Ned Williamson
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Ned Williamson | |
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Catcher | |
Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
MLB debut | |
May 1, 1878 for the Indianapolis Blues | |
Final game | |
September 27, 1890 for the Chicago Pirates | |
Career statistics | |
AVG | .255 |
HR | 64 |
RBI | 667 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
Edward Nagle Williamson (October 24, 1857 - March 3, 1894) was a Major League baseball player for the Indianapolis Blues (1878), Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) (1879-1889), and Chicago Pirates (1890). He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1883, Williamson set the single season double record with 49 using the short dimensions of Chicago's Lakeshore Park, which fences were 180' in left field, 300' in center field, and 196' in right field. If a ball was hit over the fence it was counted as a double until 1884, which it then became a home run. His double record stood until Tip O'Neill of the St. Louis Browns hit 52 in 1887.
In 1884, Williamson set the single season home run record with 27 in a 112-game season, besting the record of 14 set by Harry Stovey the previous year. This record stood for thirty-five years, finally topped by Babe Ruth in 1919, when he hit 29 for the Boston Red Sox in a 140 game schedule. On May 30th of that year, he became the first major league baseball player to hit 3 home runs in one game. Historians look upon Williamson's records skeptically, due to those all-too-friendly dimensions of Lakeshore Park.
Williamson died at the age of 35 of dropsy complicated by consumption[1] in Willow Springs, Arkansas. He was laid to rest at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Too Young to Die. Retrieved October 11, 2006.
- ^ Ned Williamson Stats. Retreived October 11, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- BaseballLibrary.com
- A Short History of the Single Season Home Run Record
Preceded by King Kelly |
Single season doubles record holders 1883-1886 |
Succeeded by Tip O'Neill |
Preceded by Buck Ewing |
National League Home Run Champion 1884 |
Succeeded by Abner Dalrymple |
Preceded by Harry Stovey |
Single season home run record holder 1884-1919 |
Succeeded by Babe Ruth |