George Hildebrand

George Albert Hildebrand

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut April 17, 1902
• Final Game April 28, 1902
• Born September 6, 1878 in San Francisco, CA USA
• Died May 30, 1960 in Reseda, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

George Hildebrand was an American League umpire from 1913 to 1934; he played outfield in the California League with the Sacramento Senators where he taught teammate Elmer Stricklett how to throw a spitball when Hildebrand joined the club in July 1902. He had learned about the spitball from Frank Corridon, who was apparently the inventor, and the two of them refined the concept together. Stricklett set a minor league record that season for games won with a record of 27-22 and was a 20-game winner with the American Association Milwaukee Brewers in 1904 (20-11).

He played a few games in left field with the 1902 Brooklyn Superbas, whose regular left fielder at the time was another 23-year-old, Jimmy Sheckard.

Related Sites

• George Hildebrand on Retrosheet.org
• Sporting News umpire card

(some text submitted by Rex Hamann, The American Association Almanac. Please visit [1])