Art Sunday

Arthur J. Hawker
born August Wacher

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 193 lb.

• Debut May 5, 1890
• Final Game August 26, 1890
• Born January 21, 1862 in Springfield, OH USA
• Died October 2, 1926 in Reno, NV USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Art Hawker, who played under the name Art Sunday, was half responsible for the term "Texas Leaguer". He made his contribution to the baseball lexicon in 1889, while still in the minor leagues. When he and third baseman Bill Joyce, both recently transferred from Houston of the Texas League, opened their first game for the International League Toledo club with back-to-back bloop hits, teammates jeered at the alleged source of cheap hits.

He apparently died a hero in 1926. He was a forest ranger and died of burn injuries suffered while fighting a forest fire. Source: The SABR Biographical Research Committee July / August 2001 Report.

"Arthur Sunday, of the Toledos, will join a club at El Paso, Tex., which will make a tour of Mexico and play nearly all winter." - a report in Sporting Life, Oct. 16, 1889

"In knocking a ball over the Buffalo right field fence (Sam Wise) accomplished a feat which was only once before accomplished -- namely, by Arthur Sunday, then with Toledo." - Sporting Life, May 3, 1890

"Arthur Sunday was a member of the American team that won the championship in the international tug-of-war contests at Sacramento last week." - Sporting Life, Dec. 26, 1891