- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AA)
- League: American Association
Henry E. Larkin (1860-1942). A good first baseman and an excellent hitter for 3 teams over 10 professional seasons, Larkin retired with a .303 lifetime batting average. Larkin batted over .300 6 times in his career and retired with an OPS+ of 142. His best season may have been 1890, when he hit .330, scored 93 runs and knocked in another 112 with an OPS of .901.
- Hit for the cycle: 1885
- Hit 4 doubles in one game – a record tied many times but never broken
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Browns (AA)
- League: American Association
Walter Arlington Latham (1860-1952). Nicknamed “The Freshest Man on Earth” for his comedic personality, Latham was a 3rd baseman for 6 teams over 17 seasons & is credited as the 1st full-time base coach in history. Latham’s antics of distraction while coaching 3rd base inspired Major League Baseball to implement the coaching box.
- At age 49, became the oldest player to steal a base
- Ranks 8th all-time in SBs: 739
- Holds career record for errors at 3rd base: 822
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Omaha
- Team: Omahogs
- League: Western Association
John Atkinson Leighton (1861-1956) enjoyed a lengthy baseball career from 1887 through 1901, but his only major league stint was for the Syracuse Stars of the American Association in 1890. He played in seven games and batted .296 while playing the outfield. A long-lived Massachusetts native, Leighton was considered the oldest living player until his death, whereupon he was succeeded in that status by Dummy Hoy. Leighton was part of the Stars’ only ML season. He was a teammate of their top hitter, Cupid Childs and their ace Dan Casey on the mound.
- Leighton appeared in the Old Judge series as a CF for the Omaha Omahogs, but there is no reference to him on the team’s roster
- Leighton did play for Syracuse and Providence in the International League and Lewiston in the New England League
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Cleveland
- Team: Blues (AA)
- League: American Association
Thomas Joseph Loftus (1856-1910) played only 9 MLB games, as an outfielder, before moving on to his true calling: managing. He piloted six clubs in four leagues: the Union Assoc’s Brewers, the Cleveland Blues of the AA, Cleveland Spiders of the NL, the Reds in their first NL year, the Chicago Orphans also of the NL, and Washington Senators of the AL. In each managerial stint, Loftus had an ownership stake in the team.
- Managed over 1000 ML games with a record of 454-580
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Chicago
- Team: Maroons
- League: Western Association
Herman C. Long (1866-1909). A shortstop for 5 teams over 16 seasons, Long was a member of 5 NL pennant-winning teams. Despite a good career, Long is perhaps best known as the record holder for total errors (1,096) & errors by a SS in a career (1,070). Despite these records, Long was statistically a better than average defender & was considered a good shortstop by his peers.
- NL HR Champ: 1900
- .300+ batting average: 4x
- 2 seasons with 100+ RBI; 2 with 100+ Runs
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Omaha
- Team: Omahogs
- League: Western Association
Thomas Joseph Lovett (1863-1928) had a supernova-like splash of brilliance on the mound for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms before fading into obscurity. Lovett debuted in MLB for the Athletics in 1885, making only 16 appearances that summer. Signed by Brooklyn in its final year in the American Association, Lovett had his year-of-a-lifetime in 1890 with the newly minted NL Brooklyn franchise. He was 30-11 with a 2.78 ERA, pitched four complete games in the post-season, winning two in a series draw with Louisville. Lovett’s final brush with greatness occurred on June 22 the following year as he hurled a no-hitter against the Giants.
- Lovett’s career record was 88-59 with a 3.94 ERA
- He had one more strong year with Brooklyn in ’91 (23-19) before ending his tenure in Boston in ‘94
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Milwaukee
- Team: Creams
- League: Western Association
Robert Lincoln Lowe (1865-1951) played a dozen years for the Boston Beaneaters, then a half dozen more for Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit. He could play every position and set several batting records in a long and illustrious major league career. Upon his retirement he held the best fielding average of all-time at second base, proving his value in all aspects of the game. Orphaned at 15, Lowe was a hard-working young man supporting his family in the Pittsburgh area. Friends convinced his employers to give Bobby time to play the game he clearly excelled at, leading to a chance with Eau Claire of the Northwestern League in 1887. After a couple seasons in the Western Associaton, Boston bought his contract, a deal once called “one of baseball's biggest bargains.” Lowe established himself as perhaps the best second-baseman of the 19th century and helped lead the team to five pennants. As the starter at second for eight straight seasons, Lowe formed a great double-play combo with Herman Long. With Fred Tenney at first and Jimmy Collins at third, the infield was touted by some as the best ever. When he moved to the Orphans (Cubs) in 1902, manager Frank Selee knew he had a leader and made Bobby the captain. Relegated to backing up Johnny Evers in '03, Lowe moved on to Detroit via a one-game stint with the Pirates and was named manager of the Tigers in '04. Upon his retirement from the majors, the Detroit News lauded Bobby's character: “There is no better type of the gentleman in baseball and no one ever heard ought but words of praise for him.”
- Among Lowe's batting accomplishments: first to hit four home runs in a game, first to hit for 17 total bases in a game, went six-for-six in another game, scored six times in yet another, batted over .300 five straight seasons
- Hit a solid .273 lifetime, with 74 home runs
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AA)
- League: American Association
Dennis Patrick Aloysius Lyons (1866-1929) was a strong hitting third-baseman over a thirteen year career in the major leagues from 1885 with Providence to 1897 with the Pirates. His lifetime batting average was .310. In 1890 he led the American Association in on-base percentage and slugging, and was second to Chicken Wolf in BA. He hit 62 home runs in the Deadball Era and was known as a formidable fielder in the no-glove era. Lyons’ era was also a time of rapid evolution in the game. In 1887, the year Denny “hit” safely in 52 straight, the pitcher’s box had been tightened and the pitcher’s delivery shortened to one step. Walks were also considered hits that year which has caused most modern students of the game to dismiss his “streak,” second only to Joltin’ Joe. But DiMaggio didn’t have to hit a fastball hurled from fifty feet. Only two of the 52 games was affected by walks but they were in the middle of the run. Despite such quibbles, Lyons was clearly a very accomplished player both offensively and afield.
- Consistently ranked among batting leaders in both leagues he starred in: AA and NL
- An Amos Rusie fastball broke two fingers and ended Denny’s ML tenure. He continued in the minors and hit .274 for the Beaumont Oil Gushers in 1903
Ars Longa Store
Newsletter
