Ed Cotter

Cotter was born July 4, 1904, in Hartford, Connecticut.[2] Before playing in the major leagues, he attended Hartford Public High School, and then Villanova University from 1923 to 1926, 1 of 48 players from the school to play in Major League Baseball.[3]

Cotter made his Phillies debut on June 12, 1926, as a pinch hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Batting for first baseman Russ Wrightstone in the fifth spot of Philadelphia's batting order, Cotter hit safely in his first career at-bat, stealing his first career base after reaching.[4] In his second game two days later, Cotter replaced teammate Clarence Huber as the third baseman against the Chicago Cubs; he notched two more hits in the contest to open his career with three consecutive base hits.[5] He made two more pinch-hitting appearances in June[6] before replacing Heinie Sand at shortstop in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds.[7] After a ten-day layoff, he replaced Huber again as the third baseman, notching two more hits on June 30 against the Brooklyn Robins[8]—the only multi-hit game of his career.[6]

Entering as Huber's replacement, Cotter recorded a hitless game on July 4, 1926, striking out twice and recording a putout and two assists in the field.[9] He recorded his next hit against the Pirates on July 10[10]—raising his batting average to .400[6]—and again versus the St. Louis Cardinals on July 19.[11] He appeared in three more games in July, and three in August as well,[6] but did not hit safely again until the final game of his career, when he had one hit in a 21–3 loss to Cincinnati.[12] He was unconditionally released by the team on August 13.[13]

Cotter died on June 14, 1959, in his hometown of Hartford, and was interred at Mount St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, Connecticut.[1]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference