frankbaker

Power hitter of the "dead ball" era....

Another Bain/LOC photo of Frank Baker:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For others called Francis or Frank Baker, see Frank Baker (disambiguation). Home Run Baker Third Baseman Born: March 13, 1886 Trappe, Maryland Died: June 28, 1963 (aged 77) Trappe, Maryland Batted: LeftThrew: Right MLB debut September 21, 1908 for the Philadelphia Athletics Last MLB appearance September 29, 1922 for the New York Yankees Career statistics Batting average .307 Home runs 96 Runs batted in 987 Teams Philadelphia Athletics (1908-1914) New York Yankees (1916-1919, 1921-1922) Career highlights and awards World Series Champion: 1910, 1911, 1913 American League pennant: 1914, 1921, 1922 American League home run champion: 1911-1914 American League RBI champion: 1912, 1913 6 seasons with a .300+ batting average 3 seasons with 100+ RBI 2 seasons with 100+ runs scored Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 1955 Election Method Veteran's Committee John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era. Contents [hide] 1 Professional career 1.1 Philadelphia Athletics 1.2 New York Yankees 1.3 Managerial career 1.4 Legacy 2 See also 3 References 4 External links [edit]Professional career [edit]Philadelphia Athletics Home Run Baker He was born in Trappe, Maryland, was a butcher by trade, and broke into the major leagues in 1908 with the Athletics. Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in Game 2, and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game 3. His home run crown would be the first of four consecutive seasons leading the American League in home runs. He hit 11 home runs in 1911, 10 home runs in 1912, 12 home runs in 1913, and nine home runs in 1914. In two of those seasons he also led the American League in runs batted in. In seven seasons with the A's he hit .321 with 48 home runs, 612 RBIs and 88 triples in 866 games played. Baker played third base for the Athletics until 1915, when he sat out the entire season in a contract dispute with Connie Mack. He remained in baseball, playing for Upland, Pennsylvania in the semiprofessional Delaware County League.[1] [edit]New York Yankees Mack sold Baker's contract in 1916 to the New York Yankees, with whom he finished his career. He led the league in games played with 141 games in 1919 Initially, Baker retired in 1920, but came back to play two more seasons with the Yankees, seasons that took him to two more World Series. He finished his tenure with the Yankees with a .288 batting average, 46 home runs and 375 RBIs in 676 games. [edit]Managerial career Following his retirement, Baker managed for two seasons (1924-1925) in the Eastern Shore Baseball League, and was credited with discovering Jimmie Foxx and recommending him to Athletics manager Connie Mack. [edit]Legacy In addition to his 1955 election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1981 Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. Home Run Baker was laid to rest in Easton, Maryland. There is a statue of Home Run Baker in the southwest area of UMass-Amherst. It was erected by a University of Massachusetts student. [edit]See also List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases Hitting for the cycle List of Major League Baseball RBI champions List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records List of Major League Baseball home run champions List of Major League Baseball triples champions Major League Baseball titles leaders [edit]References ^ Lanctot, Neil (1994). Fair Dealing and Clean Playing: the Hilldale Club and the development of black professional baseball, 1910-1932. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 11. ISBN 0-89950-988-6. "Semiprofessional" may be a euphemism. Upland employed other major leaguers between 1915 and 1919 (including Baker's longtime teammate Chief Bender), and by 1919 the Delaware County League was declared an outlaw league by organized baseball. [edit]External links Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference Home Run Baker at the Baseball Hall of Fame The Deadball Era Home Run Baker at Find a Grave.com Preceded by Jake StahlAmerican League Home Run Champion 1911-1914 (1912 with Tris Speaker)Succeeded by Braggo Roth Preceded by Ty CobbAmerican League RBI Champion 1912-1913Succeeded by Sam Crawford [show]v · d · ePhiladelphia Athletics 1910 World Series Champions [show]v · d · ePhiladelphia Athletics 1911 World Series Champions [show]v · d · ePhiladelphia Athletics 1913 World Series Champions [show]v · d · eOakland Athletics [show]v · d · eNew York Yankees Hall of Famers [show]v · d · eBaseball Hall of Fame Class of 1955 [show]v · d · eThird basemen inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame [show]v · d · eMembers of the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame View page ratings Rate this page What's this? Trustworthy Objective Complete Well-written I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) Submit ratings Categories: 1886 births | 1963 deaths | National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees | Major League Baseball third basemen | Philadelphia Athletics players | New York Yankees players | Baseball players from Maryland | American League home run champions | American League RBI champions | Minor league baseball managers | Baltimore Orioles (IL) players | Reading Pretzels players | People from Talbot County, Maryland

"Frank Baker is a dangerous man at all times, and I don't care what they pitch him."
New York Yankees Manager Hal Chase

Another Bain/LOC photo of Frank Baker:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Phillies

Frank Baker was also known as Home Run Baker. He led the league one year. He hit something like 7, LOL. But, that was in the dead ball era. The ball was not wound tight and players chopped at the ball more, facing the pitcher more with their body turned more toward the mound.

Background matches that in this Bain/LOC photo

No one else has commented that he looks startlingly like Rowan Atkinson in this photo. Did he throw Bean balls? ...Sorry :-) Wikipedia: Home Run Baker.

Rowan Atkinson, yes. You're right. But there's also something about his face that reminds me of George Harrison of the Beatles.