Tom Tennant
Encyclopedia
Thomas Francis Tennant was a professional baseball
player. In an 11-season minor league career, he had 1,825 hits
and a .274 batting average
. He also played two games in Major League Baseball
in 1912. Tennant was 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds.
, in 1882. Playing mostly as a first baseman
, he started his professional baseball career in 1906 with the Wisconsin State League
's Green Bay Colts. That season, he batted .313 and led the league with 141 hits. Tennant then moved on to the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, where he played for the Decatur Commodores
for two seasons. He batted just .261 in 1907 but raised his average to .310 in 1908 and once again topped the circuit in hits, with 164.
Tennant spent 1909 through 1911 with the San Francisco Seals of the class A Pacific Coast League
. In 1910, he had 231 hits in 223 games to lead his league in hits for the third time. Then in April 1912, Tennant broke into the major leagues with the St. Louis Browns
. He appeared in two games for them that month as a pinch hitter
and went 0 for 2 at the plate with 1 run scored
. The rest of the season, he played for the Western League
's Sioux City Packers
.
In 1913, Tennant returned to the Pacific Coast League. He batted .299 with a league-leading 47 doubles
in his first year back, but his statistics declined after that. He retired from professional baseball after the 1916 season.
Tennant died in San Carlos, California
, in 1955 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery
.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player. In an 11-season minor league career, he had 1,825 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and a .274 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. He also played two games 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...
in 1912. Tennant was 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds.
Career
Tennant was born in Monroe, WisconsinMonroe, Wisconsin
Monroe, known as "the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA", is a city in and the county seat of Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population, was 10,843 at the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Monroe and partially in the Town of Clarno.-Geography:Monroe is located...
, in 1882. Playing mostly as a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, he started his professional baseball career in 1906 with the Wisconsin State League
Wisconsin State League
There was a class D league called the Wisconsin State League which began in 1905. In 1908 it changed its name to the Wisconsin-Illinois League. Another Wisconsin State League began in 1940, shut down for World War II from 1943 through 1945, then operated from 1946 through 1953...
's Green Bay Colts. That season, he batted .313 and led the league with 141 hits. Tennant then moved on to the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, where he played for the Decatur Commodores
Decatur Commodores
The Decatur Commodores were a professional minor league baseball team based in Decatur, Illinois. They played, with sporadic interruptions, from 1900 to 1974 in a variety of minor leagues, but spent the majority of their existence in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League , later joining the...
for two seasons. He batted just .261 in 1907 but raised his average to .310 in 1908 and once again topped the circuit in hits, with 164.
Tennant spent 1909 through 1911 with the San Francisco Seals of the class A Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. In 1910, he had 231 hits in 223 games to lead his league in hits for the third time. Then in April 1912, Tennant broke into the major leagues with the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. He appeared in two games for them that month as a pinch hitter
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...
and went 0 for 2 at the plate with 1 run scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
. The rest of the season, he played for the Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
's Sioux City Packers
Sioux City Packers
Located in Sioux City, Iowa, the Sioux City Packers played in the Western League from 1905 to 1907, from 1910 to 1913, and from 1920 to 1923. They had previously been known as the Sioux City Soos. They moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1924 and became the Lincoln Links.-Year-by-year record:...
.
In 1913, Tennant returned to the Pacific Coast League. He batted .299 with a league-leading 47 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in his first year back, but his statistics declined after that. He retired from professional baseball after the 1916 season.
Tennant died in San Carlos, California
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
, in 1955 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma, California is an American Roman Catholic cemetery operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Established in 1887 on of a former potato farm, it is the oldest and largest cemetery established in Colma to serve the needs of San Francisco...
.