Heinie Zimmerman
From BR Bullpen
Henry Zimmerman
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Weight 176 lb.
- Debut September 8, 1907
- Final Game September 10, 1919
- Born February 9, 1887 in New York, NY USA
- Died March 14, 1969 in New York, NY USA
Contents |
[edit] Biographical Information
- Won the 1912 National League Triple Crown at the time, but it was later found that the league's RBI totals were flawed and he has since seen it stripped from many references. Revised totals indicate that he finished that season with 99 RBI, 3 fewer than Honus Wagner and one behind Bill Sweeney.
He is also infamous for a play that occurred in Game Six of the 1917 World Series: in a rundown play, the White Sox's Eddie Collins avoided Giants' catcher Bill Rariden, forcing Zimmerman to try to chase him down with the ball in his hand, as none of his teammates had covered home plate behind Rariden; Collins crossed home plate with Zimmerman running behind him, scoring a crucial run, and the White Sox went on to win the game and the Series. The play became known as the Zimmerman Chase.
In 1919, Zimmerman was banned from baseball for fixing games along with Hal Chase.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Batting Average Leader (1912)
- NL Slugging Percentage Leader (1912)
- NL OPS Leader (1912)
- NL Hits Leader (1912)
- NL Total Bases Leader (1912)
- NL Doubles Leader (1912)
- NL Home Runs Leader (1912)
- 2-time NL RBI Leader (1916 & 1917)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1917)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1912)
- Won two World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 1907 and 1908 (he did not play in the 1908 World Series)
[edit] Further Reading
- Richard A. Smiley: "I'm a Faster Man Than You Are, Heinie Zim", in The National Pastime - A Review of Baseball History, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, number 26 (May, 2006), pp. 97-103.
