- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
William Robert Hamilton (1866-1940). An outfielder for 3 teams over 14 ML seasons, Sliding Billy was an elite hitter & one of the greatest base runners in history. In 1894, Billy scored a record 198 runs. He ranks 4th all-time in OBP (.455) & 3rd in stolen bases. Billy has a career .344 BA & is 1/3 players to avg 1+ runs scored per game.
- 1 of 5 players to hit a lead-off & walk-off HR in same game
- Was a member of Philly all-.400 outfield in 1894 (.404)
- Won 6 NL pennants, 5 as a manager
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1961
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
“Piano Legs” (1857-1933). An outfielder for 4 teams over 14 major league seasons, Gore was an excellent hitter who played on 7 pennant winning teams and in 4 World Series. His alcoholism oftentimes put him at odds with teammates, fans, and managers.
- All-time leader in OF errors: 368
- Stole 7 bases in 1 game; a record
- Had 5 extra-base hits in 1 game: a record he achieved by hitting 3 doubles & 2 triples against Old Hoss Radbourn
- Won NL batting title: 1880
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Elmer Ellsworth Foster (1861-1946) was an outfielder with the New York Metropolitans, New York Giants and Chicago Colts over a six year span beginning in 1886. The very rare baseballer who threw left and batted right, Foster achieved a career batting average of .187.
- One of the first five major leaguers born in Minnesota
- Played at Haverhill with future Hall of Famers Wilbert Robinson and Tommy McCarthy
- Noted for his speed on the base paths, Foster always had an explanation if caught stealing: “Why, I wasn’t a bit tired. Why should I have stopped running?”
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Buffalo
- Team: Bisons
- League: National League
Charles Joseph Foley (1856-1898) was a versatile Irishman with the Boston Redcaps & Buffalo Bisons over six seasons, playing OF, 1B & pitching. Foley was an early & tragic victim of the reserve clause. Already impaired by rheumatism, he was run out of the game by management who saw a faker & would neither play nor release him.
- First batter to hit for the cycle (in 1882)
- Participated in the first duel of left-handers, versus Bobby Mitchell of Cleveland, July 19, 1879
- Cited by John Montgomery Ward as a prime example of the abuses of the reserve clause
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Quakers
- League: National League
James G. Fogarty, (1864-1891) was a speedy outfielder and infielder with the Philadelphia Quakers of the NL and the Philadelphia Athletics of the Players’ League where he was also the manager. Fogarty was one of the swiftest of the early era, stealing a league high 99 bases in 1889. In his seven years in Philly, Fogarty was a consistent offensive contributor, driving in 35 to 58 runs each season.
- A native San Franciscan, Fogarty graduated from St Mary’s College of California
- Joined the short-lived Players’ League, 1890 in an attempt to break the reserve clause
- Died way too early of tuberculosis in Philadelphia at age 27
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