrass was born in California, the son of Andrew Jackson Snodgrass and his wife Addie McCoy. Fred Snodgrass married Josephine Vickers. While Fred played for the Giants, they lived in New York City.

Snodgrass played in 3 consecutive World Series for the Giants from 1911 to 1913. Unfortunately the Giants lost all of them, and he is remembered for committing an error on a routine fly ball in the tenth inning of the deciding game which allowed the Boston Red Sox to win the 1912 Series. The play was forever known as "Snodgrass' Muff". Despite the infamy of the "muff," the play only resulted in the ultimately tying run being put onto second base. It did not cause any runs to score. Ironically, Snodgrass made a spectacular catch on the very next play, a long drive by the dangerous Harry Hooper. Tris Speaker came to bat, and Snodgrass' teammates made a worse goof: Speaker hit a simple foul; Christy Mathewson, the pitcher, Fred Merkle, the first baseman, and Chief Meyers, the catcher, met between first base and home plate to catch the ball, but in an "after you" stalemate they let the ball fall to the ground. Shortly afterward the Red Sox scored the winning run. Giants manager John McGraw never blamed Snodgrass for this.

By 1920, Fred and Josephine had moved back to California, where they lived for a time in Oxnard, Ventura County.

Many years later, Snodgrass was interviewed by Lawrence Ritter for The Glory of Their Times.

Snodgrass lived out his life later in the West with real estate and investment. However, when he died, the New York Times summed up his obituary with: "Fred Snodgrass, 86, Dead; Ball Player Muffed 1912 Fly."

Fred Snodgrass died 5 Apr 1974 in Ventura, Ventura County, California. His wife Josephine died 1 Jan 1983 in Ventura, California. They had two daughters : Eleanor in 1917 and Elizabeth in 1922.

[edit] Sources

6 Apr 1974 -- New York Times: Fred Snodgrass, 86, Dead; Ball Play Muffed 1912 Fly. Ventura, California, 5 Apr 1974. Fred Carlisle Snodgrass, who muffed an easy fly that helped to cost the new York Giants the 1912 World Series, died today at the age of 86. Mr. Snodgrass played nine years in major league baseball with the Giants and the Boston Braves before moving to California, where he became mayor of Oxnard, a banker, and rancher. He described himself once as a "quick tempered 20-year old kid," when he joined the Giants in 1908 for $150 a month. Mr. Snodgrass made a two-base muff of pinch-hitter Clyde Engle's easy pop fly to set up the tying run. One man walked and another man singled, driving Mr. Engle to tie the game, and putting the winning run on third. A long outfield fly scored the winning run. He is survived by his widow, Josephine, two daughters, Mrs. Eleanor LeFever and Mrs. Elizabeth Garrett, and five grandchildren.