Wally Pipp
| Wally Pipp | |
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| First Baseman | |
| Born: February 17, 1893 Chicago, Illinois |
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| Died: January 11, 1965 (aged 71) Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| June 29, 1913 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1928 for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .281 |
| Home runs | 90 |
| Runs batted in | 998 |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball, now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games.[1]
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[edit] Major League career
After playing 12 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1913, Pipp graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1914. The Chicago-born Pipp then joined the New York Yankees for the 1915 season, and would play 136 or more games for them every season until 1925 (except 1918, when his playing was curtailed by injury), hitting .282 with a little power, even after the end of the "dead ball" era. Pipp did lead the American League with 12 home runs in 1916, and again with 9 in 1917. Pipp was the first Yankee to win a home run title. Pipp scouted and asked Miller Huggins to sign young Lou Gehrig from Columbia University, whom Pipp personally helped develop as a young first baseman.
[edit] Pipp's removal from the Yankees' starting lineup
On June 2, 1925, Pipp was removed from the Yankees' starting lineup and replaced with Gehrig. While many stories over the years have said Pipp sat out the game due to a headache, others suggest Yankee manager Miller Huggins may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup.[2] A month later, Pipp received a skull fracture when he was hit by a practice pitch from Charlie Caldwell, an event that had also been mistakenly linked to his initial benching. Pipp was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1926 season.
[edit] Later career
Wally Pipp was sold to the Cincinnati Reds in 1926. He played 372 games for the Reds over the next three seasons before retiring. Pipp played in Old Timers games as a Yankee. He was later hired by Sports Illustrated as one of the magazine's first writers. His 226 sacrifices as a Yankee remain a team record.
Pipp died at age 71 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
[edit] Career statistics
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | BB | SO | SH | HBP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1,872 | 6,914 | 1,941 | 311 | 148 | 90 | 974 | 997 | 596 | 551 | 272 | 38 | .281 | .341 | .408 |
[edit] See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
[edit] References
- ^ Spatz, Lyle. "The Baseball Biography Project: Wally Pipp". Society for American Baseball Research. http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1793&pid=11286. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ A Pipp of a Legend: The Man Who Was Benched in Favor of Iron-Horse Lou, June 29, 1987, Sports Illustrated.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Wally Pipp at The Baseball Biography Project
- Urban legend about Wally Pipp's headache (from Snopes.com)
- Wally Pipp at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Braggo Roth |
American League Home Run Champion 1916-1917 |
Succeeded by Babe Ruth & Tilly Walker |
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