Baseball historian and statistician Bill James named Honus Wagner as the second-best player of all time after Babe Ruth, rating him as the best major league player in 1900 and each year from 1902 to 1908. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Wagner played for five teams in that first year, in three different leagues over the course of 80 games. How to Win While Sports Betting? He would hit .252 in 1915 (still worthy of 7thin the League). cemeteries found in Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Wagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in 1909. Well compare him to Wagner, Vaughn and Rodriquez as an offensive player: Jeter was not a match for any of the three as an offensive or defensive player. The Top 15 Biggest Hits in NFL History (With Video), Beckham signs with Ravens without assurance of Jackson as QB, 2023 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 - The Trades Mock, Top 10 Indiana Hoosier Football Players of all-time. There was a problem getting your location. He yelled to Wagner he was going to steal second on the next pitch. Wagner managed the Pirates briefly in 1917, was a coach on the team from 1933 to 1951, and remained a popular figure in Pittsburgh. Leaders of the machine-led Republican Party were touting Wagner for sheriff of Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. Wagners six steals in a World Series would stand until 1967. Unsurprisingly, the ATC asked for Wagner's permission to have his picture on a baseball card. The Flying Dutchman, Pittsburg's finest, Honus Wagner. The 1920-1929 Yankees had Hall of Famers; Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earl Combs, pitchers Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock. Be this as it may, there have been or are now no serious challengers to Mr. Wagner in his generally accepted designation as baseball's greatest shortstop. Honus Wagner, byname of John Peter Wagner, also called the Flying Dutchman, (born Feb. 24, 1874, Mansfield [now Carnegie], Pa., U.S.died Dec. 6, 1955, Carnegie, Pa.), American professional baseball player, one of the first five men elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (1936). This was the real tragedy in Wagner's career. [fn]"Honus Wagner for Sheriff: Famous Pirate Is Logical Candidate of Pittsburg Republicans," New York Sun, March 25, 1917. They participated in the first modern World Series in 1903 (they lost), came back to play Ty Cobbs Detroit Tigers in 1909 (they won). He was 81 years old. I hear other players say they have a cold. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He was the best offensively, on the bases and defensively in the League. 2023 Mock Draft 2.0: Four QB'S to go in the Top 10? To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. You can even pick up a replica of Wagners famous T206 baseball card to take home with you as a souvenir. Wagner was born one of 9 children in the heart of American coal country in western Pennsylvania on February 24, 1874. And now neither do you. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. "Honus was only a solid-to-good, not great, fielder at shortstop," Humphreys wrote. Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. With the opening of the 1954 season at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, the Pirates as part of the inaugural day ceremonies presented a special plaque to Wagner as baseball's Mr. Shortstop. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. I don't make speeches. His play at Patterson attracted the attention of the Louisville club, then a member of the National League and operated by Mr. Dreyfuss, Louisville purchased Mr. Wagner's release for $2,200 and he began his major league career with the Colonels in 1897, winning a regular position at the start. April 3, 2004. The medias negative attention about the greatest player in the game would haunt Wagner. Wagner dropped out of school at age 12 to help his father and brothers in the coal mines. Cobb was a fierce and feisty on the baseball diamond and looked the part of star athlete, where Wagner did not. Wagner is honored in the form of a small stadium residing behind Carnegie Elementary School on Washington Avenue in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. For the bowlegged man from coal country, he was pretty fast on his feet. The card, which was in poor condition, sold in November 2010 to a collector for $262,000, well over the $150,000 that was expected at auction. Who is this man? Help spread the word. Burleigh Grimes, who as a youngster was a teammate of Wagner, recalled One day he was batting against a young pitcher who had just come into the league. Wagner lived the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well known as a friendly figure around town. He had three daughters with his wife Bessie Baine Smith. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? The Honus Wagner Museum is part of the Historical Society of Carnegie and these two museum spaces are housed within the same building in downtown Carnegie, . This notebook contains stories of their memories of Wagner, and reading these stories is a great way to get a feel for his private life and his impact on the community. Try again later. Wagner and the Pirates would prevail in the seven games World Series. But, as with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson and a select few other outstanding performers, there has been almost perfect unanimity among the experts that Honus Wagner belonged among the immortals of the game. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Almanac, by Bill James, The Free Press, 2001. Wagner and the Pirates declined together. Stroud rank? In his work Inside T206: A Collector Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set, Scot A. But still the lore continues on. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, by Bill James, The Free Press, 2001, pp. In 1900 the National League circuit was reduced from twelve teams to eight and Mr. Dreyfuss bought the Pittsburgh franchise, taking Mr. Wagner with him. He received the second-highest vote total, behind Ty Cobb's 222 and tied with Babe Ruth at 215. In response to the authorization request letter sent by John Gruber, a Pittsburgh sportswriter hired by the ATC to seek Wagner's permission, Wagner wrote that he "did not care to have his picture in a package of cigarettes". _____________________________ Ranked Among the Immortals [47], In August 2021, another example sold for $6.6 million exceeding the previous high for most valuable sports card at the time. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. "I name Wagner first on my list, not only because he was a great batting champion and base-runner, and also baseball's foremost shortstop - but because Honus could have been first at any other position, with the possible exception of pitcher. Year should not be greater than current year. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Wagner played in the Dead Ball Era. In 1936 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. During his term as coach of Pittsburgh, Mr. Wagner also served for several years as commissioner for the National Semi-Pro Baseball Congress, in which capacity he had jurisdiction over 25,000 sandlot teams. Wagner is one of a handful of players that can legitimately be rated first, ahead of even Babe Ruth. What does it profit a man to hammer along and make a few hits when they are not needed only to fall down when it comes to a pinch? update=copyright.getFullYear(); When he fielded grounders, his huge hands also collected large scoops of infield dirt, which accompanied his throws to first like the tail of a comet.[11]. document.write(update); That is way too low. Wagner waited for the ball, swung his arm down and smacked Cobb across the face, taking out teeth some say. He had 201 hits, including 39 doubles, 19 triples and ten home runs. The answer is rather obvious. Thats about where the Flying Dutchman is generally rated, between ten and twenty. [2] Honus Wagner is also the featured player of one of the rarest and the most valuable baseball cards in existence. Wagner was offered a $20,000 contract by the Chicago White Sox, but turned it down and continued to play with the Pirates. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. James rates him a D+ on defense. Wagner had a terrible series, going just 1-14 in the best of 9 series. It now stands outside the main gate of PNC Park. And the next decade of baseball would belong to him. [5], Wagner's older brother, Albert "Butts" Wagner, who had a brief major league career himself, is often credited with getting Honus his first tryout. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. During my travels, Im always on the lookout for unique museums to visit, so when I heard that there was a Honus Wagner Museum near Pittsburgh, I knew I had to check it out. background-color:#ba3434; In addition, he led his league in stolen bases in 1901, 1904, 1907 and 1908. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans. The Pirates have relocated twice since then, and the statue has come along with them. That was in fielding. The team fell to seventh in 1914 as Wagner hit .252. Ty Cobb himself called Wagner "maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond". Wagner was a resident of Carnegie (his house sits less than half a mile away from the museum) so the town is a logical spot to have a small museum in his honor. He led the National League seven times at bat and he was always up with the leaders when he was in his forties. Career to date (may be incomplete) $134,550. The 1909 World Series that pitted the two giants against each other would not disappoint. Wagner was born one of 9 children in the heart of American coal country in western Pennsylvania on February 24, 1874. Pittsburgh lost in the best-of-nine series, five games to three, to a team led by pitchers Cy Young and Bill Dinneen and third basemanmanager Jimmy Collins. Based in Carlisle near Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. Interestingly, Wagner was a lifetime resident of the town, and the museum also sits less than 100 yards from where Wagner was born in 1874, though that building is no longer standing. He threatened to seek legal action against ATC if they went ahead and created his baseball card. Sorry! "He was clearly among the better-fielding shortstops of his time, just not an all-time great." Bill James, though, in his New Historical Baseball Abstract, wrote, "Wagner was among the greatest defensive players in the history of baseball." James's . If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. And, while this isnt a large space, there are a ton of things packed into it. The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. While you shouldnt come expecting a collection of game-used items from Wagner, the chance to see a few of his personal belongings, learn more about his life, and to uncover the history of an Allegheny County community make this a neat spot to check out if youre in the area. The card featured in the plot of the Nickelodeon film Swindle. Sports, "Rare baseball card tops $1 million in auction", "Honus Wagner baseball card sells for $2.1M at auction", "A Honus Wagner Baseball Card has been sold privately for $1.2 million", "Rare Honus Wagner card sells for record $3.75 million, trails only Mike Trout in MLB cards", "T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sells for $6.606 million, shattering previous record", "Rare T-206 Wagner card sold for record $7.25M", Hall of Fame Network: "Honus Wagner as Mona Lisa", The T206 Collection The Players & Their Stories, National League season runs batted in leaders, National League season stolen base leaders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Honus_Wagner&oldid=1152108464, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, People from Washington County, Pennsylvania, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, July 19,1897,for theLouisville Colonels, September 17,1917,for thePittsburgh Pirates, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 07:30. Wagner, by this point, was an established star and much was expected of him, especially since the Pirates' starting rotation was decimated by injury. He had a lifetime mark of .328, hit more than .300 in seventeen consecutive seasons. Note that mlb.com's Total Bases do not correspond to the number of hits, 2B, 3B, and HR listed. Looked helpless as a robin. Wagner also coached baseball and basketball at Carnegie Institute of Technology, which is now part of Carnegie Mellon University. He was appointed an assistant sergeant-at-arms in the Pennsylvania State Legislature in 1940 and once was nominated for the office of Sheriff in Pittsburgh. The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even traveled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. Honus had his last big seasons in 1911 and 1912, winning his final batting title in 1911 and finishing second in the league in RBIs the next year. - IMDb Mini Biography By: jefferson-3 Family (1) Spouse Another highlight of the visit is the chance to hold a 1910s era Honus Wagner brand bat that is said to be game-used. Best Online Sports Books Reviews: How To Find The Right One. He returned to the Pirates early in the 1908 season, and finished two home runs short of the league's Triple Crown, leading the league in hitting (for the sixth time) hits total bases doubles triples RBI and stolen bases. . Nuclear Powered Baseball, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ He led the league in stolen bases and had 722 steals on his career. Quoting from The Baseball Biographical Encyclopedia: There probably has never been a more genuine, honest, decent, and beloved ballplayer than Honus Wagner. Raised just outside Pittsburgh, he became the face of the city for the first half of the 20thcentury. On the occasion of his eightieth birthday in 1954, he was deluged with greetings, one of them from President Eisenhower. It was accepted by his daughter, Mrs. Harry Blair. Although in recent years Mr. Wagner remained confined to his home in Carnegie, honors continued to be showered upon him. That is certainly what the club president and club secretary for the Louisville Colonels thought when they first saw him. Ulysses S. Grant was President of the United States and the country was still trying to heal from the Civil War that had ended just 10 years prior. Bet with your head, not over it. Joyce vs Zhang: Can Joe Zap Zhang and Continue his Climb? He hit for average and power and could change the dynamics of a game on . Also known as: Flying Dutchman, John Peter Wagner. Well, Honus hit a line drive so hard the fence in left field went back and forth for five minutes.. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. Wagner hit only .252 in 1914, the lowest average of his career. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. For about two decades, J. Ross Greene kept a deep, delightful secret. Following his brother, Wagner trained to be a barber before becoming successful in baseball. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans, If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into The Grueling Truth sports shows, Where the legends speak. The answer to that question is an article upon itself. There are also many photos from his career, including some of him with other legendary baseball players. For the next nine seasons, Wagner's average did not fall below .330. Following the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated. Wagner would continue to be a great player until 1915. His contributions to a winning team: The Pittsburgh Pirates from 1900 until 1909 had a record of 938-538, a .636 winning percentage. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. - John McGraw in The Sporting News (December 6, 1955), Appeared in The New York Times on December 6, 1955 | Obituaries | Honus Wagner, HONUS WAGNER DIES AT AGE OF 81_____________________________, Shortstop, one of Baseball Immortals, Made Mark With Pittsburgh Club_____________________________, MANY RECORDS STAND_____________________________, Played Most Games, 2,785 and Led League 8 Times - Lifetime Average of .328_____________________________. His numbers: This is not an article on Derek Jeter, but those are good numbers, but not better than the ten were comparing him to, except Ozzie Smith and Ozzies defense was much better. Top 10 All-Time Greatest Mexico vs Puerto Rico Fights, Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Leaders of the New School, Not a super fight, but Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is compelling, Mike Tyson: Monster or Myth? As a child, he was called Hans by his mother, which later evolved into Honus. Copyright 2013-2023 Uncovering Media, LLC - All Rights Reserved, Find more things to do in the Pittsburgh region, Hiking Through the Todd Nature Reserve in Butler County, PA, How to Get to Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Market Square Pittsburghs Most Dynamic Square, How to get to Breakneck Falls in McConnells Mill State Park. In 1916, Wagner became the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park home run. The character Mr. Burns lists three ringers he wants for his company's baseball team, but they are Honus Wagner, Cap Anson, and "Mordecai 'Three Fingers' Brown".
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