Perhaps
the most famous icons of the early days of baseball, today’s subject
for my “100th Anniversary” 1976 sub-set is Hall of Fame shortstop George
Wright, he of the famed 1869 Cincinnati team:
By the time the Major League was formed for the 1876 season, Wright was a
powerful baseball man along with his brother Harry in Boston,continuing
to be the game’s premeir shortstop as he approached the age of 30.
In the inaugural season Wright hit .299 with 72 runs scored over 70
games, and while his performance as a player was slowing down, his
importance to the game was still strong, eventually being acknowledged
with an induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1939, one of the
earliest inductees along with the likes of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
He finished his pro career with a .301 average, collecting 866 hits over 2873 at-bats, with 665 runs scored in only 591 games.
So much more to this historical figure and I suggest those who are not
familiar with him read up on his life as an early promoter of baseball,
cricket, tennis and hockey.