Home Run Baker

For others called Francis or Frank Baker, see Frank Baker (disambiguation).

Home Run Baker
Third Baseman
Born: March 13, 1886(1886-03-13) Trappe, Maryland
Died: June 28, 1963(1963-06-28) (aged 77) Trappe, Maryland
Batted: Left	Threw: 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.

Professional career

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Home Run Baker at the Baseball Hall of Fame
• The Deadball Era
• Home Run Baker at Find a Grave.com

Preceded by Jake Stahl	American League Home Run Champion 1911-1914 (1912 with Tris Speaker)	Succeeded by Braggo Roth
Preceded by Ty Cobb	American League RBI Champion 1912-1913	Succeeded by Sam Crawford