Mose Solomon
| Mose Solomon | ||
|---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 1 | |
| Teams | ||
| ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
| Set minor league home run record, with 49 (1923) | ||
Mose Hirsch Solomon, nicknamed the Rabbi of Swat (December 8, 1900 – June 25, 1966) was an American
Early and personal life
Solomon, who was Jewish, was born on Hester Street on the Lower East Side in New York City.[1][2] His parents were Benjamin (born in Russia; a peddler and junk dealer) and Anna (Hertz) Solomon (born in Austria), and were observant Jews.[3][4][2][5] While Solomon was young, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio.[2] His childhood nickname was "Hickory". He attended Columbus Commerce High School, where he was All-City in baseball and football.[6] His brother became an Ohio champion boxer, fighting under the name Henry Sully.[2][7]
He became a professional football player, playing as a ringer with
Solomon married the former Gertrude Nachmanovitz.
Minor leagues
Prior to major league career
Solomon began his professional career with the
In 1923 Solomon hit 49 home runs (a new minor league record, breaking the old minor league record of 45 set in 1895) in 108 games for the Class C
After major league career
From 1924 to 1928, Solomon again played in the minor leagues, batting over .300 with a number of teams.
Major leagues
In September 1923 the
The New York Giants had been looking for a star Jewish player to attract fans the way Babe Ruth did for the New York Yankees.[14] With a great deal of publicity, team manager John McGraw introduced Solomon to the press as the "Rabbi of Swat".[5] The press accordingly nicknamed the native New Yorker that, as well as "the Jewish Babe Ruth".[1][8] Manager McGraw told the press "We appreciate that many of the fans in New York are Jews, and we have been trying to land a prospect of Jewish blood."[12] He became the most talked-about player on the team, and attendance shot up.[7][12]
Solomon made his major league debut in right field at the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Rubenstein, Steven J. (March 2005). "Moe Solomon: A Jewish Ballplayer to Rival the Sultan of Swats". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Big Book of Jewish Baseball - Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz
- ^ Encyclopedia of American biography: New series - Winfield Scott Downs, American Historical Company
- ^ a b c "Solomon, Moe "The Rabbi of Swat"". Jews In Sports. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg - Nicholas Dawidoff
- ^ Jews and Judaism in a Midwestern Community: Columbus, Ohio, 1840-1975 - Marc Lee Raphael
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Jews and Baseball: Volume 1, Entering the American Mainstream, 1871–1948 - Burton A. Boxerman, Benita W. Boxerman
- ^ a b c Hank Greenberg: The Hero who Didn't Want to be One - Mark Kurlansky
- ^ The Big Book of Jewish Baseball - Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz
- ^ 1923 Southwestern League Batting Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ a b Mose Solomon Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ a b c d e f g Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame
- ^ Mark, Jonathan (April 8, 2009). "The Jews Of Summer". Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War - Ron Kaplan
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs