<— OCT 08     OCT 10 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1854 Dave Rowe

Outfielder of the 1880s who had his best year with St. Louis in the Union Association in 1884.  He was good in 1883 for Baltimore in the American Association, but otherwise he was just a bright guy in search of games to play.  And, his brother, Jack, was a better hitter and usually on much better teams.

1864 Joe Woerlin

For the longest time, Joseph Woerlin was assumed to be the shortstop who played in a single game for the Washington Nationals against his hometown St. Louis team on July 21, 1895.  This Woerlin was born in France, came to St. Louis, and later died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1919.

These days, some believe instead that it was Oscar J. Woerlin, a St. Louis native, who appeared in that game.  SABR, for what it’s worth, has an opening to write that bio and are working with Joe as the name but the details of Oscar J.

Specific to Woerlin the player, manager Gus Schmelz was happy with how the kid played – fielding three balls cleanly (and on a nasty dry diamond with tons of bad hops) and getting a hit in three at bats.  However, he thought he wasn’t big enough to make it as a major leaguer full time.  “The Washington Manager thinks very well of him, but says he his too light to stand the pace in league company.  An eye will be kept, however, and if he grows heavier and develops a bit more speed there will be no trouble in landing him, as he wants to play with Manager Schmelz.”

“Went All to Pieces,” Washington Post, July 22, 1895: 5.

1865 Al Maul

I need to look up stuff about Al…  He pitched some, but was mostly an outfielder and first baseman for a few years.  But in the late 1880s, he started pitching more regularly, especially after a strong year with Pittsburgh in the Player’s League.  He was inconsistent – and then he landed on the right team, winning 20 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 1898.  Maul kept pitching in the bigs until 1901 with the Giants.

Albert Joseph Maul was known as Smiling Al – a friendly and likeable guy who, when his professional pitching career ended would scout the college players for the Phillies and spent a long time working in the ticketing departments for both the Phillies and the Athletics.  He married the former Anna Hardt; they had a nice life together.  Al’s however, lasted longer.  He passed away while living in the Sharon Hall Nursing Home.  His disease?  He was 92.

“A. J. Maul Dies; Ex-Phils Pitcher,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 5, 1958: 34.

1873 Bill Reidy

Reidy was a pretty good minor league pitcher mostly famous for throwing a slow ball as his bread and butter.  He had a good year in 1900 pitching for Connie Mack in Milwaukee; when the AL formed, Connie went to Philadelphia and tried to take Reidy with him.  Milwaukee said no – and Reidy had a pretty good full season with the Brewers (16-20, 4.21).  But that franchise moved to St. Louis and Reidy wasn’t as good the next two seasons.  He pitched in the minors for several years after that, including three years with Oakland in the PCL.

When the baseball days were done, he opened a roadhouse outside of Oakland where a bunch of boxers used to train.  Unfortunately, those days were shorter than planned.  He caught tuberculosis; moved to Colorado for a few years, and then, as he neared death, he returned to Cleveland to live with his sister until he passed away on October 14, 1915.

“Bill Reidy Near Death,” Wilmington (DE) Evening Journal, June 18, 1915: 13.
“Bill Reidy, Once Famed Pitcher, Is Called by Death,” San Bernadino News, October 15, 1915: 6.

1880 Charlie Faust

This is Charles Victor “Victory” Faust, a “mascot” of sorts that John McGraw kept around until he got tired of having Faust around. Faust was allowed to appear in a game, which is why he is listed here.  Gabriel Schechter tells the story really, really well for SABR.

1884 Pete Wilson
1886 Rube Marquard
1890 Red Massey
1890 Ernie Manning
1890 Ty Helfrich
1892 Arnie Stone
1894 Jing Johnson
1895 Branch Russell
1897 Harry Biemiller
1898 Joe Sewell
1899 Deacon Meyers
1901 Freddy Spurgeon
1902 Kenny Hogan
1902 Jimmy Welsh
1903 Jack Tising
1903 Walter O’Malley
1904 Gordon Slade
1909 Jim Winford
1912 Mickey Haefner
1925 Tommy Giordano
1939 Mike Hershberger
1940 Joe Pepitone
1941 Jeoff Long
1944 Freddie Patek
1946 Jim Qualls
1947 Bob Moose
1950 Brian Downing
1951 Derek Bryant
1954 Randy Lerch
1955 Alex Taveras
1959 Ray Krawczyk
1963 Felix Fermin
1967 Jim Tatum
1969 Kevin Jordan
1970 Mike Robertson
1972 Steve Gibralter
1973 Bill Pulsipher
1974 Courtney Duncan
1975 Danny Mota
1975 J. J. Trujillo
1977 Brian Roberts
1979 Alay Soler
1980 Mark McLemore
1982 Jason Jaramillo
1983 Jason Pridie
1986 Derek Holland
1986 David Phelps
1986 Chaz Roe
1987 Cory Burns
1987 Yadiel Hernandez
1988 Starling Marte
1989 Tim Melville
1990 Jake Lamb
1991 Ryan Brett
1995 Merandy Gonzalez
1997 Colton Welker
1998 Jake Eder

Another Vanderbilt guy with a good arm…  No way!  Eder was drafted by the Marlins in the fourth round; he came to the White Sox in 2023 trade for Jake Burger.  Burger hasn’t been half bad.  Eder had a nice season in the high minors for the White Sox, so he got a chance to pitch a couple of innings at the end of the season.  Unlike Beeter (next) he doesn’t have killer stuff and he walks too many guys.  Managing the strike zone will let us know if he pitches in the minors until he’s 30, or pitches in the majors a couple more times.

1998 Clayton Beeter

Drafted in 2020 by the Dodgers out of Texas Tech; two years later he was sent to the Yankees for Joey Gallo.  Two years after THAT, he got a taste of the good life.

The kid has mad stuff – good enough that people might ignore his walk rate since he strikes out 12 per nine.  

1999 Victor Vodnik

Colorado reliever who is working to prove he’s more than bullpen depth.  A 4.28 ERA isn’t horrible in Coors Field; but it would help if he could cut back on the walks a little.  Throws mid-90s heat (sometime higher) and a changeup.  Finished with 9 saves in his first full season with the Rockies, so things might be looking up.  Originally drafted by the Braves, but sent to the Rockies as part of the prospect package for reliever Pierce Johnson.

OBITUARIES:

1897 Milo Lockwood

Milo Hathaway Lockwood surprised his wife and friends at the Economy Hotel in Economy, Pennsylvania by going to his sleeping room and then pulling out a revolver, pointing it at his temple, and pulling the trigger.

He suffered from acute sciatic rhematism for a number of years, leaving him as an invalid for a long while, but he had only minutes earlier been having a pleasant conversation with his wife and friends.  Lockwood was involved with the family hardware business at the time of his death.

“Suicide at Economy,” Pittsburgh Press, October 10, 1897: 16.
“A Fearful Shock,” Cleveland Leader, October 11, 1897: 10.

1900 Harry Wheeler

Wheeler, who was once tendered a benefit raising $1500 to help Harry and his family, struggled with his business and eventually his health – dying after a long illness.  In his younger days, the popular outfielder helped Cincinnati win an American Association pennant in 1882.

“Baseball Gossip,” Cincinnati Enquirer, October 10, 1900: 4.

1901 Chappy Lane

Researchers are pretty sure that George M. Lane was born in 1863 in Pittsburgh, but haven’t found a birth record to corroborate it.  Lane was a pretty graceful first baseman, but he didn’t hit enough to stay in the majors, getting a shot with Pittsburgh in 1882 and with Toledo in 1884.  Lane was loading a truck for E. H. Wilson and Company on the Reed Street wharf when a barrel of brass fell off the truck and crushed Lane.  Lane suffered a broken arm and several broken ribs, and died the next day at Pennsylvania Hospital.  He was buried at Fernwood Cemetery in Philadelphia, but his grave is unmarked.

“Police Pickings,” Philadelphia Times, October 13, 1901: 2.

1918 Fred Gaiser

I haven’t been able to find an obit or a cause of death for Frederick Jacob (Fritz) Gaiser, but he was actively pitching in the summer of 1918 against various semi-professional and US Navy teams.  Gaiser was born in Germany (Stuttgart).

1920 Carl Vandagrift

Vandagrift, who played in 43 Federal League contests for Newark but later managed minor league teams in Indiana and Michigan, died following surgery to remove his appendix.

“Carl Vandagrift is Dead,” Fort Wayne News and Sentinel, October 10, 1920: 15.

1924 Ed Caskin

The son of Irish immigrants James Caskin and the former Ann Bradley, Caskin’s career started late because he served a two-year hitch with the US Army in an infantry unit that was fighting in what his pension papers call “The Indian Wars.”  Anyway – he was a catcher for Troy, New York, and St. Louis in the late 1870s and early 1880s and forced to retire due to injury.  He returned to Danvers, Massachusetts, the town where Ed entered this world, married Mary Ellen Acton, had a few kids, and took up working at a local shoe factory making lasts.

Weeks shy of 73, Caskin passed after a long illness; many old-time ballplayers came to pay their respects to their former field mate.

1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 US Census
Massachusetts Death Records, Birth Records, and Marriage Records
US Army Pension Applications.

“Old-Time Ball Player Dead,” Holyoke Daily Transcript, October 13, 1924: 5.

1924 Jake Daubert

Daubert died of complications following an operation to remove a burst appendix.

“Jake Daubert, Idol of Brooklyn Fans, Dies in Cincinnati,” Brooklyn Standard Union, October 9, 1924: 1.

1929 Red Kleinow

Jack Kleinow, former Highlanders catcher, died at his home of heart trouble.

“Jack Kleinow Dies of Heart Trouble,” New York Daily News, October 10, 1924: 54.

1930 Lem Cross
1934 Pat Pettee
1937 Hank Gastright
1939 Walter (Biff) Schaller
1940 Bill Massey
1944 Joe DeBerry
1945 Bob Ganley
1955 Howie Fox
1955 Jim Jackson
1957 Butch Henline
1960 Heavy Johnson
1963 Maywood Brown
1964 Al Wingo
1969 Ray Lucas
1969 Don Hoak
1970 Cy Fried
1972 Dave Bancroft
1976 Bob Moose

Died in a car accident on his birthday – just finished playing in a golf tournament hosted by Bill Mazeroski.

1976 Mark Christman
1985 Rusty Yarnall
1986 Jo-Jo White
1991 Charlie Moss
1992 Mike Guerra
1997 Chuck Templeton
1999 Dutch Dotterer
2017 Mike McQueen
2017 Roy Hawes
2018 Jose Santiago
2021 Rich Barry
2022 Mickey Micelotta
2022 Mike Thompson

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!

1894 Jack Manning, Quaker outfielder, is the first to hit three homers in a game, though his team loses, 11 – 7, to the Chicago White Stockings.

1905 Christy Mathewson opens the 1905 World Series with a 3 – 0 shutout of the Philadelphia As.

1910 Nap Lajoie is allowed to get six infield hits by Jack O’Connor and the St. Louis Browns in an effort to wrest the batting crown (and a new car) from Ty Cobb.

1919 Cincinnati drops the White Sox, 10 – 5, to win the World Series – a gift from the White Sox and various gamblers.

1928 New York sweeps the Cards, taking game four, 7 – 3.

1938 New York sweep the Cubs, taking game four, 8 – 3. It’s the third straight World Series win – the first time that had happened.

1961 The Yankees clock the Reds, 13 – 5, thanks to a pair of homer by Johnny Blanchard. The win gives the Yankees the World Series.

1996 Jeffrey Maier kills the Orioles by helping Derek Jeter’s fly ball go over the fence. The umpires blew this one – and it was painfully obvious.

2005 Chris Burke homers in the 18th inning – Astros take the Braves in the longest post season game ever.

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1925 Chicago drafts Hack Wilson from Toledo in the Rule 5 Draft.

1947 The Cubs sign amateur free agent Randy Jackson.

1970 Washington sends Ed Brinkman, Joe Coleman, Jim Hannan, and Aurelio Rodriguez to Detroit for Elliott Maddox, Denny McLain, Norm McRae, and Don Wert.

1988 Toronto puts pen to paper with amateur free agent Carlos Delgado.

As you can imagine, the vast number of transactions on this day are releases or the granting of free agency.