Harry Kingman

Harry Kingman
First baseman
Born: April 3, 1892
Tianjin, China
Died: December 27, 1982 (aged 90)
Oakland, California
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
July 1, 1914 for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
August 20, 1914 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
Games played 4
At bats 3
Hits 0
Teams

Henry Lees "Harry" Kingman (April 3, 1892 – December 27, 1982) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Yankees in 1914 and is the only major league player to have been born in China. Kingman stood at 6' 1" and weighed 165 lbs.[1]

Early life

Harry Kingman was born in Tianjin, China, to two western missionaries.[2] In 1899, his father became a chaplain at Pomona College, and Harry eventually attended school there, becoming a star in five sports: baseball, basketball, tennis, track, and swimming. He signed his first major league contract, with the Washington Senators, in June 1914.[2]

Major League Baseball

Before making his major league debut, Kingman was traded to the New York Yankees. He was originally a first baseman, but manager Frank Chance attempted to convert him into a pitcher.[2] That didn't work out, and Kingman eventually appeared in only one game in the field and three as a pinch hitter during July and August 1914. He went 0 for 3 at the plate with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.[1] As of 2014, he is the only MLB player to have been born in China.[3][4][5]

Later life

Kingman left baseball after the season was over and got a job in Stiles Hall at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1921 to 1927, he traveled to China and Japan and worked as a missionary, while also playing and coaching baseball.[2] He returned to Berkeley in 1927. For the next 30 years, he worked at Stiles Hall and also coached the university's junior varsity baseball team.[2]

Kingman was married and had one daughter.[2] He died in 1982, at the age of 90, in Oakland, California.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Harry Kingman Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Timmermann, Bob. "Harry Kingman". bioproj.sabr.org. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  3. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players Born in China". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  4. ↑ Lang, Chris. "Hillcats' Chang, pitchers Mildren, Cheng made World Classic debuts". newsadvance.com, April 11, 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  5. ↑ Bjarkman, Peter C. Diamonds Around the Globe: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), p. 382.

External links