• Card series: Pilgrims
• City: Pittsburgh
• Team: Pirates
• League: National League

Thomas A. Leach (1877-1969) consistently ranked among the leading hitters of the 1st decade of the 20th century. His 19-year career was spent primarily as a Pirate. Batting ahead of Honus Wagner, “Wee Tommy” was one of the top HR hitters of the era, but it was his capacity for triples that really distinguished him (ranks 23rd in MLB.) He still holds the record of 4 triples in the ’03 Series & is 1st in the NL in inside-the-park HRs. During his 13 years in Pittsburgh, Leach played on 4 pennant winners and one world champion (’09). Moved to the OF to take advantage of his speed, Leach teamed with Dummy Hoy. As the oldest source for Ritter’s “The Glory of Their Times,” Leach related that Hoy could make a distinctive squeak to signal he would catch the ball, and they relied on sign language only as a last resort.

• Leach was widowed twice in 3 years with Pittsburgh but was blessed to have his 3rd wife Sara until the end of his life, just before his 92nd birthday
• He was the last survivor of the premier 1903 World Series