Erve Beck

Ervin Thomas Beck
(Dutch)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 168 lb.

• Debut September 19, 1899
• Final Game September 27, 1902
• Born July 19, 1878 in Toledo, OH USA
• Died December 23, 1916 in Toledo, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Erve Beck came up at age 20 in 1899, but played most of his games in 1901 with the Cleveland Blues, the first year the American League was a major league. He was the regular second baseman for the team, hitting .289 and showing quite a bit of power with 6 homers. Those 6 home runs were especially important because the team as a whole had only 12 for all of 1901 and Beck's contribution represented half of that total. According to the B-R Bullpen entry for John Skopec, Beck was the first player to homer in the newly formed (major league) American League, doing so on April 25th. It was his first major league home run. He umpired one game in the National League in 1902 and had played minor league ball since age 16 in 1895.

Related Sites

• Baseball History Daily story on Erve Beck