Tommy Tucker (baseball)

Thomas Joseph Tucker (October 28, 1863 – October 22, 1935) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played with six different teams between 1887 and 1899. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 165 lb., Tucker was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.

Tommy Tucker
First baseman
Born: (1863-10-28)October 28, 1863
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Died: October 22, 1935(1935-10-22) (aged 71)
Montague, Massachusetts
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1887, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
September 13, 1899, for the Cleveland Spiders
MLB statistics
Batting average.290
Home runs42
Runs batted in932
Stolen bases352
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • American Association batting champion: 1889
  • American Association hits leader: 1889
  • 5 seasons with 100+ runs scored
  • 1 season with 100+ RBI

Tucker was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he started his baseball career playing for the Springfield and Newark clubs. He was a flashy first baseman in an era when using two hands was normal, making one-handed scoops of wild throws and pick-ups with his small glove, in contrast to the big-sized gloves employed by today's first basemen. He entered the majors in 1887 with the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association, playing for them three years before joining the National League with the Boston Beaneaters (1890–1897), Washington Senators (1897), Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1898), St. Louis Browns (1898) and Cleveland Spiders (1899). His most productive season came in 1889 with Baltimore, when he led the AA hitters with a .372 batting average (still the highest league-leading average ever for a switch-hitter) and 196 hits. His .372 average was 118 points above the Baltimore team average of .254.[1]

In a 13-season career, Tucker was a .290 hitter (1882-for-6479) with 42 home runs and 932 RBI in 1687 games, including 1084 runs, 240 doubles, 85 triples, 352 stolen bases, and a .364 on-base percentage.

Tucker had the reputation of being one of the toughest players of his era. He was notorious for hip-checking a base runner off first base, and then tagging them out.[2]

Tucker died in Montague, Massachusetts.

Facts
  • Tucker received the nickname "Noisy Tom" in Boston, while "Foghorn Tom" was among the many names by which he was known in Baltimore.
  • Was the successor of celebrated Dan Brouthers at first base with Boston.
  • Tied a major league record with four doubles in a single game, on July 22, 1893.
  • Posted a 6-for-6 game on July 15, 1897.
  • During his career collected 272 hit by pitches, ranking third in the all-time list behind Hughie Jennings (287) and Craig Biggio (285), and over Don Baylor (267) and Ron Hunt (243).

See also

References
  1. Okrent, Daniel (1988). The Ultimate Baseball Book. United States: Hilltown Press. p. 35. ISBN 0395361451.
  2. Zumsteg, Derek (2007). The Cheater's Guide to Baseball. Boston, USA: Houghton, Mifflin Company. p. 265. ISBN 9780618551132.

Sources
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