Harry Lord

One of the Deadball Era's top third basemen, Harry Lord was a scrappy fan favorite, noted for knocking down line drives with his body—which reportedly left his chest permanently discolored. A daring speedster, Lord—a left-handed batsman—was once timed going from home to first base in 3.4 seconds (a young Mickey Mantle did it in 3.1 seconds), and averaged 30-plus stolen bases per year. Though sturdily built (5-foot-10, 170 pounds), he preferred to slash the ball to the opposite field and rarely struck out or walked. A .278 career hitter, Harry twice topped the .300 mark—including 1909, when his .315 average ranked fourth in the American League.

In August 1911, manager Hughie Jennings—when asked to name the best active players at each position—didn't hesitate when it came to the hot corner. "Lord is a wonderful third baseman," said Jennings. "He is good on hard-hit balls to his left or right, fields bunts well, and is a hustler every minute during the game. He is a first-class hitter and fine base runner." Jennings wasn't alone in his assessment: A few weeks later, The Sporting News praised Lord as "the best third baseman in the [Ban] Johnson circuit."

Born on March 8, 1882, in Porter, Maine, Lord grew up in nearby Kezar Falls—a small community located along the banks of the Ossipee River. A highly intelligent lad, young Harry had dreams of becoming a lawyer. “As a little chap, I played the game," he later explained, "but never with any thought or desire to use baseball as a means of gaining a livelihood. In fact, I had ambitions in other fields." After high school, Lord enrolled in Bates College, where he fell in love with the game and spent countless hours honing his craft. Needless to say, he soon abandoned his studies to pursue a career in professional baseball.

Lord began his pro career with the New England League's Worcester Busters in 1906. The club was managed by Jesse Burkett, who had been one of the 19th century's greatest batsmen—he topped the magical .400 mark twice and finished with a career .338 average. A diminutive slap-hitter, Burkett encouraged Lord to employ a similar approach at the plate, and also tutored him on the finer points of the game: baserunning, bunting, and situational hitting among them. The youngster was a quick study; within a few years, he was considered one of the brainiest and most well-rounded players in all of baseball.

Having combined to hit .279 while performing admirably in the field during two minor league campaigns (1906-07), Lord was signed by the Boston Red Sox in September 1907. His first full season with the club came in 1908: The 26-year-old hit .259 with 15 doubles and 23 stolen bases; at third base, he committed a whopping 49 errors but finished among the league leaders in putouts, assists, and range factor.

In 1909, Lord blossomed into a star, hitting .315 with 36 steals while ranking second among AL third sackers in both putouts (180) and assists (268). By seasons end, Harry's all-out hustle, toughness, and keen judgment had endeared him to teammates and fans alike. On September 9, The Washington Times wrote: "Lord has hundreds of admirers who consider him the best third baseman in the land."

Harry got off to a blistering start in 1910. Batting out of the two-hole, he collected three hits in the season opener and didn't take his foot off the gas for nearly a month. Beginning on April 23, he enjoyed six consecutive multi-hit games, including a 4-for-6 performance versus Walter Johnson. Having collected hits in 22 of the season's first 27 games, many predicted that Lord—whose average had hovered around .400 for much of the year—would challenge Ty Cobb in the AL batting race. It wasn't to be, however: Lord's season was derailed on July 1, when his finger was broken by a Walter Johnson fastball. "The Big Train" rarely threw at hitters, though it's notable that Harry hit him at a .368 clip (7-for-19) with nary a strikeout in 1910.

Eager to get back into action, Lord taped up his ailing finger and returned to the lineup on July 15. After struggling to the tune of a .189 average during his first 13 games back, Boston unceremoniously traded their tough-as-nails team captain to the Chicago White Sox. Though still not 100 percent, Lord managed to hit .297 with 17 stolen bases in 44 games to finish out the 1910 season. What came next must have sickened baseball fans throughout New England, as Harry set career highs in hits (180), batting average (.327), doubles (18), triples (18), RBI (61), runs scored (103), and stolen bases (43) in 1911. On defense, his .941 fielding percentage was second-best among AL third basemen.

In November 1911, White Sox owner Charles Comiskey cited his star third baseman as one of the 20 greatest players of all-time. A few weeks later, Ty Cobb chose Lord and Frank Baker as the top-two third basemen in the league. Wildly popular in Chicago, the local papers were chock-full of Lord-related stories that off-season, one which speaks to his mischievous, but good-natured personality.

As the tale goes, Lord once purchased an oversized fake diamond at a 10-cent store and presented it to rookie Ping Bodie "in deference to his great feats on the diamond." Touched by the gesture, Bodie vowed he'd never sell the "valuable gemstone." After giving it some thought, however, the youngster began to suspect he had been hoodwinked.

"Here, if you think that is glass," said Lord, "I'll give you this money [$50] for your diamond." Bodie replied, "Not on your life. I wouldn't take a million bucks for that rock. I'm going to save it as a souvenir." Egged on by their team captain, several players offered Ping large sums of money—as much as $200—for the stone, at which point he became convinced of its authenticity. Finally, while waiting to catch a train, Harry asked if he could see the alleged diamond. "Sure," said Bodie, "but it's not for sale." After looking it over, Lord nonchalantly tossed the chunk of glass into a nearby fountain. Though at first dumbfounded, Bodie—realizing he was the victim of an elaborate prank—burst into laughter.

Though his batting average plummeted to .267 in 1912, Lord was still quite productive: He drew a career-high 54 walks, stole 30 bases, scored 83 runs, and ranked among the league's Top 10 sluggers with five long balls (7th) and 12 triples (9th). He followed that by hitting .263 with 12 triples and 24 stolen bases in 1913. Though things appeared fine on the surface, Lord—the undisputed team captain and a fan favorite—soon found himself at odds with Charles Comiskey and was released, at his own request, a few weeks into the 1914 season. The 33-year-old joined the upstart Federal League in 1915, serving as player-manger for the Buffalo Blues. He hit .270 with 20 extra-base hits and 15 steals while guiding the Buff-Feds to a 60-49 record during his tenure.

After the Federal League closed up shop, Harry decided to call it quits and returned home to Maine. All told, he amassed 1,026 hits—107 doubles, 70 triples, 14 home runs—294 RBI, 509 runs scored, and a .278/.326/.356 slash-line over parts of nine big-league seasons. Despite such a short career, he racked up 1,046 putouts at the hot corner, the 81st best total in MLB history.

Noted for his hot streaks, Lord enjoyed 13 four-hit games at the big-league level (he once accomplished the feat on back-to-back days). As mentioned earlier, one of these came at Walter Johnson's expense. In fact, Lord compiled five multi-hit games versus the otherwise fearsome fireballer. During their first 33 meetings, he combined to hit .303 with zero strikeouts. As you might expect, things quickly went downhill. For his career, Harry hit .227 (20-for-88) with one home run(!) and 14 Ks when playing chicken with the "Train."

Harry soon grew bored with retirement and, in 1917, returned to play one last season of pro ball with the Eastern League's Portland, Maine entry (he hit .267 in 102 games). Though he sporadically played on and managed semipro clubs, Lord—a devoted family man—was eager to find a less peripatetic way to spend his time. After running a grocery store for a few years, Lord used his substantial savings to purchase a half-stake in the Portland Lehigh Coal Company, which he helped oversee for 23 years.

On August 9, 1948, Harry Donald Lord passed away at a nursing home in Westbrook, Maine. The Associated Press ran an obituary that read in part:

"Harry D. Lord, 66, former third baseman and team captain of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, died last night. . . . In his heyday—he was up in the majors from 1906 to 1914—Lord was regarded as one of the American League's best base runners and most dangerous hitters. . . . He leaves his wife, a son, Donald, of South Portland, and a daughter, Mrs. Woodbury F. Howe of Portland."

✍️ Bobby King II

        

☑️Sources: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7ef30196 + https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org + https://baseballhistorydaily.com + https://en.wikipedia.org

Pat Seerey: King for a Day

Every good baseball fan knows that the major league record for home runs in a game is four. Most fans can name a large percentage of the players on the list. Many are great Hall of Fame members: Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, Chuck Klein, and Big Ed Delahanty. Two are still active and have the small chance to achieve the feat an unprecedented second time: J. D. Martinez and Scooter Gennett, recently released by the Giants but only 29 years old. Some also had careers just short of Hall of Fame worthiness but still shined during their careers: Joe Adcock, Rocky Colavito, Gil Hodges, Josh Hamilton, and others. Some weren’t prolific home run hitters. But none was as unlikely to make this list as Pat Seerey. I know some very sharp baseball minds that could never come up with his name if asked to name the 18 players who have accomplished the feat.

Pat Seerey not only hit four in one game (1948), he came the closest of anyone to doing it twice. In 1945 Seerey hit three home runs and a triple in a game at Yankee Stadium. Those two games combined saw him amass 31 total bases. He shares this record with Willie Mays. Those seven home runs in only two games would be almost 10% of his final career total.

The 5’ 9”(maybe), 195 to 220-pound Seerey was a husky lad who earned the nickname “Fat Pat" and had great power, but also had a penchant for the strikeout. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians at 18 years of age. The Indians started him out in Class D where he hit 31 home runs in 104 games while batting .330. He also struck out 111 times. He was moved to their Class B franchise in 1942 where he batted .303 with 33 home runs. He also led that league in strikeouts.

In 1943, after only 31 games in Class A ball, the Indians brought him up to the big leagues at 20 years of age. He saw action in only 20 games, hitting one home run. The following season saw him start more than half of the Indians' games in the outfield. Seerey hit 15 home runs, but his 99 strikeouts led the American League. The fans loved him, and he was called “The People’s Choice” because he had the physique of the average guy and looked like a beer-guzzling softball player. The public identified with him.

It was more of the same in 1945: he hit 14 home runs, and his 97 strikeouts led the league again. But on July 13th, Seerey had the first of his two memorable games.

Playing in Yankee Stadium was almost certain death to right-handed hitters, but Seerey defied convention. In his first at-bat, he tripled into Death Valley, driving in the game’s first run and then scored on Jeff Heath’s home run as the Tribe began their assault on Atley Donald. Pat led off the third inning with a home run. In the fourth, he cleared the fences again with a grand slam. He batted again in the fifth with a runner on, but this time grounded into a double play to end the inning. In the seventh, he hit a three-run home run to extend his day’s total to three home runs, a triple and eight RBI. He would have one more at-bat in the ninth inning. With a chance to make history (no player ever hit four home runs and a triple in the same game), Pat hit a hard line drive directly at third baseman, Oscar Grimes, for the final out.

Although 1946 would see him up his home run total to 26, he again led the AL in strikeouts for the third consecutive season with 101. The 1947 season was one of injury, and he only played in 82 games. During this season, Hank Greenberg was hired by new Indians owner, Bill Veeck, to work with Pat and refine his batting skills. Veeck, who purchased the Indians in June of '46, thought he had the second coming of Hack Wilson in Seerey (in many ways he did). During the coming offseason, he hired Seerey to work on his ranch in Arizona, attempting to keep his often ballooning weight under control.

Cleveland enjoyed another great season in 1948, as they won the pennant and a World Championship; unfortunately, Seerey wouldn’t be there to see it. Veeck first put him on waivers, but four teams claimed him, so he was removed from the waiver wire. After only playing in 10 of their first 35 games, Cleveland traded him to the last place Chicago White Sox on June 2nd. (The Indians replaced him with, future Hall of Famer Larry Doby, who would become the first black player in the American League.)

Although he showed signs of greatness with Cleveland, his strikeouts and low batting average had tried the Indians' patience. But Pat would have one more day in the sun with Chicago.

On July 18, 1948, the White Sox played a doubleheader vs. the Athletics at Shibe Park. In the first game, Seerey came in batting .235 and started poorly with a second-inning strikeout. He then led off the fourth inning with a home run. In the fifth inning, he connected again for a two-run blast. In the sixth inning, Pat hit his third homer, this one a three-run belt. The game was becoming a slugfest, and he would see more at-bats. In the seventh inning, he fouled out to the catcher with two runners on base. But Philadelphia scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game. He had another shot at tying the record in the visitor's ninth inning, but Joe Coleman pitched around him. When the A’s went down without scoring in the ninth, the game was sent into extra innings. Seerey received the reprieve he needed to make history.

With two outs in the eleventh inning, Seerey hit his fourth home run of the afternoon to give Chicago a 12-11 lead. After the A’s were dispatched without scoring (they left the bases loaded) in the bottom half of the inning, the victory went to the Sox. His final totals were 4-for-6, four home runs and seven RBI. Seerey went 0-for-2 in the five-inning shortened second game of the twin bill.

After hitting four homers in one game, he would go on to hit only three more in his MLB career. This was Seerey’s last hurrah. Although he finished the year with 18 home runs in 95 games, his low batting average (.229) and high strikeout total (94) quickly put him in the dog house of manager Ted Lyons. He only appeared in four games the following season with the Sox and new manager Jack Onslow.

After being relegated to the minors, he would hit 66 home runs in only 654 at-bats for the Chicago minor league system over the next two seasons (1950-1951), but would never again be called up to the major leagues. At only 26 years of age, his major league career was over. Pat hung on, playing both minor league and semi-professional baseball before calling it quits after the 1952 season. After retirement from the game, Seerey worked as a school janitor in St. Louis.

In 1994 Ted Williams' company produced a 181 card set aptly named "Swinging for the Fences." The set included the most prolific power hitters in baseball history; Ted included Pat Seerey (card #152). Williams received much heat for putting Seerey in a set with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and other immortals, but he would reply: "He did something I never did." It's true: In those two games, “The People’s Choice” had 12 at-bats, scored eight times, hit seven home runs, a triple, and drove in 15 runs.

✍️ Written by Skip Carpentier

Beals Becker

"Beals Becker of the Phillies is one of the heaviest swatsmen in the National League," wrote The Associated Press on July 5, 1915. "In almost every game he grabs off a couple of extra-base hits. . . . He is regarded as one of the greatest 'clean up' batsmen." The 1915 Phillies would, of course, go on to capture the National League pennant, and Becker—a 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pound outfielder whose powerful stroke belied his stature—played a big part in their success. Something of a poor man's Mel Ott, Becker was a left-handed pull hitter who did most of his damage at home. As an outfielder, he possessed good range, a great arm, and—according to numerous newspaper accounts—had quite a flair for the dramatic. 

 As of 1915, Becker had played parts of seven big-league seasons. Four times he had appeared in 100-plus games; in three of those years, he was one of the NL's top six home run hitters—including 1909, when he fell just short (one homer) in the race for long ball supremacy. At age 28, the future looked exceedingly bright. He was coming off his two best offensive campaigns. His 13 triples (6th), nine home runs (6th), .313 batting average (5th), and .502 slugging percentage (2nd) each ranked among the NL's best in 1913. Becker was even better in 1914, setting or tying career highs in hits (167), doubles (24), homers (9), and RBI (66). He hit .325, four points shy of league-leader Jake Daubert.

Philadelphia began the 1915 season on a tear, winning nine of their first ten ballgames. Giants manager John McGraw wasn't impressed and made some derogatory remarks about the Phillies and Becker, who had once played for the acerbic skipper (this wasn't the first time Mugsy had disparaged him in the press). Marred in an 0-for-12 slump, it was just the jolt Becker needed.

On April 20, the Giants hosted Philadelphia at the Polo Grounds. With Philly ahead, 3-2, in the fifth inning, Becker strode to the plate; the crowd, egged on by Mac's comments, booed lustily. The diminutive dynamo responded in kind by taking his vengeance out on a Rube Schauer fastball, connecting for a mighty two-run blow that sealed the game. The already stunned crowd looked on in amazement as Becker boldly snatched the megaphone away from an announcer behind home plate and shouted: “How do you like that, McGraw?”

Feeling ten feet tall, the cocky slugger—now batting third in the order—caught fire, collecting hits in 15 of his next 17 games. He enjoyed two three-hit games during the stretch and smacked three homers, including two more against the Giants. Becker's batsmanship and bravado weren't the only things making headlines. On April 29, the New-York Tribune gushed over the left fielder: "With Becker roving all over creation, it was not surprising that the visitors [Brooklyn] did not break into the run column. Becker made three sensational running catches, and one on [George] Cutshaw in the fourth inning killed a most promising bid for a home run."

Following an 11 at-bat dry spell, Becker began a seven-game hitting streak that saw him bat .387 (12-for-31) with eight RBI—six of which came on June 12 when he connected for a grand slam and a two-run double. In the ensuing 23 games, Becker's hitting cooled off considerably, and by mid-July, he was "sporting" a paltry .240 batting average. Beginning on August 7, the struggling slugger was relegated to a pinch-hitting role. With an insurmountable lead in the NL pennant race, Philadelphia began resting their regulars, allowing Becker to start the season finale on October 6. He smacked a three-run homer in the third inning—single-handedly beating the Brooklyn Robins, 3-2. Though he didn't know it at the time, this was the final hit of his all-too-short major league career.

The Phillies would lose to the Boston Red Sox, 4-1, in the 1915 World Series; Becker, playing in his third career Fall Classic, made two appearances as a defensive replacement. Despite slugging a career-high 11 home runs (4th in the NL) in only 112 games, Becker—who hit .246 and committed 11 errors in the field—was released at season's end. During his three seasons in Philadelphia, the quick-wristed lefty batted .301 with 60 doubles, 29 home runs, 145 RBI, and 137 Ks in 338 games played. All but nine of his long balls came at the Baker Bowl, noted for its short porch (279 feet) in right field.

All told, Becker amassed 763 hits—114 doubles, 43 triples, 45 home runs—296 RBI, 129 stolen bases, and a .276/.335/.397 slash-line over parts of eight big-league seasons. (He was only 29 years old at the time of his premature departure from the majors and might have captured a home run crown had he continued to play home games at the Baker Bowl, where he hit .316 with 22 long balls—49% of his career total—in 673 at-bats.)

In the outfield, Becker split time between the three positions, with 42% of his appearances (322 games) coming in right field. In terms of fielding percentage and range factor-per-game, he was most effective in center. For his career, Becker—who batted and threw left-handed—averaged 21 assists per 154 games played.

Aside from his glory years with the Phillies, Becker also spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Doves (Braves), Cincinnati Reds, and—most notably—the New York Giants. During his three seasons in Gotham (1910-12), "the McGraw men" captured a pair of NL pennants. Initially used in a platoon role, he combined to hit .272 with 44 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 298 at-bats during the 1910 and 1911 seasons. On August 1, 1910, an unidentified United Press scribe offered this glowing assessment of the outfielder's overall skill set:

"Becker has been setting thing[s] afire. Some of his catches actually made the fans gasp. He broke up a game at the polo grounds by his terrific hitting, and he repeated over in Boston when he tied up the game in the ninth inning with a home run over the left-field fence. Becker is a daring base-runner, and there is not a faster man or a better slider on the team."

Becker was New York's starting center fielder for much of the 1912 season; he batted .264 with 18 doubles, eight triples, 30 stolen bases, and 62 RBI in 471 plate appearances. On the outs with McGraw after "Little Napoleon" called his hustle and intelligence into question, Becker was played sparingly over the final two months of the season; he was traded to Cincinnati the following spring. Described by teammates and the press as "having rabbit-ears" (slang for an overly sensitive player), one has to wonder if Mugsy was trying to elicit an insolent response as an excuse to release him. (Becker combined to go 0-for-9 in the 1911 and 1912 Fall Classics, both Giants' losses.)

Following his departure from the majors, Becker spent the next four years (1916-19) with the American Association's Kansas City Blues. He compiled several impressive seasons in the minors, including 1916, when he hit .343 with 15 homers. In 1917, he captured the AA batting title with a .323 mark, prompting The Chicago Daily Tribune to proclaim: "Beals Becker, Undisputed King of Hitters." At the dawn of the lively ball era, he contributed to the offensive explosion that was enveloping pro baseball. In 1922, Becker paced AA batsmen with 362 total bases and ranked second in both batting average (.367) and home runs (26). The 36-year-old enjoyed his last big season in 1923 when he hit .301 with 26 doubles and 13 big flies.

A Kansan by birth, Becker eventually settled down in California and finished out his career in the Pacific Coast League (his last appearance came with the 1925 Seattle Indians). Over parts of 12 minor league seasons, he hit .323 with 189 doubles, 47 triples, and 92 home runs. Combined with his big-league statistics, Becker amassed 2,071 hits, 303 doubles, 94 triples, 137 home runs, and a .303 batting average as a professional.

Having suffered from "a variety of maladies"—the exact nature of which is unknown—for several years, David "Beals" Becker, age 57, passed away on August 16, 1943. He was living with his sister in Huntington Park, California, at the time of his death. On August 18, The New York Sun reported:

"There was a news item in the papers yesterday that, sad in itself, must have taken the minds of veteran Giant fans back to a brighter and happier era. It revealed that Beals Becker had died. Becker's name probably doesn't mean much, if anything, to younger fans but he was an outfielder with the Giants back around 1911, 1912 and 1913 when they won three pennants in a row. He was one . . . [of] that hard running, hard sliding, battling crew that stormed about the National League circuits, stirring up rows and jangles wherever it went."

✍️ Bobby King II

       

☑️Sources: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov + https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org + https://fultonhistory.com + https://www.baseball-reference.com + https://www.pinterest.com

Bobby Lowe

"The crowd saw some of the finest hitting ever seen in this country," reported The Boston Globe on May 31, 1894. "Bobby Lowe broke all league records with four home runs in succession, and then by adding a single, making a total of 17 bases." Sportswriter Tim Murnane noted that the "home runs were on line drives far over the fence, and would be good for four bases on an open prairie." Bolstered by his record-setting game, the Boston Beaneaters' second baseman and leadoff man enjoyed a career year at the plate. He slashed .346/.401/.520 with 34 doubles, 11 triples, 17 home runs (2nd in the NL), 115 runs batted in, 23 stolen bases, and 158 runs scored.

A Pittsburgh native, Lowe was born in July 1865, and by age 16, was starring for local semipro clubs. After three seasons in the minors (he homered in his first professional at-bat), the 5-foot-10 inch, 150 pounder began a 12-year stint with the National League's Boston Beaneaters in 1890. Lowe played his first full season in 1891, hitting .260 with 30 extra-base hits, 74 RBI, and 43 steals. In 1893, the 27-year-old hit .298 with 14 home runs (3rd in the NL), 89 RBI, and 130 runs scored. Following his epic 1894 campaign, Lowe's slugging stats fell off quite a bit, though he was still a force to be reckoned with. During the ensuing six-year span (1895-1900), Bobby hit .289 while averaging 30 extra-base hits, 100 RBI, and 98 runs scored per 154 games played.

Now in his mid-30s, Lowe struggled to hit .250 for the balance of his career (1901-07), though his reputation as a defensive whiz remained firmly intact. At the time of his retirement, Lowe held the record for highest career fielding percentage (.953) by a second baseman; he still ranks among the top 50 at the position in putouts (48th), assists (46th), and range factor-per-game (30th). Lowe's wife, Harriet, once complimented Nap Lajoie on being named the best second sacker of all-time. Lajoie humbly replied: "The greatest second baseman was your husband."

For his career, Lowe amassed 1,934 hits — including 230 doubles, 85 triples, and 71 home runs — 1,135 runs scored, 989 RBI, 303 stolen bases, and a .273/.325/.360 slash-line. Noted for his versatility, "Link" — his middle name was Lincoln — also played shortstop, third base, and the outfield. In 1911, former big leaguer Fred Tenney wrote: "Lowe of Boston was one of those baseball phenomena who could play any position on the team in first-class style."

Following his retirement, Lowe briefly worked as a coach at the college and minor league levels, and then took a job as a scout for the Detroit Tigers, with whom he had finished up his playing career (1904-07). Lowe lived in Detroit for the remainder of his life, where he was employed by the Department of Public Works. In June 1932, Bobby found himself back in the spotlight after Lou Gehrig equaled his four-homer performance. Upon meeting the legendary slugger, Lowe declared: "I feel complimented to share the record with so grand a boy."

In 1936, Lowe — along with 59 others — was considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into Cooperstown. He received more votes (1.9%) than seven future Hall of Famers — including Jesse Burkett, Candy Cummings, Tim Keefe, and Deacon White. On December 8, 1951, Robert Lincoln Lowe passed away, age 86, at his home in Detroit. The Associated Press ran an obituary, the second line of which read: "He was the first of four men in baseball history to hit four home runs in a regulation nine-inning game."

✍️ Bobby King II