Tommy Leach
From BR Bullpen
Thomas William Leach
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Weight 150 lb.
- Debut September 28, 1898
- Final Game September 2, 1918
- Born November 4, 1877 in French Creek, NY USA
- Died September 29, 1969 in Haines City, FL USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Tommy Leach had the first base hit ever in the World Series, a triple against the legendary Cy Young in the first inning of Game One of the 1903 World Series played in Boston. He came in to score the first World Series run on Honus Wagner's single.
Leach, although not a Hall of Famer, was a major star of his time. He played 19 years in the major leagues, many of them as a teammate of Honus Wagner, and had a Gray Ink score of 118 (144 is the average Hall of Famer score). He broke in with the Louisville Colonels in the 19th Century, at a time when Wagner was also a young player there, and came to the Pittsburgh Pirates along with Wagner after the 1899 season.
Leach had a long life, living over 90 years. Although he first played major league ball in 1898, he lived long enough to see all of the career of Mickey Mantle.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time NL Runs Scored Leader (1909 & 1913)
- NL Triples Leader (1902)
- NL Home Runs Leader (1902)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1907 & 1909)
- Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1909
[edit] Further Reading
- Lawrence Ritter: The Glory of Their Times, The Macmillan Company, New York, NY, 1966, pp. 20-33.
