Pete Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pete Hill |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: October 12, 1882 Culpeper County, Virginia, United States |
|||
| Died: November 19, 1951 (aged 69) Buffalo, New York, United States |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| 1899, for the Pittsburgh Keystones | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1925, for the Baltimore Black Sox | |||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Negro league baseball
|
|||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|||
| Induction | 2006 | ||
| Election Method | Committee on African-American Baseball | ||
John Preston "Pete" Hill (born October 12, 1882 – died November 19, 1951) was an amazing American outfielder and manager in the Negro leagues. He played baseball from 1899 to 1925. Pete Hill played for several famous teams. These included the Philadelphia Giants, Leland Giants, Chicago American Giants, Detroit Stars, Milwaukee Bears, and Baltimore Black Sox. He was a star player for teams owned by Rube Foster, a very important person in Negro league baseball.
Pete Hill was so good that he was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. This is a huge honor for any baseball player!
Contents
Early Life of Pete Hill
For a long time, people thought Pete Hill was born Joseph Preston Hill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1880. However, new research shows his real first name was John. He was most likely born on October 12, 1882, in Culpeper County, Virginia. Some records even suggest he might have been born in 1883 or 1884. We know for sure that he lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by the year 1900.
Pete Hill's Baseball Career
Pete Hill was a tall player, standing 6 feet 1 inch and weighing 215 pounds. Many people thought he was the most important player on three of the best Negro league teams ever. One writer, William McNeil, even called Hill "black baseball's first superstar." He was known for his incredible speed and a very strong throwing arm. He could also hit the ball well, either for a high average or with lots of power.
Pete Hill spent much of his career playing for teams led by Rube Foster. Foster was a pioneer in Negro league baseball. He often built his teams around Hill's amazing skills.
Playing for the Philadelphia Giants
From 1904 to 1907, Pete Hill was the star left fielder for the Philadelphia Giants. This team was known for its powerful hitting. Like many other Negro league stars back then, Hill also played in other leagues. He spent some time in the Cuban Winter League. In the 1910-11 season, he had the best batting average in that league, hitting .365.
Joining the Chicago American Giants
Rube Foster later decided to create a new team called the Chicago American Giants. He brought together his best players from the Leland Giants, including Pete Hill. Hill was even made the team's captain. In their first year, Hill quickly became one of the team's top hitters. He got a hit in 115 out of 116 games that season! He played against many different levels of teams. Some of his opponents were even major league pitchers like Eddie Plank and Chief Bender.
A Consistent Hitter
Cumberland Posey, who owned the Homestead Grays, was a famous black baseball player and manager. He once said that Pete Hill was "the most consistent hitter of his time." Posey also mentioned that Hill, who batted left-handed, could hit both left-handed and right-handed pitchers equally well. Besides being a great hitter, Hill was known for hitting with lots of power. Unfortunately, we don't have all his exact home run and RBI numbers. This is common for many Negro league players from that era.
In 1909, sportswriter and player Jimmy Smith picked Pete Hill for his "All American Team." This showed how highly he was regarded.
Player-Manager Role
Pete Hill and Rube Foster were close friends. In 1919, Foster asked Hill to become the player-manager for the new Detroit Stars team. Hill was 36 years old at the time, but he agreed to take on the challenge. By his third year with the Stars, his players respected him greatly. He continued to hit well, leading the team with a .388 batting average in 1921. After his time in Detroit, Hill played for three more Negro league teams. He also spent time in other baseball leagues.
Pete Hill played his last game with the Baltimore Black Sox in 1925. As his playing career ended, he tried to follow in Rube Foster's footsteps. He wanted to work in the front office of a baseball team. His last job in professional baseball was as the field manager for the Baltimore Black Sox in 1924–25.
Pete Hill's Legacy
Pete Hill passed away at age 69 in Buffalo, New York. He was buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. In 1952, an African-American newspaper called the Pittsburgh Courier took a poll. They asked people to name the best outfielders in Negro league history. Pete Hill was ranked as the fourth-best, right behind Oscar Charleston, Monte Irvin, and Cristóbal Torriente. In 1944, Cumberland Posey also put Hill on his all-star team as one of the greatest Negro league outfielders.
Pete Hill was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. He was one of 17 Negro league and pre-Negro league players honored that year. In 2010, the Hall of Fame announced they would make a new plaque for Hill. This was to correct his name from Joseph Preston Hill to John Preston Hill. The new plaque was shown at a special ceremony on October 12, 2010. Hill's family and researchers were there. Even though he died in Buffalo, NY, he is buried in Alsip, Illinois. His grave did not have a marker at first, but the SABR provided one.
Images for kids
-
Pete Hill in his Chicago American Giants uniform.
