Ned Williamson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ned Williamson |
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| Third baseman / Shortstop | |||
| Born: October 24, 1857 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Died: March 3, 1894 (aged 36) Willow Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 1, 1878, for the Indianapolis Blues | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 1890, for the Chicago Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .255 | ||
| Home runs | 64 | ||
| Runs batted in | 667 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Edward Nagle Williamson (born October 24, 1857 – died March 3, 1894) was an American professional baseball player. He was an infielder, which means he played in the inner part of the baseball field. Ned played in Major League Baseball for three different teams.
He played one season for the Indianapolis Blues in the National League (NL). Then, he spent 11 seasons with the Chicago White Stockings (NL). His final season was with the Chicago Pirates in the Players' League.
Ned Williamson was a very talented player. From 1883 to 1887, he held the record for the most doubles in a single season. He also held the record for the most home runs in a single season until 1919. That's when Babe Ruth broke his record! Ned was also known as one of the best fielders of his time. He often led the league in important fielding stats like fielding percentage and double plays.
Sadly, his baseball career ended early because of a knee injury. He got this injury during a special world tour organized by Albert Spalding. After he stopped playing baseball, his health got worse. He got tuberculosis (a serious lung disease) and later died at age 36 from dropsy (a condition where too much fluid builds up in the body).
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Baseball Career Highlights
Ned Williamson started his professional baseball journey on May 1, 1878. He joined the Indianapolis Blues in the National League. In his first season, he played in all 63 of the team's games as the starting third baseman. He even led the league in games played that year. His batting average was .232, and he hit one home run.
Joining the Chicago White Stockings
The Indianapolis Blues only played for one season. So, Ned joined the Chicago White Stockings in 1879. He became their regular third baseman. He was excellent in the field, leading the league in many fielding categories for his position. These included fielding percentage, assists, putouts, and double plays.
His hitting also got better. He hit 13 triples, which was second best in the league. He also hit 20 doubles and raised his batting average to .294. Over the next few years, his hitting numbers changed a bit. But his fielding stayed strong. He led the league in fielding percentage from 1880 to 1882. He also led in assists in 1881 and 1882.
Setting New Records
In 1883, Ned Williamson made history! He set a new major league record by hitting 49 doubles in one season. This broke the old record of 37 doubles. His success with doubles was partly because of the small size of Chicago's home park, Lakeshore Park. The fences were very close to home plate.
Back then, if a ball was hit over the fence, it was usually counted as a double. But in 1884, the rules changed. The team captain, Cap Anson, decided that balls hit over the fence at their park would now be counted as home runs. Ned took advantage of these new rules and the short fences. He hit 27 home runs in a 112-game season! This broke the previous record of 14 home runs.
Out of his 27 home runs that year, 25 of them were hit at home. This amazing record stood for 35 years! It was finally broken in 1919 by Babe Ruth, who hit 29 home runs. Ned also became the first major league player to hit three home runs in one game. This happened on May 30, 1884. Even with his record-breaking hitting, his fielding remained excellent. He continued to lead the league in assists and double plays.
Moving to a New Park
After the 1884 season, the White Stockings moved to a new park called West Side Park. This park had much larger fences. Because of this, Ned's power numbers dropped. His home run total went down to three, and his doubles dropped to 16. His batting average also went down.
Even with lower hitting numbers, Ned still led the league in games played (116) and bases on balls (75). He also continued to lead his position in assists, double plays, and fielding percentage. In 1885, Chicago won the National League championship. They played against the St. Louis Browns in a "World Series". Before the series, Ned won a long-throw contest, throwing a ball over 400 feet! The series ended in a tie.
Switching Positions
In 1886, Ned changed his fielding position to shortstop. The Chicago White Stockings won the National League championship again. However, Ned's personal batting numbers continued to decline. His batting average dropped to a career low of .216.
In 1887, Ned's numbers started to improve again. His batting average went up to .267. He hit 20 doubles, 14 triples, and nine home runs. In 1888, his batting average dipped slightly to .250. But he still finished fourth in the league for RBIs (73) and bases on balls (65). He also led the league in assists and double plays as a shortstop.
Spalding's World Tour
After the 1888 baseball season, Albert Spalding organized a special baseball tour around the world. The tour aimed to promote baseball in different countries. Two teams went on the tour: the White Stockings and a team of players from other National League teams.
The tour started on October 20, 1888. They played games in the western United States for a month. Then, they traveled to places like Hawaii, Australia, Egypt, France, Italy, and England.
An Unfortunate Injury
It was during a game in Paris, France, on March 8, 1889, that Ned Williamson suffered a serious injury. He tore his knee cap. This injury forced him to stay in bed in England, missing the rest of the tour through Britain.
In the 1800s, baseball players usually had to pay for their own medical care. Ned asked Albert Spalding for financial help with his medical bills. But Spalding refused, saying he didn't have to help. Ned never forgave him for this.
Ned was known for writing interesting and funny articles to newspapers during the tour. He enjoyed playfully teasing his teammates in a good-natured way. His letters are an important source of information about this famous world tour.
Later Career and Death
The knee injury Ned suffered on the world tour greatly affected his baseball career. In 1889, he played in only 47 games. His batting average was .237, and he had very few extra base hits.
In 1890, he joined the Chicago Pirates for his final major league season. He played in 73 games but hit only .195.
In the spring of 1894, Ned traveled to Hot Springs, Arkansas. He hoped to recover from a liver problem and lose some weight. However, the treatments did not work. Ned Williamson died on March 3, 1894, at the young age of 36. He passed away in Willow Springs, Arkansas, from dropsy (fluid buildup) and consumption (a lung disease).
He was buried in an unmarked grave in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago. But on November 6, 2021, thanks to the efforts of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), his grave received a special dedication. The grave now notes his single-season home run record from 1884.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
