Harry Kingman
| Harry Kingman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: April 3, 1892 Tianjin, China | |
| Died: December 27, 1982 (aged 90) Oakland, California | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 1, 1914, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 20, 1914, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games played | 4 |
| At bats | 3 |
| Hits | 0 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Henry Lees "Harry" Kingman (April 3, 1892 – December 27, 1982) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Yankees in 1914 and is the only major league player to have been born in China. Kingman stood at 6' 1" and weighed 165 lbs.[1]
Early life
Harry Kingman was born in Tianjin, China, to two western missionaries.[2] In 1899, his father became a chaplain at Pomona College, and Harry eventually attended school there, becoming a star in five sports: baseball, basketball, tennis, track, and swimming. He signed his first major league contract, with the Washington Senators, in June 1914.[2]
Major League Baseball
Before making his major league debut, Kingman was traded to the New York Yankees. He was originally a first baseman, but manager Frank Chance attempted to convert him into a pitcher.[2] That didn't work out, and Kingman eventually appeared in only one game in the field and three as a pinch hitter during July and August 1914. He went 0 for 3 at the plate with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.[1] Until 2016, he was the only MLB player to have been born in China. One player, Austin Brice, was born in Hong Kong in 1992. At that time Hong Kong was a colony of Great Britain, but returned to China in 1997. [3][4][5][6]
Later life
Kingman left baseball after the season was over and got a job in Stiles Hall at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1921 to 1927, he traveled to China and Japan and worked as a missionary, while also playing and coaching baseball.[2] He returned to Berkeley in 1927. For the next 30 years, he worked at Stiles Hall and also coached the university's junior varsity baseball team.[2]
Kingman was married and had one daughter.[2] He died in 1982, at the age of 90, in Oakland, California.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Harry Kingman Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ a b c d e f Timmermann, Bob. "Harry Kingman". bioproj.sabr.org. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Major League Baseball Players Born in China". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ Lang, Chris. "Hillcats' Chang, pitchers Mildren, Cheng made World Classic debuts". newsadvance.com, April 11, 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ Bjarkman, Peter C. Diamonds Around the Globe: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), p. 382.
External links
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Guide to the Harry Lees Kingman Papers, 1921-1975 at The Bancroft Library