Hack Wilson
Encyclopedia
Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson (April 26, 1900 – November 23, 1948) was an American professional baseball
player who played 12 seasons with the New York Giants
, Chicago Cubs
, Brooklyn Dodgers
and Philadelphia Phillies
. He is best remembered for his season with the Cubs, one of the best individual single-season hitting performances in Major League Baseball
history, during which he hit 56 home runs (the National League
record for 68 years) and 191 runs batted in, a mark that has withstood serious challenge for over 80 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979
.
Wilson was one of the most accomplished power hitters in the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s. His batting talent and propensities for fighting and excessive alcohol consumption made him one of the most colorful sports personalities of his era. His drinking and fighting undoubtedly contributed to a premature end to his athletic career and, ultimately, his premature demise.
steel mill town of Ellwood City. Although only five feet six inches tall, he weighed 195 pounds, and had an 18-inch neck and size-6 shoes. One sportswriter observed that he was "built along the lines of a beer keg, and was not wholly unfamiliar with its contents." His odd physique — large head, tiny feet, short legs and broad, flat face, described in detail in a recent biography — are now readily recognizable as hallmarks of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
, making his later accomplishments, in the face of a crippling congenital disability, all the more remarkable.
Wilson dropped out of school in the sixth grade, then went to work swinging a sledge hammer at a locomotive factory for a salary of four dollars a week. In he traveled to Martinsburg, West Virginia
to play for the Martinsburg Mountaineers of the Blue Ridge League
. In his first professional appearance he broke a leg, and was forced to switch from catcher to outfielder. In he played for the Portsmouth Truckers
and led the Virginia League
in hitting with a .388 batting average in 115 games. New York Giants manager John McGraw
purchased Wilson's contract from Portsmouth for $10,500 late in the season, and he made his major league debut with the Giants on September 29, 1923.
. He became the starting left fielder for the Giants in 1924
after Billy Southworth
fell into a hitting slump. By mid-July he was ranked second in the National League in hitting. Wilson ended the season with a .295 average along with 10 home runs and 57 runs batted in as the Giants clinched the National League pennant
. In the 1924 World Series
he posted a .233 average as the Giants were defeated by the Washington Senators
in seven games.
On April 19, 1925
Wilson hit the longest home run on record at Ebbets Field
during a game against the Brooklyn Robins
, but he fell into a slump in May and was replaced in left field by Irish Meusel
. On July 2 Wilson tied a major league record set by Ken Williams
in by hitting two home runs in one inning. In August the Giants sent him to their minor league affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens
of the American Association
. At season's end a Giants front office oversight left him unprotected on the Toledo roster, and the last-place Chicago Cubs acquired him on waivers
.
and soon became a favorite of Chicago fans. On May 24 he hit the center field scoreboard with one of the longest home runs in Wrigley Field
history as the Cubs came from behind to defeat the Boston Braves
. Later that evening he made news again when he was arrested during a police raid of a Prohibition
-era speakeasy
while trying to escape through the rear window. Wilson ended the season with a league-leading 21 home runs along with 36 doubles, 109 runs batted in, a .321 batting average and a .406 on base percentage. The Cubs improved to fourth place, and Wilson ended the year ranked fifth in voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
Wilson had another strong performance in 1927
, once again leading the league in home runs to help drive the Cubs into first place heading into the final month of the season; but the team faltered, finishing once again in fourth place. He ended the year posting a .318 average, 30 home runs and 129 runs batted in. Wilson also led National League outfielders with 400 put-outs. He led the National League in home runs for a third consecutive year in 1928
with 31, along with 120 RBIs and a .313 average, as the Cubs improved to third place.
Wilson had a combative streak, and frequently initiated fights with opposing players as well as fans. On June 22, 1928, a near-riot broke out in the ninth inning of a game at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Cardinals when Wilson jumped into the box seats to attack a heckling fan. An estimated 5,000 spectators swarmed the field before police could separate the combatants and restore order. The fan sued him for $20,000, but a jury ruled in Wilson's favor. The following year, Wilson took offense at a remark made by Cincinnati Reds
pitcher Ray Kolp
. Upon reaching first base after hitting a single, Wilson charged into the Reds dugout and punched Kolp several times before they could be separated. Later that evening at the train station, Wilson exchanged words with Cincinnati player Pete Donohue
before lashing out with two blows, sending Donohue to the ground. In late 1929 Wilson signed a contract to fight Art Shires
of the Chicago White Sox
in a boxing match; but when Shires lost a fight to Chicago Bears
player George Trafton
in December, Wilson backed out, claiming no benefit to fighting a defeated boxer.
In 1929
Wilson hit .345 with 39 home runs and a National League record 159 RBIs. He and new teammate Rogers Hornsby
(who also contributed 39 home runs) led the Cubs to their first National League pennant in eleven years. In the World Series
against Connie Mack's
Philadelphia Athletics
, Wilson's .471 hitting performance was eclipsed by two fielding errors at Shibe Park. Though trailing the Series 2 games to 1, the Cubs were leading by a score of 8-0 in game 4 when the Athletics mounted a 10-run rally in the seventh inning. Wilson lost two fly balls in the sun; the second, with two runners on base, led to an inside-the-park home run by Mule Haas
as the Athletics won 10-8. After the game, Cubs manager Joe McCarthy reportedly told a boy asking for a souvenir baseball, "Come back tomorrow and stand behind Wilson, and you'll be able to pick up all the balls you want!" The Athletics won again the next day to take the Series in five games.
season, aided by a lively ball wound with special Australian wool, is considered one of the best single-season hitting performances in baseball history. By the middle of July he had accumulated 82 RBIs. In August he hit 13 home runs and 53 RBIs, and by September 15 he had reached 176 RBIs, breaking Lou Gehrig
's 1927 MLB record. He ended the season with 190, along with a National League record 56 home runs, .356 batting average, .454 on-base percentage, and league-leading .723 slugging percentage. He was unofficially voted the National League's most "useful" player by the Baseball Writers Association of America
(which did not inaugurate its official MVP award until 1931).
In the Commissioner of Baseball officially increased Wilson's 1930 RBI total to 191 after a box score analysis by baseball historian Jerome Holtzman
revealed that Charlie Grimm
had been mistakenly credited with an RBI actually driven home by Wilson. 191 RBIs remains one of baseball's most enduring records; only Gehrig (184) and Hank Greenberg
(183) ever came close, and there have been no serious threats in the last 70 years. (Closest was 165 by Manny Ramirez
in .) Wilson's 56 home runs that year stood as the National League record until when it was broken by Sammy Sosa
(66) and Mark McGwire
(70).
he reported to spring training 20 pounds overweight. In addition, the National League responded to the prodigious offensive statistics of the previous year (the only season ever in which the league as a whole batted over .300) by introducing a heavier ball with raised stitching to allow a better grip and sharper curveballs. Wilson complained that the new Cubs manager, former teammate Rogers Hornsby, didn't allow him to "swing away" as much as Joe McCarthy had. He went into a protracted hitting slump and was benched in late May. By late August, Cubs owner William Wrigley, Jr. publicly expressed his desire to trade him. On September 6 the Cubs suspended him without pay for the remainder of the season after a fight with reporters just after boarding a train in Cincinnati; he was hitting only .261 with 13 home runs at the time.
During the 1931-32 off-season the Cubs traded Wilson and Bud Teachout
to the St. Louis Cardinals for Burleigh Grimes
. The Cardinals traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers for minor league player Bob Parham in early 1932
. Wilson hit .297 with 23 homers and 123 RBIs for Brooklyn in 1932, and began 1933
in spectacular fashion with a 9th-inning game-winning pinch-hit
inside-the-park grand slam home run at Ebbets Field—the first pinch-hit grand slam in Dodger history, and only the third inside-the-park pinch-hit grand slam in major league baseball history. However, by season's end his offensive totals had dropped substantially and he was hitting .262 when the Dodgers released him mid-season in 1934
. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him immediately, but after only 2 hits in 20 at-bats he was released again a month later. After a final season in the minor leagues with the Albany Senators, Wilson retired at the age of 35.
.
On October 4, 1948 Wilson was discovered unconscious after a fall in his home. The accident didn't appear serious at first, but pneumonia and other complications developed, and he died of internal hemorrhaging on November 23, 1948 at the age of 48. Wilson died penniless and his son refused to claim his remains. National League President Ford Frick
finally sent money to cover his funeral expenses. In marked contrast to Babe Ruth
's funeral, which had been attended by thousands just three months earlier, only a few hundred people were present for Wilson's services. He is buried in Rosedale Cemetery in the town where he made his professional playing debut, Martinsburg, West Virginia. A Martinsburg street is named Hack Wilson Way in his honor.
In 1979 Wilson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee
.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played 12 seasons with the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He is best remembered for his season with the Cubs, one of the best individual single-season hitting performances in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
history, during which he hit 56 home runs (the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
record for 68 years) and 191 runs batted in, a mark that has withstood serious challenge for over 80 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1979
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1979 followed the system in place since 1978.The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players andelected Willie Mays....
.
Wilson was one of the most accomplished power hitters in the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s. His batting talent and propensities for fighting and excessive alcohol consumption made him one of the most colorful sports personalities of his era. His drinking and fighting undoubtedly contributed to a premature end to his athletic career and, ultimately, his premature demise.
Early life and minor leagues
Wilson grew up in the PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
steel mill town of Ellwood City. Although only five feet six inches tall, he weighed 195 pounds, and had an 18-inch neck and size-6 shoes. One sportswriter observed that he was "built along the lines of a beer keg, and was not wholly unfamiliar with its contents." His odd physique — large head, tiny feet, short legs and broad, flat face, described in detail in a recent biography — are now readily recognizable as hallmarks of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a pattern of mental and physical defects that can develop in a fetus in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Current research also implicates other lifestyle choices made by the prospective mother...
, making his later accomplishments, in the face of a crippling congenital disability, all the more remarkable.
Wilson dropped out of school in the sixth grade, then went to work swinging a sledge hammer at a locomotive factory for a salary of four dollars a week. In he traveled to Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
to play for the Martinsburg Mountaineers of the Blue Ridge League
Blue Ridge League
The Blue Ridge League was a minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 through 1918, and 1920 to 1930....
. In his first professional appearance he broke a leg, and was forced to switch from catcher to outfielder. In he played for the Portsmouth Truckers
Portsmouth Truckers
The Portsmouth Truckers were a Virginia League baseball team based in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA that existed on-and-off from 1895 to 1928. They also played in the Piedmont League in 1935, when they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs....
and led the Virginia League
Virginia League
The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928....
in hitting with a .388 batting average in 115 games. New York Giants manager John McGraw
John McGraw
John McGraw may refer to:* John McGraw , , New York lumber tycoon, and one of the founding trustees of Cornell University* John McGraw , , Governor of Washington state from 1893–1897...
purchased Wilson's contract from Portsmouth for $10,500 late in the season, and he made his major league debut with the Giants on September 29, 1923.
New York Giants
Wilson's stocky physical appearance earned him the nickname Hack, after a popular wrestler of the day named Georg HackenschmidtGeorg Hackenschmidt
Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt was an early 20th-century Estonian strongman and professional wrestler, and the first free-style heavyweight champion of the world. He launched his professional career in Russia and lived most of his life in London, England, where he gained the nickname of 'The...
. He became the starting left fielder for the Giants in 1924
1924 New York Giants season
The New York Giants season was a season in American baseball. The team finished first in the National League with a record of 93-60, winning the pennant by 1½ games over the Brooklyn Robins...
after Billy Southworth
Billy Southworth
William Harrison Southworth was an American right fielder, center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Playing in and and from to , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Southworth managed in and from through...
fell into a hitting slump. By mid-July he was ranked second in the National League in hitting. Wilson ended the season with a .295 average along with 10 home runs and 57 runs batted in as the Giants clinched the National League pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
. In the 1924 World Series
1924 World Series
In the 1924 World Series, the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants in seven games. The Giants became the first team to play in four consecutive World Series, winning in 1921–1922 and losing in 1923–1924. Their long-time manager, John McGraw, made his ninth and final World Series appearance...
he posted a .233 average as the Giants were defeated by the Washington Senators
1924 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators won 92 games, lost 62, and finished in first place in the American League. Fueled by the excitement of winning their first AL pennant, the Senators won the World Series in dramatic fashion, a 12-inning game 7 victory.-Regular season:...
in seven games.
On April 19, 1925
1925 New York Giants (MLB) season
The New York Giants season was a season in Major League Baseball. The Giants finished second in the National League with a record of 86 wins and 66 losses.- Roster :- Starters by position :...
Wilson hit the longest home run on record at Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
during a game against the Brooklyn Robins
1925 Brooklyn Robins season
The 1925 season was one of tragedy for the Brooklyn Robins. Majority owner and team president Charles Ebbets fell ill after returning home from spring training and died on the morning of April 18. Ed McKeever took over as president, but he caught a cold at Ebbets' funeral and died within a week of...
, but he fell into a slump in May and was replaced in left field by Irish Meusel
Irish Meusel
Emil Frederick "Irish" Meusel was an American baseball Left fielder.He was first signed with the Washington Senators in 1914 and played one game. After a tour in the minor league, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1918...
. On July 2 Wilson tied a major league record set by Ken Williams
Ken Williams (baseball)
Kenneth Roy Williams was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from to . Williams began his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds before spending the majority of his playing days with the St...
in by hitting two home runs in one inning. In August the Giants sent him to their minor league affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
. At season's end a Giants front office oversight left him unprotected on the Toledo roster, and the last-place Chicago Cubs acquired him on waivers
Waivers
Waiver or Waivers may refer to:*Waiver, a voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilegeSports*Waivers , an NFL procedure by which a team makes a player contract or NFL rights available to all other teams...
.
Glory years with the Cubs
Wilson regained his form as the Cubs' centerfielder in 19261926 Chicago Cubs season
- Roster :- Starters by position :Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in- Other batters :Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg...
and soon became a favorite of Chicago fans. On May 24 he hit the center field scoreboard with one of the longest home runs in Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
history as the Cubs came from behind to defeat the Boston Braves
1926 Boston Braves season
- Roster :- Starters by position :Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in- Other batters :Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg...
. Later that evening he made news again when he was arrested during a police raid of a Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
-era speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
while trying to escape through the rear window. Wilson ended the season with a league-leading 21 home runs along with 36 doubles, 109 runs batted in, a .321 batting average and a .406 on base percentage. The Cubs improved to fourth place, and Wilson ended the year ranked fifth in voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
Wilson had another strong performance in 1927
1927 Chicago Cubs season
- Regular season :* May 30, 1927: Jimmy Cooney of the Cubs executed an unassisted triple play. He caught a line drive, touched second base and tagged the runner coming from first base.- Roster :- Starters by position :...
, once again leading the league in home runs to help drive the Cubs into first place heading into the final month of the season; but the team faltered, finishing once again in fourth place. He ended the year posting a .318 average, 30 home runs and 129 runs batted in. Wilson also led National League outfielders with 400 put-outs. He led the National League in home runs for a third consecutive year in 1928
1928 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs is a professional baseball team that makes its home in the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois at the Wrigley Field ballpark. The team completed the 1928 season with a record of 91 wins and 63 losses, putting them in third place in the National League season standings. Future hall of...
with 31, along with 120 RBIs and a .313 average, as the Cubs improved to third place.
Wilson had a combative streak, and frequently initiated fights with opposing players as well as fans. On June 22, 1928, a near-riot broke out in the ninth inning of a game at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Cardinals when Wilson jumped into the box seats to attack a heckling fan. An estimated 5,000 spectators swarmed the field before police could separate the combatants and restore order. The fan sued him for $20,000, but a jury ruled in Wilson's favor. The following year, Wilson took offense at a remark made by Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
pitcher Ray Kolp
Ray Kolp
Raymond Carl Kolp , was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1921-1934. He would play for the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds....
. Upon reaching first base after hitting a single, Wilson charged into the Reds dugout and punched Kolp several times before they could be separated. Later that evening at the train station, Wilson exchanged words with Cincinnati player Pete Donohue
Pete Donohue
Peter Joseph Donohue was a right-handed starting pitcher with a 12-year career from 1921 to 1932. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, both of the National League, and the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox of the American League...
before lashing out with two blows, sending Donohue to the ground. In late 1929 Wilson signed a contract to fight Art Shires
Art Shires
Charles Arthur Shires was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators and Boston Braves...
of the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in a boxing match; but when Shires lost a fight to Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
player George Trafton
George Trafton
George Edward Trafton , was an American football player. He played as a center for the Decatur Staleys of the National Football League from 1920 to 1921 and 1923–1932. He is credited as being the first center to snap the ball with one hand...
in December, Wilson backed out, claiming no benefit to fighting a defeated boxer.
In 1929
1929 Chicago Cubs season
- Offseason :* October 3, 1928: Mike Cvengros was drafted by the Cubs from the Wichita Falls Spudders in the 1928 rule 5 draft.* November 7, 1928: Socks Seibold, Percy Jones, Lou Legett, Freddie Maguire, Bruce Cunningham, and $200,000 were traded by the Cubs to the Boston Braves for Rogers...
Wilson hit .345 with 39 home runs and a National League record 159 RBIs. He and new teammate Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
(who also contributed 39 home runs) led the Cubs to their first National League pennant in eleven years. In the World Series
1929 World Series
In the 1929 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs in five games.The famous "Mack Attack" occurred in 1929, named for manager of the Athletics, Connie Mack, in which the Athletics overcame an eight-run deficit by scoring ten runs in the seventh inning of Game 4...
against Connie Mack's
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
Philadelphia Athletics
1929 Philadelphia Athletics season
The Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing 1st in the American League with a record of 104 wins and 46 losses. After finishing in second place to the New York Yankees in and , the club won the 1929 pennant by a large 18-game margin...
, Wilson's .471 hitting performance was eclipsed by two fielding errors at Shibe Park. Though trailing the Series 2 games to 1, the Cubs were leading by a score of 8-0 in game 4 when the Athletics mounted a 10-run rally in the seventh inning. Wilson lost two fly balls in the sun; the second, with two runners on base, led to an inside-the-park home run by Mule Haas
Mule Haas
George William Haas was a center fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1925 through 1938, Haas played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox...
as the Athletics won 10-8. After the game, Cubs manager Joe McCarthy reportedly told a boy asking for a souvenir baseball, "Come back tomorrow and stand behind Wilson, and you'll be able to pick up all the balls you want!" The Athletics won again the next day to take the Series in five games.
1930: The peak
Wilson's 19301930 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs went 90-64 and finished in second place in the National League.In the peak year of the lively ball era, the Cubs scored 998 runs, third most in the majors. Future Hall of Famers Kiki Cuyler, Gabby Hartnett, and Hack Wilson led the offense....
season, aided by a lively ball wound with special Australian wool, is considered one of the best single-season hitting performances in baseball history. By the middle of July he had accumulated 82 RBIs. In August he hit 13 home runs and 53 RBIs, and by September 15 he had reached 176 RBIs, breaking Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
's 1927 MLB record. He ended the season with 190, along with a National League record 56 home runs, .356 batting average, .454 on-base percentage, and league-leading .723 slugging percentage. He was unofficially voted the National League's most "useful" player by the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
(which did not inaugurate its official MVP award until 1931).
In the Commissioner of Baseball officially increased Wilson's 1930 RBI total to 191 after a box score analysis by baseball historian Jerome Holtzman
Jerome Holtzman
Jerome Holtzman was an American sportswriter known for his writings on baseball who served as the official historian for Major League Baseball from 1999 until his death.-Newspaper career:...
revealed that Charlie Grimm
Charlie Grimm
Charles John Grimm , nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs; he was also a sometime radio broadcaster, and a popular goodwill ambassador for baseball...
had been mistakenly credited with an RBI actually driven home by Wilson. 191 RBIs remains one of baseball's most enduring records; only Gehrig (184) and Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
(183) ever came close, and there have been no serious threats in the last 70 years. (Closest was 165 by Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramírez
Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...
in .) Wilson's 56 home runs that year stood as the National League record until when it was broken by Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
(66) and Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
(70).
Decline
Wilson's success in the 1930 season only served to fuel his drinking habits, and in 19311931 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs season was a season in American baseball. The team finished third in the National League with a record of 84-70, 17 games behind the St...
he reported to spring training 20 pounds overweight. In addition, the National League responded to the prodigious offensive statistics of the previous year (the only season ever in which the league as a whole batted over .300) by introducing a heavier ball with raised stitching to allow a better grip and sharper curveballs. Wilson complained that the new Cubs manager, former teammate Rogers Hornsby, didn't allow him to "swing away" as much as Joe McCarthy had. He went into a protracted hitting slump and was benched in late May. By late August, Cubs owner William Wrigley, Jr. publicly expressed his desire to trade him. On September 6 the Cubs suspended him without pay for the remainder of the season after a fight with reporters just after boarding a train in Cincinnati; he was hitting only .261 with 13 home runs at the time.
During the 1931-32 off-season the Cubs traded Wilson and Bud Teachout
Bud Teachout
Arthur John "Bud" Teachout was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs.-External links:...
to the St. Louis Cardinals for Burleigh Grimes
Burleigh Grimes
Burleigh Arland Grimes was an American professional baseball player, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1954. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.-Career:Nicknamed "Ol' Stubblebeard", Grimes was...
. The Cardinals traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers for minor league player Bob Parham in early 1932
1932 Brooklyn Dodgers season
With the retirement of longtime manager Wilbert Robinson and the arrival of Max Carey, the 1932 team was renamed the Dodgers. They wound up finishing the season in third place.- Offseason :...
. Wilson hit .297 with 23 homers and 123 RBIs for Brooklyn in 1932, and began 1933
1933 Brooklyn Dodgers season
The Brooklyn Dodgers finished in 6th place. After the season, manager Max Carey was fired and replaced by coach Casey Stengel.- Offseason :* December 15, 1932: Cy Moore, Neal Finn and Jack Warner were traded by the Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ray Benge and cash.* January 7, 1933: Ike...
in spectacular fashion with a 9th-inning game-winning pinch-hit
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
inside-the-park grand slam home run at Ebbets Field—the first pinch-hit grand slam in Dodger history, and only the third inside-the-park pinch-hit grand slam in major league baseball history. However, by season's end his offensive totals had dropped substantially and he was hitting .262 when the Dodgers released him mid-season in 1934
1934 Brooklyn Dodgers season
Casey Stengel took over as manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the team still finished in 6th place.- Offseason :* December, 1933: Art Herring was purchased by the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers....
. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him immediately, but after only 2 hits in 20 at-bats he was released again a month later. After a final season in the minor leagues with the Albany Senators, Wilson retired at the age of 35.
Career statistics
In a 12-year major league career, Wilson played in 1,348 games and accumulated 1,461 hits in 4,760 at bats for a .307 career batting average and a .395 on-base percentage. He struck 244 homers and batted in 1,063 runs, leading the National League four times in home runs and surpassing 100 RBIs six times. Defensively, he finished his career with a .965 fielding percentageFielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
.
Life after baseball
Wilson returned to Martinsburg where he opened a pool hall, but encountered financial problems due to a failed sporting goods business venture, and then a divorce. By 1938 he was working as a bartender near Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, where he sang for drinks, but had to quit because customers became too abusive. A night club venture in suburban Chicago was another financial failure. In 1944 he took a job as a good-will ambassador for a professional basketball team in Washington D.C., where he lamented that fans remembered his two dropped fly balls in the 1929 World Series far more vividly than his 56 home runs and 191 RBIs in 1930. Unable to find work in professional baseball, he moved to Baltimore where he worked as a tool checker in an airplane manufacturing plant, and later as a laborer for the City of Baltimore. When municipal authorities realized who he was, he was made the manager of a Baltimore public swimming pool.On October 4, 1948 Wilson was discovered unconscious after a fall in his home. The accident didn't appear serious at first, but pneumonia and other complications developed, and he died of internal hemorrhaging on November 23, 1948 at the age of 48. Wilson died penniless and his son refused to claim his remains. National League President Ford Frick
Ford Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
finally sent money to cover his funeral expenses. In marked contrast to Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's funeral, which had been attended by thousands just three months earlier, only a few hundred people were present for Wilson's services. He is buried in Rosedale Cemetery in the town where he made his professional playing debut, Martinsburg, West Virginia. A Martinsburg street is named Hack Wilson Way in his honor.
In 1979 Wilson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee
Veterans Committee
The Veterans Committee is the popular name of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee to Consider Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players, a committee of the U.S...
.
See also
- 50 home run club50 home run clubIn Major League Baseball, the 50 home run club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. The 50 Home Run Club was "founded" by Babe Ruth in 1920...
- List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBIs
- Hitting for the cycleHitting for the cycleIn baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- Major League Baseball titles leadersMajor League Baseball titles leadersAt the end of each Major League Baseball season, the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced. Leading the league in a particular category is referred to as a title....
- Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1953Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1953Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1953 followed a radically new procedure. The institution appointed its Committee on Baseball Veterans, the famous "Veterans Committee", to meet in person and consider pioneers and executives, managers, umpires, and earlier major league players...