Honus Wagner

Johannes Peter Wagner looked like nobody's idea of a ballplayer. He was 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds with a barrel chest, massive shoulders, bowed legs, and hands so large that when he scooped up a ground ball, fistfuls of infield dirt came with it. John McGraw said the way to get a ball past Wagner was to hit it eight feet over his head. Across 21 major league seasons, very few people managed even that.

Coal Mines to Pittsburgh

Wagner was born in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and raised in neighboring Chartiers. Both towns were later absorbed into Carnegie, just outside Pittsburgh. His parents were German immigrants, and he was one of nine children. He dropped out of school at 12 to work alongside his father and brothers in the coal mines. In their free time, the brothers played sandlot baseball. Three of them became professionals. Honus was the one who became immortal.

His nickname came from his mother, who called him "Hans," a German diminutive of Johannes. Teammates and newspapers rendered it as "Honus." He was also called "The Flying Dutchman," a reference to his German heritage and a speed that his appearance made hard to believe. He could cover 100 yards in 10 seconds. Observers described his running style as arms whirling like a freestyle swimmer.

Wagner played three seasons for the Louisville Colonels beginning in 1897. When Louisville was contracted from the National League after the 1899 season, owner Barney Dreyfuss bought into the Pittsburgh Pirates and brought Wagner with him. Wagner played every position except catcher during his career, including two pitching appearances, but he settled at shortstop and made it his own.

Eight Batting Titles

Wagner won the National League batting title eight times between 1900 and 1911. He hit .300 or better in 15 consecutive seasons, from 1899 to 1913. His career batting average of .328 would be remarkable for any era, but in the Dead-Ball years, when pitchers dominated and scoring was scarce, it was extraordinary. He led the league in doubles seven times, in stolen bases five times, in slugging percentage six times, and in RBI four times.

He used a split-handed grip, his hands several inches apart on a heavy bat that weighed over 40 ounces. The grip let him slap outside pitches to right field or slide his hands together and pull inside pitches down the left-field line. He finished his career with 3,420 hits, 252 triples (still the National League record), 723 stolen bases, and 1,732 RBI.

On June 9, 1914, he doubled off Erskine Mayer at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia for his 3,000th hit, the first player to reach that total in the twentieth century.

The 1909 World Series

The 1909 Series between the Pirates and the Detroit Tigers was framed as a showdown between the game's two greatest players. Wagner represented the National League. Ty Cobb represented the American League. Wagner was 35. Cobb was 22.

Wagner outplayed him. He hit .333 with six RBI and six stolen bases in seven games. Cobb hit .231. Pittsburgh won the Series four games to three, with rookie Babe Adams pitching three complete-game victories.

A famous story holds that Cobb shouted at Wagner before a steal attempt and that Wagner tagged him in the mouth, splitting his lip. Play-by-play records show Cobb was never tagged out by Wagner on a caught stealing during the Series, and Cobb denied the incident in his autobiography. The two men were friendlier than the legend suggests. They went hunting together in Georgia the following offseason.

Defense

Wagner's fielding at shortstop was as distinctive as his hitting. His huge hands functioned like shovels, and his throws to first arrived accompanied by dirt and pebbles, described by one writer as trailing "like the tail of a comet." He modified his glove by cutting a hole in the palm and pulling out most of the stuffing for better feel. McGraw, who managed against Wagner for years, said he could have been the best player at any position he chose.

Tommy Leach, a teammate, put it simply. "Honus was the best third baseman in the league, he was also the best first baseman, the best second baseman, the best shortstop, and the best outfielder. Since he led the league in batting eight times, you know that he was the best hitter, too. As well as the best base runner."

After the Game

Wagner retired after the 1917 season. He managed the Pirates for five games that year, going 1-4 before stepping down. He opened a sporting goods store with Pie Traynor that failed during the Great Depression. He served as Pennsylvania's state fish commissioner and coached high school football and college basketball at Carnegie Institute of Technology.

By 1933, his financial situation had deteriorated badly enough that Pirates owner William Benswanger heard about it and offered Wagner a coaching position. Wagner accepted and spent 19 seasons on the Pirates coaching staff, mentoring Arky Vaughan and Ralph Kiner, remaining a daily presence at Forbes Field into his late seventies.

On April 30, 1955, a statue of Wagner was unveiled in Schenley Park, just beyond the outfield wall at Forbes Field. He was too weak to leave the car and could only wave to the crowd before going home. He died on December 6, 1955, at 81, in his Carnegie home. The statue now stands outside PNC Park. Part of the inscription reads, "A baseball immortal, a champion among champions."

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 as part of the inaugural class, receiving 215 of 226 votes, tying Babe Ruth and trailing only Ty Cobb's 222. Sportswriter Arthur Daley wrote that there was "something Lincolnesque about him, his rugged homeliness, his simplicity, his integrity." Wagner's own summary of his career was shorter. "There ain't much to being a ballplayer," he said, "if you're a ballplayer."