Neal Ball

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Neal Ball
Runs batted in
151
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Cornelius "Neal" Ball (April 22, 1881 – October 15, 1957) was an American

Cleveland Naps, and Boston Red Sox from 1907 to 1913. Although his primary position was shortstop, Ball played at second base, third base, and in the outfield as well. He is the first player to turn an unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball
history on July 19, 1909.

Ball played

minor league baseball for the Montgomery Senators of the Southern League until 1907, when he signed for the New York Highlanders. After spending less than three seasons with the organization, Ball was sold to the Cleveland Naps, where he spent the next two seasons. In the middle of the 1912 season, his contract was then purchased by the Boston Red Sox, with whom he played his last game on June 30, 1913. He died on October 15, 1957, in Bridgeport, Connecticut
.

Personal life

Ball was born on April 22, 1881, in Grand Haven, Michigan.[1] After his Major League career ended, he went on to coach the Baltimore Orioles (who were a minor league team at the time). It was there that he was assigned to train Babe Ruth, who had just come out of St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Ball described Ruth as "the dumbest and yet the strongest player"[2] he had ever coached. The two remained good friends after Ruth broke into the Majors and even played a friendly game of bowling against one another in 1923 (with Ball edging out Ruth, winning four out of the seven games played).[3] Ruth held Ball in great respect, and because of their close friendship in baseball, he eventually became a fan of the New York Yankees.[2] In the 1950s, an annual bowling tournament held at the Newfield Alleys near Bridgeport, Connecticut was named after Ball in order to honor the city's famous inhabitant.[4] On February 12, 1952, at the age of 71, his health severely deteriorated due to a heart ailment and he was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was placed on the danger list and visitors were prohibited from seeing him.[5] He died on October 15, 1957[6] and was interred at Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport.[1]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Ball started playing organized baseball on the semi-pro team in

minor league baseball team that competed in the Southern League.[7] He played for the team until 1907, when he signed for the New York Highlanders.[1] He made his major league debut for the Highlanders on September 12, 1907, at the age of 26, in a 2–0 loss against the Washington Senators.[8]

New York Highlanders (1907–09)

During his

strikeouts with 91. Defensively, he committed the most errors among all fielders in the American League with 81 and most errors by a shortstop with 80,[1] both of which are Yankee rookie records that still stand today.[9] However, he also set the team record for most assists by a rookie with 438[9] (this record has since been broken by Derek Jeter, who had 444 assists in 1996).[10] On May 18, 1909, in the middle of the season, Ball’s contract was bought by the Cleveland Naps for approximately $5,000 ($169,556 in current dollar terms).[11]

Cleveland Naps (1909–12)

"I am mighty glad I happened to be the one who was in the right spot and able to pull it off. Just think of the wonderful plays that Larry [Lajoie], Terry Turner and Bill Bradley have made since they have been in the major leagues, but yet they never had the chance to do what I, a utility man, a sub, did. It was just my good fortune to be in the game when such a chance was offered."

— Neal Ball reflecting on his unassisted triple play in the post-game interview[12]

Ball was brought in to serve as the temporary replacement for Cleveland's injured starting shortstop

runs batted in.[1] Although he was never famous for his defensive skills,[13] he achieved baseball history when he executed the first unassisted triple play in the MLB on July 19, 1909, doing so against the Boston Red Sox at League Park.[2][14][15] In the second inning of the game, Ball, playing shortstop, caught Amby McConnell's line drive, stepped on second base to retire Heinie Wagner, and then tagged outfielder Jake Stahl as he was advancing towards second.[16] Because the play was unprecedented and turned so swiftly, the ballplayers on the field did not know the inning was over and the crowd of 11,000 were unsure of how to react. Cy Young, the game's starting pitcher, was puzzled and asked Ball why he was leaving the field.[2] Once the fans in attendance realized what had happened, they gave him an ovation, while his teammates applauded him as he returned to the dugout.[2][17] In the following inning, with the crowd still cheering, he hit an inside-the-park home run into center field (the only home run he hit that season).[1][2] After the game, he was questioned in a post-game interview, a rare occurrence at the time.[12] He remained humble about the feat and reminded the reporters that "anyone could have made the play".[12] The glove that he used to make the unassisted triple play is on exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame.[2] He was presented with two medals to recognize his achievement: one by the Cleveland Press newspaper, and one paid for by a fund organized by the Cleveland News.[18][19]

Ball on a 1909 baseball card.

At the end of the 1910 season, after playing just 54 games with the team,[1] Ball was sent down and released to the Portland Beavers.[20][21] He refused to play for the minor league team and this, coupled with the underperformance of the infielders brought in to replace him, resulted in the Naps repurchasing his contract.[22]

The

home plate and the game was immediately suspended due to darkness.[24] However, in a rematch against the White Sox on May 5, 1912, Ball suffered a momentary defensive lapse that ultimately cost his team the game. In the sixth inning, he was unable to catch Shano Collins stealing second base and then inexplicably held onto the ball. This allowed Ping Bodie to advance to home plate and score the winning run.[25] On June 25, the Boston Red Sox purchased Ball's contract from the Naps for $2,500 ($78,931 in today's dollars).[1]

Boston Red Sox (1912–13)

Ball's final major league team was ironically the one he turned his unassisted triple play against.

manager and teammate.[26] The Red Sox signed Ball with the intention of using him only as a utility player who would be a competent substitute to any injured players on the team. As a result, he rarely started a game for the Red Sox.[27] The team advanced to the World Series at the end of that season,[26] where they defeated the New York Giants 4–3.[28] Although he struck out in his only plate appearance of the series,[1] he still received the prize money of $4,025 ($127,079) rewarded to players on the winning team.[29] This prompted the Ottawa Citizen to label him "the luckiest man in baseball."[29]

Post-playing career

After playing his final major league season in

Eastern League, and became both their manager and second baseman.[31] The Hustlers were struggling at the time and the addition of Ball did nothing to change the team's fortunes. By July, the Hustlers were still languishing in last place and, as a result, he was dismissed from the team.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Neal Ball Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Miller, Kathia (May 24, 2010). "First among the few: Cleveland's Neal Ball was first to turn unassisted triple play 100 years ago". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  3. ^ "Babe Ruth Shows Skill On Alleys, But Loses Match With Neal Ball". The Norwalk Hour. January 27, 1923. p. 14. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  4. ^ "Neal Ball Bowling Event To Be Held at Newfield". The Sunday Herald. Bridgeport. December 30, 1956. p. 35. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  5. ^ "Famed Ball Player Lies Near Death". The Tri-City Herald. United Press International. February 12, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  6. ^ "Neal Ball Dies". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. October 17, 1957. p. 8. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  7. ISBN 9780786422302
    . Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  8. ^ "1907 New York Highlanders Schedule, Box Scores and Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9781561712151
    . Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  10. ^ "Derek Jeter Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Keeler's Hit Brings Home Winning Runs; Yankees Down Naps in Six Innings and Then Rush Away to St. Louis. Cleveland Gets Neal Ball Infielder Will Cover Short Field in Absence of Turner — Engle's Catch Shuts Off Three Runs" (PDF). The New York Times. May 19, 1909. p. 10. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  12. ^
    ISBN 9781582618401
    . Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  13. ISBN 9781612340371
    . Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  14. ^ "Unassisted Triple Plays". Baseball-Almanac.com. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  15. ISBN 9781602399570
    . Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  16. ^ "List of the 14 unassisted triple plays in baseball history". The Press of Atlantic City. Associated Press. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  17. ISBN 9780873388856
    . Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  18. ^ "Medals for Neal Ball because of his Triple". The Raleigh North Carolina Evening Times. July 27, 1909. p. 7.
  19. ^ "Ball gets $160 Medal". Elyria Ohio Evening Telegram. July 27, 1909. p. 5.
  20. ^ "Triple-Play Neal Ball Released To Portland". The Register-Guard. Eugene. November 30, 1910. p. 3. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  21. ^ "Neal Ball Released to Portland" (PDF). The New York Times. November 30, 1910. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  22. ^ "Neal Ball Returns to Cleveland" (PDF). The New York Times. April 30, 1911. p. C7. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  23. ^ "Naps Defeat White Sox Twice" (PDF). The New York Times. June 29, 1911. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  24. ^ "Yankees And Naps Play A Tie Game; Birdie Cree Nipped at Plate Trying to Win in Ninth on Long Drive to Right Field" (PDF). The New York Times. September 20, 1911. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  25. ^ "White Sox Increases Lead". The New York Times. May 6, 1912. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  26. ^ a b "1912 Boston Red Sox Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  27. ISBN 9780786454631
    . Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  28. ^ "1912 World Series (4-3): Boston Red Sox (105-47) over New York Giants (103-48)". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  29. ^ a b "Neal Ball In Luck". The Ottawa Citizen. October 26, 1912. p. 8. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  30. ^ "Neal Ball Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  31. ^ "Neal Ball, Former Major Leaguer, Is Now Manager of a Minor Team". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. May 2, 1916. p. 6. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  32. ISBN 9780738512013
    . Retrieved October 8, 2012.

External links

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