(photo & content contributions by mancavepictures.com)
"#OTD in 1959, Zack Wheat was unanimously elected to the #baseballhall by the Veterans Committee. The Missouri native slashed an ave. .317/9/84 over his 19-year career, batting >.300 14 times! Zack is seen here in 1919 w/the Brooklyn Robins." (mancavepictures.com)
Zack Wheat's 19-year career began on September 11, 1909, when he debuted for the Brooklyn Superbas. Wheat began his professional baseball career in 1906 for Enterprise in the Kansas League, followed by Wichita in 1907, the Shreveport Pirates of the Texas League in 1908, and the Mobile Sea Gulls of the Southern Association in 1909. It was during that 1909 season that the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League purchased Wheat for $1,200, and he played his first game as a major leaguer in September. Wheat batted with a corkscrew type of swing, and held his hands down near the end of the bat, unlike most hitters during his time, a time noted as the "Dead Ball Era". Along with his consistently high levels of hitting, he was also noted for his graceful and stylish defense.
Wheat made his last MLB appearance on September 21, 1927, for the Philadelphia Athletics. Zack ended his career with an impressive number of stats that eventually got him elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which was on this date ( February 2, 1959).
Zack Wheat's career totals:
Batting Avg: .317 / Hits: 2,884 / Home Runs: 132 / Runs Batted In: 1,248 while playing his career with the Brooklyn Superbas / Dodgers / Robins (1909–1926) & Philadelphia Athletics (1927). Besides being elected to the Hall of Fame, Wheat won the NL Batting Crown in 1918 with a .335 batting average that year and won the title without hitting a single home run that season!
*(Information used for blog research taken from Wikipedia)
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