George Hall (baseball player)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| George Hall | ||
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| Outfielder | ||
| Born: March 29, 1849 Stepney, England |
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| Died: June 11, 1923 (aged 74) Ridgewood, New Jersey |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: ?? | |
| MLB debut | ||
| May 5, 1871 for the Washington Olympics |
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| Final game | ||
| October 6, 1877 for the Louisville Grays |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .322 | |
| Home runs | 13 | |
| Runs batted in | 249 | |
| Teams | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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George William Hall (March 29, 1849–June 11, 1923) was a professional baseball player who played in the National Association and later the National League. Born in Stepney, England, Hall later immigrated to the U.S. He made his professional debut on May 5, 1871.[1]
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[edit] Early career
George began his professional career with the Washington Olympics of the National Association in 1871, hitting .294 in 32 games. He moved onto the Baltimore Canaries for the 1872 and 1873 seasons, hitting .336 and .345 respectively.[1] Playing mostly center field up to this point, he moved around from center to right field the following year when he played for the 1974 Champions, the Boston Red Stockings.[1][2] After just one season with the Red Stockings, he moved on to play for the Philadelphia Athletics where he had another good season at the plate, hitting .299, and four home runs, which was good for second place behind Jim O'Rourke's six.[3]
[edit] National League
After the 1875 season the National Association folded, leaving room for a new league to begin. In 1876, the National League came into existence, the first official "Major League". George's team, the Athletics, followed that movement with very little success, finishing seventh out of eight teams.[4] One of the bright spots that year for the Athletics was the hitting prowess of their star hitter, George Hall. He led the team in almost all major hitting categories including a .366 batting average, 51 runs scored, and a league leading five home runs.[1] On June 17, 1876, he became the first Major League baseball player to hit 2 home runs in one game.[5] Those 5 home runs stood as the single season home run record until Charley Jones hit 9 in 1879.
For the 1877 baseball season, Philadelphia had been expelled from the league for refusing to go on a western road trip, late in the 1876 season, for financial reasons, so George moved on to play for the Louisville Grays. Again, he had an excellent season, hitting .323, scoring 51 runs, and hitting 8 triples. Surprisingly, after appearing in the league leaders for home runs the last 2 season, he did not hit one in 1877.[1]
[edit] Gambling Scandal and Banning
On October 26, 1877, Louisville club vice president Charles Chase confronted George and fellow Gray, Jim Devlin, with charges that they threw some road games in August and September. Both admit only to throwing non-league games. One of which was an exhibition game in Lowell‚ Mass on August 30, and another in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 3). The admissions also implicated teammates Al Nichols and Bill Craver. Hall claimed that he and Devlin helped in losses to the Cincinnati Reds on September 6 and to the minor league Indianapolis Blues on September 24‚ but he argues that since the Reds were about to be suspended and the games nullified‚ it amounted to an exhibition game.[5] As a result of the scandal, all four players were banned for life from Major League Baseball.
Hall died in Ridgewood, New Jersey at the age of 74. He was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f George Hall's statistics. retrosheet.org. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
- ^ 1874 National Association Standings. retrosheet.org. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
- ^ 1875 National Association Leaders. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ 1876 National League Standings. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b George Hall Chonology. baseballlibrary.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- George Hall (baseball player) at Find A Grave
| Preceded by First Champion |
National League Home Run Champion 1876 |
Succeeded by Lip Pike |
| Preceded by none |
Single season home run record holder 1876-1879 |
Succeeded by Charley Jones |
| Preceded by none |
Career home run record holder 1876 |
Succeeded by Charley Jones |
