Giants star George Van Haltren, age 36, snaps a small bone near his right ankle while stealing second base. Van Haltren is done for the season, and will play only 80 more big league games.
On May 21, 1902, future Hall of Famer Earl Averill is born in Snohomish, Washington. “The Earl of Snohomish,” who will make his major league debut in 1929 with the Cleveland Indians, at the time he was 26, but he made up for lost time quickly as he becomes one of the first players to…
1902 – At Pittsburgh, the Giants top the leading Pirates, 5 – 2, with Christy Mathewson winning in relief. Matty takes over for Dummy Taylor in the 7th, allows a tying run to score, then scores the winning run himself in the 8th.
On May 16, 1902, two deaf-mute players face each other for the first time in major league history. William “Dummy” Hoy, an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds, leads off the game against Luther “Dummy” Taylor, a pitcher for the New York Giants. Hoy goes 2-for-4, but the Giants win the game, 5-3, scoring all of…
Bill Duggleby, the first league jumper to return to the Phillies, loses 2 – 1, to St. Louis. Returnee Chick Fraser will win his first start on May 23rd, 5 – 2 over Chicago. Harry Wolverton will return after 59 games with the Washington Senators. All others will remain with their new teams. Of all those that the rival Athletics acquired, only Monte Crossstays.
The Chicago Orphans again top the Giants, winning 10 – 4. Chicago manager Frank Selee comments that the distance from the pitcher’s mound to the plate looks short. Horace Fogel, the Giants manager, measures the distance and finds the lane is 15 inches short. New York protests and it is upheld on June 3rd. The two games are ordered replayed.
On April 29, 1902, Baltimore Orioles infielder John McGraw is hit by pitches five times, but home plate umpire Jack Sheridan refuses to allow him to take first base. In the ninth inning, McGraw is hit for the last time and sits down in the batter’s box in protest. American League president Ban Johnson will…
1902 – At Sportsman’s Park, Addie Joss of the Cleveland Bronchos pitches a one-hit shutout in his major league debut, beating the hometown St. Louis Browns, 3 – 0. The lone hit is a scratch single by Jesse Burkett.
1902 – Professional baseball gets its start in Durham, North Carolina as the Durham Tobacconists (who will be renamed the Bulls 11 years later) play an exhibition game against Trinity College (now Duke University). The Bulls, except for 1971-1980, when minor league baseball didn’t exist in the city, will continue to play in Durham until the present day.
In his major league debut, Luis Castro plays second base for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia’s A’s in an 8-1 victory over the Orioles at Oriole Park. The 25 year-old Medellin native is the first and last player from Colombia to appear in the big leagues until Orlando Ramrez broke in with the Angels in 1974.
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