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 Induction
Information
Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1937, Player -
168 votes on 201 ballots - 83.58%Born: September 5, 1874, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Died: February 7, 1959, in Daytona Beach, Florida
ML Debut: 8/12/1896
Primary Position: Second Baseman
Bats: R Throws: R
Played For: Philadelphia Phillies (1896-1900),
Philadelphia A's (1901-1902, 1915-1916), Cleveland Indians
(1902-1914)
Managed: Cleveland Naps (Indians) (1905-1909)
Bio
Second baseman Napoleon "Larry" Lajoie combined grace in the field
with power at the bat. Renowned for hitting the ball hard, Lajoie
topped .300 in 16 of his 21 big league seasons, ten times batting
over .350 for a lifetime average of .339. In 1901, making the jump
from the Phillies to the Athletics of the new American League,
Lajoie dominated the junior circuit. He captured the Triple Crown,
led league second basemen in fielding average and batted .422 - an
American League mark that has yet to be topped.
Quote
"What a ball player that man was! Every play he made was executed
so gracefully that it looked like it was the easiest thing in the
world. He was a pleasure to play against, too, always laughing and
joking. Even when the son of a gun was blocking you off the base, he
was smiling and kidding with you. You just had to like the guy."
— Tommy Leach
Did You Know... that on May 23, 1901, Nap Lajoie became
the first big league player to be intentionally walked with the
bases loaded? |
