Harry Schafer

Harry C. Schafer (August 14, 1846 – February 28, 1935) was a professional baseball player who played for eight seasons in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Red Stockings in the National Association for five seasons, and remained with the franchise for three additional years when it joined the National League in 1876 as the Boston Red Caps. He played third base for much of his career.

For the Austrian-American economist, see Harry G. Shaffer.
Harry Schafer
Third baseman
Born: (1846-08-14)August 14, 1846
Philadelphia
Died: February 28, 1935(1935-02-28) (aged 88)
Philadelphia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 5, 1871, for the Boston Red Stockings
Last MLB appearance
August 31, 1878, for the Boston Red Caps
MLB statistics
Batting average.271
Hits449
Runs batted in215
Teams
  National Association of Base Ball Players
Philadelphia Athletics (1868–1870)
  League Player
Boston Red Stockings / Red Caps (1871–1878)
Career highlights and awards

Career

In the National Association, Schafer was a durable player who played in every game in the Red Stockings' first four seasons, earning at least a share of the league lead in games played in 1873 and 1874.[1] Schafer hit .288 in 1872, and had an above average fielding percentage.[1] He was a member of the Red Stockings teams that won four consecutive National Association championships from 1872 to 1875.[2]

While playing for the renamed Red Caps in 1876, the first year of the National League, Schafer again led the league in games played.[1] He played in only half of the Red Caps' games in 1877, and was moved to right field for the season, but was nevertheless part of a team that won the National League championship.[3] In his final season, 1878, he played in only two games for a Red Caps team that won a second consecutive league championship.[4] Schafer had a career batting average of .271,[1] and was a part of six championship teams in his eight seasons in the majors.[2][3][4]

According to the Sporting News's 2008 Complete Baseball Record Book, he is credited with recording four outfield assists in an 1877 game, a National League record.[5] The accuracy of this record has been called into question by statisticians.[6] Modern sources, including those on the official website of Major League Baseball, only credit Schafer with a single outfield assist for the 1877 season and four outfield assists for his entire career.[7]

Schafer died on February 28, 1935 at the age of 88 in Philadelphia.

References
  1. "Harry Schafer Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com . Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  2. "Boston Red Stockings Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com . Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  3. "1877 Boston Red Caps Statistics and Roster". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  4. "1878 Boston Red Caps Statistics and Roster". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  5. "The 2008 Complete Baseball Record Book — Regular Season" (PDF). Sporting News. 2008-03-05. p. 77. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  6. "Harry Schafer from the Chronology". BaseballLibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  7. "Harry Schafer". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
Records
Preceded by
Phonney Martin		 Oldest recognized verified living baseball player
May 24, 1933 – February 28, 1935		 Succeeded by
George Wright
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