George Diggins

George Diggins
(Little Georgie)

• Bats unknown, Throws unknown

• Born c. 1895

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

George Diggins has one rather unusual claim to fame in baseball history, as the youngest player to ever appear in a professional game. He 9 was years old and acting as the mascot for the Concord Marines of the New England League on June 25, 1904 when he was inserted into a game as a player. This happened when 2B Win Clark was ejected in the 6th inning of a game against the Lowell Tigers, after their only spare player had already entered the game as a replacement for the catcher. This left Concord with only 8 players. They decided to use Diggins to complete the game, which they lost, 5-4, parking him in right field. He had the advantage of already wearing a team uniform, which would not have been the case if they had asked a random fan to come in. No balls were hit George's way and he struck out in his only at-bat. The next day's newspapers were unimpressed, saying the youngster's presence made "a farce of the game", which one can easily argue was not the case as it allowed a closely-fought game to be played to the end instead of being forfeited.

The catcher who had to be replaced in the game was also named Diggins (first name not recorded) and may well have been George's father. Diggins was reportedly paid $1 for his efforts. He grew up to be a pipe-fitter in Philadelphia, PA but played amateur baseball on teams sponsored by the company that employed him.

Further Reading

• Charlie Bevis: The New England League: A Baseball History, 1885-1949, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2008, pp. 122-123. ISBN 978-0-7864-3159-5
• Tim Hagerty: "Edit the Record Book: A 9-year-old played professional baseball", The Sporting News' December 21, 2014. [1]