Louis Santop
Louis Santop | |
---|---|
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
Negro leagues debut | |
1909, for the Philadelphia Giants | |
Last appearance | |
1926, for the Hilldale Daisies | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .317 |
Hits | 111 |
Home runs | 7 |
Runs batted in | 65 |
Teams | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 2006 |
Election method | Committee on African-American Baseball |
Louis Santop Loftin (January 17, 1889 – January 22, 1942) was an American
Playing career
Santop was born in Tyler, Texas. At age 19 he played for teams in Fort Worth, Texas and Guthrie, Oklahoma before joining the Philadelphia Giants. In 1910, his only full season with Philadelphia, Santop and fellow rookie Dick Redding formed a "kid battery", catcher and pitcher. (Riley)
Most of the teams he played for were not considered major league teams (Hillsdale in 1923-26 is the exception), so his performance is not fully documented. Baseball Reference shows a career
He was named as the catcher for the Negro Leagues East All-Star Team in 1917, 1918, 1921, 1922, and 1924.[9]
During his playing career, the 6 ft. 4 in. (1.93 m) 240-pound Santop was involved in some notable incidents. For example, Santop was the recipient of a knockdown pitch from ex-New York Giant Jeff Tesreau in an exhibition game. Santop yelled to Tesreau, who were both Tyler, Texas natives, "You wouldn't throw at a hometown boy, would you?" On another occasion, he broke three of Oscar Charleston's ribs in an altercation.[10]
While playing for the Hilldale Club in 1918, Santop was drafted in July in Class 1-A.[11] However, one month later, one newspaper reported that doctors at Camp Dix examined him and "found he had a broken and badly twisted arm." The report said he had an accident several years before and that "It made it impossible to handle a gun or salute properly." It went on to say he was discharged as physically unfit for service.[12] However, Santop served in the Navy as a mess attendant and fireman from October 21, 1918 to August 13, 1919.[3]
After the war, Santop was the league's biggest drawing card
Santop was a match for Josh Gibson. Gibson was often called "The Black Babe Ruth", but he wasn't the first to bear that title. It was applied earlier to Santop.[14] When Ruth and Santop faced each other in 1920, Ruth went 0–4, while Santop had 3 hits in 4 at-bats.[15]
Hilldale won pennants from 1923 to 1925, but an error in the
After his playing career in the Negro leagues ended, he formed his own semi-pro team, the Santop Bronchos, which played from 1928[16] until at least 1932.[17]
Legacy
Santop was rated by Rollo Wilson, described as the Grantland Rice of black sports writers, as the first-string catcher on his all-time black baseball team. In 1952, he was included on the Pittsburgh Courier's All-Time All-Star Team.[18]
After retiring from baseball, Santop became a broadcaster for radio station WELK in Philadelphia and eventually a bartender in Philadelphia, before falling ill and eventually dying in a Philadelphia naval hospital in 1942, at age 52. He bequeathed his substantial baseball memorabilia collection to Bill Yancey, who contributed it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.[19]
Sources
- Holway, John (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues. Fern Park: Hastings House. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
- Lester, Larry (2006). Baseball's First Colored World Series. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-2617-9.
- Riley, James A. (1994). "Santop, Louis (Top, Big Bertha)". The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Carroll & Graf. pp. 695–97. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
- (Riley.) Louis Santop, Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley (confirmed 2010-04-14)
- Holway, John (1992). Blackball Stars: Negro League Pioneers, Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
References
- ^ "Lincoln Giants Win First Two Games in Championship Series" Indianapolis Freeman, Indianapolis, Indiana, Saturday, August 2, 1913, Page 4, Columns 3 and 4
- ^ "With Taber on Mound Chester Beats Hilldale" Chester Times, Chester, PA, Tuesday, July 29, 1924, Page 6, Column 1
- ^ a b "AUSTIN (Texas)". Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920.
- ^ "Baseball Reference Louis Santop". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "Seamheads Louis Santop". Seamheads. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
- ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
- ^ "Dominicans Lose to Armory Nine". Newark Evening Star. July 14, 1913. p. 15.
- ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
- ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
- ^ "Santop, Webster and Tom Williams" Evening Public Ledger, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, July 17, 1918, Page 11, Column 3
- ^ "Noted Athletes at Dix are Rejected" The Sun, New York, New York, Sunday, August 11, 1918, Page 9, Column 1
- ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
- ^ "Stengel's Stars Play Hilldale". Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger. October 6, 1920. p. 20.
- ^ "Easy for Hillsdale". Philadelphia Inquirer. October 8, 1920. p. 18.
- ^ "Colored Team Causes Trouble". Lancaster New Era. September 17, 1928. pp. 14–15.
- ^ "Trenton Batsmen Open with Santops at Bradley Field". Asbury Park Evening Press. August 19, 1932. p. 13.
- ^ Holway, John B. (1992). Blackball Stars: Negro League Pioneers. Carroll & Graf. p. 384.
- ISBN 0-88184-764-X.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads
- Louis Santop at the Baseball Hall of Fame