Bert Inks

Albert John Inks

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut September 2, 1891
• Final Game June 23, 1896
• Born January 27, 1871 in Ligonier, IN USA
• Died October 3, 1941 in Ligonier, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Bert Inks' pitching in particular has been phenomenal all season, and he comes pretty near being the star twirler of the League." - Sporting Life, Sept. 30, 1893, about Bert Inks with Springfield

Bert Inks pitched five years in the majors.

Born in Ligonier, IN in the northeastern part of the state, after his playing days he managed the 1910 Ligonier entry in the Indiana-Michigan League.

Inks broke into the majors at the age of 20, and moved around a lot. He pitched for six teams in five major league seasons. Although he had a couple seasons where he was far below .500, he was 5-4 in 1892 and 11-10 in 1894.

As a hitter, he had exactly a .300 major league batting average, although since he played at a time of historically high averages, it wasn't as special as it sounds. However, in his best year, 1892, he hit .371 in 35 at-bats, while the league as a whole hit only .245.

The book Notre Dame Baseball Greats has some text on him. Bert and his brother Will Inks played on a "campus team" at Notre Dame (apparently like an intramural team only half the student body then participated on campus baseball teams) and Bert pitched his team to the campus championship. He and Will both started in pro ball in 1890 and were both successful. He hit well over .300 a couple times in the minors. He coached at Wabash College in 1905. In 1907 he opened Ligonier's first movie theater and operated it for 34 years.

He also had a brother named Fred Inks who was an outfielder, trying to catch on with a minor league team in 1895.

The book has a photo of the 1892 Binghamton, including Bert Inks and Willie Keeler.

Ford Frick wrote in his autobiography that Inks was a hero when Frick was growing up. Frick called him a "burly right-handed pitcher".

The book Notre Dame Baseball Greats continues, saying that Inks was at one point thought to be a Jewish fellow born Albert Preston Inkstein, but that turned out to be incorrect.

"O.P. Caylor claims that pitcher Bert Inks, of Louisville, is a full-blooded Hebrew, and that his proper name is Inkstein. Possibly, Mr. Caylor is mistaken. Inks never signs a contract as Inkstein." - Sporting Life, Oct. 5, 1895

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1895)