| Home Run Baker | |
|---|---|
| Third Baseman | |
| Born: March 13, 1886 Trappe, Maryland |
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| Died: June 28, 1963 (aged 77) Trappe, Maryland |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 21, 1908 for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1922 for the New York Yankees | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .307 |
| Home runs | 96 |
| Runs batted in | 987 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
| Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1955 |
| Election Method | Veteran's Committee |
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era.
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He was born in Trappe, Maryland, was a butcher by trade, and broke into the major leagues in 1908 with the Athletics.
Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in Game 2, and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game 3. His home run crown would be the first of four consecutive seasons leading the American League in home runs. He hit 11 home runs in 1911, 10 home runs in 1912, 12 home runs in 1913, and nine home runs in 1914. In two of those seasons he also led the American League in runs batted in.
In seven seasons with the A's he hit .321 with 48 home runs, 612 RBIs and 88 triples in 866 games played.
Baker played third base for the Athletics until 1915, when he sat out the entire season in a contract dispute with Connie Mack. He remained in baseball, playing for Upland, Pennsylvania in the semiprofessional Delaware County League.[1]
Mack sold Baker's contract in 1916 to the New York Yankees, with whom he finished his career. He led the league in games played with 141 games in 1919
Initially, Baker retired in 1920, but came back to play two more seasons with the Yankees, seasons that took him to two more World Series. He finished his tenure with the Yankees with a .288 batting average, 46 home runs and 375 RBIs in 676 games.
Following his retirement, Baker managed for two seasons (1924-1925) in the Eastern Shore Baseball League, and was credited with discovering Jimmie Foxx and recommending him to Athletics manager Connie Mack.
In addition to his 1955 election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1981 Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.
Home Run Baker was laid to rest in Easton, Maryland.
There is a statue of Home Run Baker in the southwest area of UMass-Amherst. It was erected by a University of Massachusetts student.
| Preceded by Jake Stahl |
American League Home Run Champion 1911-1914 (1912 with Tris Speaker) |
Succeeded by Braggo Roth |
| Preceded by Ty Cobb |
American League RBI Champion 1912-1913 |
Succeeded by Sam Crawford |
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