| Ollie Pickering | |
|---|---|
Pickering at a 1921 Old Timers game at League Park, Cleveland. |
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| Center fielder | |
| Born: April 9, 1870 Olney, Illinois |
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| Died: January 20, 1952 (aged 81) Vincennes, Indiana |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 9, 1896 for the Louisville Colonels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 8, 1908 for the Washington Senators | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .272 |
| Hits | 910 |
| Stolen bases | 194 |
| Teams | |
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Oliver Daniel Pickering (April 9, 1870 - January 20, 1952), was a professional baseball player and is noted as the first batter in American League History while playing for the Cleveland Blues in 1901. He went on that season to hit .309 and scored 102 runs for Cleveland. He played outfielder, primarily in center field, in the Major Leagues from 1896-1908. He would play for the Philadelphia Athletics, Louisville Colonels, Cleveland Spiders, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and St. Louis Browns. Upon his retirement from playing the game, he became an umpire and later retired in Vincennes, Indiana.
The term "Texas Leaguer" is often attributed to the debut of Ollie Pickering, either in the majors or the Texas League, who came to bat and proceeded to run off a string of seven straight bloop hits.