George Borchers
George Benard Borchers
(Chief)
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
- Debut May 18, 1888
- Final Game May 26, 1895
- Born April 18, 1869 in Sacramento, CA USA
- Died October 24, 1938 in Sacramento, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
"Borchers is a great pitcher, but he has no balance wheel, and once he gets off on a tear, no one can control him." - the Sacramento Bee in 1890, quoted in the book Gold on the Diamond
George Borchers pitched at 19 for the 1888 Chicago White Stockings and then came back for one game with the 1895 Louisville Colonels.
Borchers was born in 1869 in Sacramento, CA. His minor league career lasted many years, and he played several seasons in the California League, the Pacific Coast League and in leagues in the Pacific Northwest. He managed in the minors in 1892 and 1899. An article in The Deseret News from March 7, 1902 indicates that Borchers would be the manager of a Salt Lake City team that year. The article stated that Borchers was known as the "Big Chief".
He apparently was a bit of a wild man:
"Other world-class drunkards wore the Spokane uniform -- especially in the pre-Indians era. Pitcher George Borchers once abducted a prominent citizen's daughter in Sacramento." - from an article about the history of the Spokane team
One source sees Borchers as the inspiration for the player "Barrows" in the famous baseball poem Casey at the Bat.
The book Gold on the Diamond: Sacramento's Greatest Players 1886-1976 has more than a page of text on him as well as a baseball card. His father was a brewer and George began his baseball career with the amateur Peruvian Bitters club. He exhibited "erratic behavior" and had a temper. There were stories about him, many involving acts he did while drunk.
After baseball he ran a dairy for more than 40 years. His grave in Sacramento is one of the highlights of the Old City Cemetery's Beer and Baseball Tour.
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | Portland Webfoots | Pacific Northwest League | -- | -- | replaced by Jack Page |
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