Harry Stovey | |
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Outfielder / First baseman | |
Born: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | December 20, 1856|
Died: September 20, 1937 New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 80)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 1, 1880, for the Worcester Worcesters | |
Last MLB appearance | |
July 29, 1893, for the Brooklyn Grooms | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .288 |
Home runs | 122 |
Runs batted in | 912 |
Stolen bases | 509 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Harry Duffield Stovey (né Stowe; December 20, 1856 – September 20, 1937) was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball player and the first player in major league history to hit 100 home runs. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stovey played for fourteen seasons in the majors and was appointed player-manager on two separate occasions during his career.[1]
Known today as both a prolific home run hitter and base-stealer, he led the league in both categories multiple times in his career, including a season record of fourteen home runs in 1883[2] and a league-leading 97 stolen bases in 1890. He stole 509 bases in his career, which is tied for 35th all-time; among players who played in fifteen seasons or less, he ranks sixth.[3] Stovey finished in the top ten in home runs eleven times (1880–1886, 1888–1991), which included time in three leagues; he led a league in home runs five times. He also finished in the top ten in runs scored ten times, batting average six times, and on-base percentage seven times.[4] He was the first to wear sliding pads and among the first to slide feet first.[5]