Peter James Hotaling (December 16,1856 –July 2,1928),nicknamed "Monkey",was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1888. He has been described as one of the earliest journeymen in professional baseball. When he played catcher in the minor leagues in 1877,he was one of the first men to wear a catcher's mask.
Hotaling was born in Mohawk,New York. [1]
He suffered an eye injury while catching a minor league baseball game. When he came back weeks later with a catcher's mask on,his teammates gave him the nickname "Monkey".
Hotaling was promoted to the major leagues in 1879,playing 81 games for the Cincinnati Reds,mostly in the outfield. He changed teams every year through 1882,playing for the Cleveland Blues,Worcester Ruby Legs and Boston Red Caps in that span,before returning to the Blues for 1883 and 1884. [2]
Hotaling spent 1885 with the Brooklyn Grays,but he was in the Southern League in 1886 with its Savannah club. [2] After that season,Savannah sought to make Hotaling its manager,but he returned to Cleveland to play for the American Association team known as the Blues. Hotaling got the most major league playing time in 1887,when he appeared in 126 games,all in the outfield. [2]
He had one of his best games during his second and final season with the AA's Blues. On June 6,1888,Hotaling batted seven times and got six hits (five singles and a triple). Sixteen AA players had a six-hit game in the span of eight years,but Hotaling had the only six-hit game by a Cleveland player. [3]
After spending almost all of the preceding decade in the major leagues,Hotaling played his last professional season in 1889,appearing with the St. Joseph Clay Eaters of the Western Association and the Chattanooga team in the Southern League. [2]
Hotaling had graduated from Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie,New York,and he worked as a grocer and then as a machinist for White Motor Company. [1] Ten years after the end of his baseball days,Hotaling was apparently still living in Cleveland,as a 1908 newspaper article mentioned his participation in an exhibition game pitting local former Cleveland players against an area amateur team. [4]
He died of lobar pneumonia in Cleveland at the age of 71. [5] He is interred at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland. [6]
Raymond Earl Fosse was an American professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1967 to 1979,most prominently as an All-Star player for the Cleveland Indians,and then as a two-time World Series champion with the Oakland Athletics dynasty of the early 1970s. He also played for the Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers. After his playing career,Fosse was a popular television and radio color commentator for the Athletics.
Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito Jr. was an American professional baseball player,coach,and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1955 to 1968,most prominently as a member of the Cleveland Indians,with whom he established himself as a fan favorite for his powerful hitting and his strong throwing arm. Colavito also played for the Detroit Tigers,Kansas City Athletics,Chicago White Sox,Los Angeles Dodgers,and New York Yankees. At the time of his retirement in 1968,Colavito ranked third among AL right-handed hitters for home runs (374) and eighth for AL games played as a right fielder (1,272).
Harvey Edward Kuenn was an American professional baseball player,coach,and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a shortstop and outfielder,he played with the Detroit Tigers (1952–1959),Cleveland Indians (1960),San Francisco Giants (1961–1965),Chicago Cubs (1965–1966),and Philadelphia Phillies (1966). Kuenn batted and threw right-handed. After retiring,he managed the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lafayette Napoleon Cross was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1887 to 1907. Cross played most of his 21-year career with Philadelphia-based teams in four different leagues. One of the sport's top all-around players in the years surrounding the turn of the 20th century,when he retired he ranked fifth in major league history in hits (2,644) and runs batted in (1,371),ninth in doubles (411) and total bases (3,466),and third in games played (2,275) and at bats (9,064).
Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty,nicknamed "Beeg Boy",was a Dominican professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1963 to 1979,most prominently as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He had the first hit for the team in their first game in Atlanta on April 12,1965. In 1969,he helped the franchise win its first National League Western Division title. Carty had a career batting average of .299,most notably hitting .366 to become the 1970 National League (NL) batting champion while also garnering him a start at the 1970 All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. In a fifteen-year major league career,Carty played in 1,651 games,accumulating 1,677 hits in 5,606 at bats for a .299 career batting average along with 204 home runs,890 runs batted in,.369 on-base percentage and .464 slugging percentage. He ended his career with a .974 fielding percentage. During his career,he played as a catcher,first baseman,third baseman,outfielder,and designated hitter.
Michael Vaughn Hatcher is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder,third baseman and first baseman from 1979 through 1990,most notably as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers when he replaced an injured Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series and hit .368 (7/19) with two home runs and five RBI to help the Dodgers win the world championship.
Russell Eugene Nixon was an American professional baseball player,coach and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1968. A veteran of 55 years in professional baseball,Nixon managed at virtually every level of the sport,from the lowest minor league to MLB assignments with the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed,and stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg) in his playing days.
James Lucius Hickman,nicknamed "Gentleman Jim",was an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets,Los Angeles Dodgers,Chicago Cubs,and St. Louis Cardinals.
Herold Dominic "Muddy" Ruel was an American professional baseball player,coach,manager and general manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1934 for the Washington Senators,St. Louis Browns,New York Yankees,Boston Red Sox,Detroit Tigers,and Chicago White Sox.
James Madison Toy was an early Major League Baseball player having a short two-year career with the Cleveland Blues and the Brooklyn Gladiators,both of the American Association.
Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. During his fifteen-year career he played with the Detroit Tigers,Chicago White Sox,Washington Senators,Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.
William B. Phillips,also known as "Silver Bill",was a Canadian professional baseball first baseman from the mid-1870s until the late 1880s. From 1879 to 1888,he played for three major league teams;the Cleveland Blues of the National League (NL) from 1879 to 1884,the Brooklyn Grays of the American Association (AA) from 1885 to 1887,and the Kansas City Cowboys of the AA in 1888. A native of Saint John,New Brunswick,Canada,he has the distinction of being the first Canadian to play in the major leagues.
Delbert Leon Culberson was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1943 to 1948 for the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg),he both batted and threw right-handed.
John Henderson Burnett was an American professional baseball player who appeared primarily as a shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1927 to 1935 for the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Browns. Burnett holds the record for most hits in a single game in MLB history with nine.
Ellis Ferguson "Cot" Deal was an American pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Listed at 5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m),185 lb (84 kg),Deal was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A native of Arapaho,Oklahoma,he grew up in Oklahoma City and was nicknamed "Cot" for his cotton-top hair color.
Andrew Bernard "Barney" Gilligan was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned 12 seasons,11 of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Cleveland Blues (1879–1880),Providence Grays (1881–1885),Washington Nationals (1886–1887),and Detroit Wolverines (1888). Gilligan,who predominately played as a catcher,also played as an outfielder and a shortstop. Over his career,Gilligan compiled a career batting average of .207 with 217 runs scored,388 hits,68 doubles,23 triples,three home runs,and 167 runs batted in (RBI) in 523 games played. Although the majority of his career was spent in the major leagues,Gilligan also played in minor league baseball. He was listed as standing 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) and weighing 130 pounds (59 kg).
Henry Peter Dowling was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in the major leagues for four seasons;1897–1899 with the Louisville Colonels,and in 1901 with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cleveland Blues. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 165 pounds (75 kg),he threw and batted left-handed. Dowling is best remembered for a game he pitched in June 1901,which may have been the first no-hitter in American League history.
Louis Glenn Marson is an American former professional baseball catcher,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians,from 2008 through 2013. Marson also played in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
John Francis Kelly was a Major League Baseball player. As a player,he was primarily a catcher,but also played 17 games as an outfielder and one game as a first baseman. He played for the Cleveland Blues of the National League in 1879 and 1882,both the National League Philadelphia Quakers and the American Association's Baltimore Orioles in 1883 and the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds and Washington Nationals,both of the Union Association in 1884,so that he played in three different Major Leagues in his four-year career.
Jesse Hall "Pete" Allen was a professional baseball player whose career spanned two seasons,including a part of one in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Spiders (1893). Allen played one game in the majors and went hitless four at-bats. In that game,Allen played catcher. He also played in the minor leagues with the Binghamton Bingoes (1893) and the New Castle,Pennsylvania baseball team (1895). During Allen's time in the minors,he played catcher and outfielder. After his baseball career was over,Allen enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he graduated in 1897. Soon after,Allen began practicing medicine,specializing in proctology.