Guy Hecker

Guy Jackson Hecker

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut May 2, 1882
• Final Game September 30, 1890
• Born April 3, 1856 in Youngsville, PA USA
• Died December 3, 1938 in Wooster, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Guy Hecker achieved prominence as a pitcher, a position player and a hitter. He not only won 50 games in one season, but was also a batting champion. He appeared in 336 games as a pitcher, 322 as a first baseman and 75 as an outfielder. He was a major league manager in 1890 and also worked as an umpire in the American Association in 1888 and 1889.

He is one of only three pitchers to ever win 50+ games in a season in the major leagues. All of them did it in 1884 or 1885. Hecker's great season was in 1884 with the Louisville Eclipse of the American Association. He led the league in every major pitching category, including wins (52), ERA (1.80), innings pitched (670 2/3) and strikeouts (385).

Hecker is also the only player to have ever scored 7 runs in a game; he did this in the second game of a doubleheader on August 15, 1886 with the Louisville Colonels. A number of players have since scored six runs in a game, but none has scored seven. Hecker was the pitcher in that game, and is believed to be the only player who holds a "good" offensive record that was set while pitching (although, for a while, pitcher Tony Cloninger was the only National League player to have hit two grand slams in a game and remains one of only 13 players to have managed the feat). Of course, he also won the AA's batting title that year, hitting .341, so his performance in that game was no freak occurrence.

His only season as a manager, with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1890. The team had been gutted by defections to the Players League that season, including by player/manager Ned Hanlon, and Hecker was left with a shell of a team to lead. The Alleghenys finished in last place in the National League with a dismal record of 23-113, one of the worst of all time.

He is also the only pitcher to win a batting title: he pitched in 49 games that year, while playing 22 at first base and 17 in the outfield. He was a player-manager in the minors at the end of his MLB career.

After baseball he was in the oil business and ran a grocery store.

Notable Achievements

• AA Pitching Triple Crown (1884)
• AA ERA Leader (1884)
• AA Wins Leader (1884)
• AA Games Pitched Leader (1884)
• AA Innings Pitched Leader (1884)
• AA Strikeouts Leader (1884)
• AA Complete Games Leader (1884)
• AA Batting Average Leader (1886)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 4 (1883-1886)
• 30 Wins Seasons: 2 (1884 & 1885)
• 40 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 50 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 6 (1883-1888)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1883-1886)
• 400 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1883-1886)
• 500 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 600 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 2 (1884 & 1885)
• 300 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1884)

Preceded by Ned Hanlon

Pittsburgh Alleghenys Manager 1890

Succeeded by Ned Hanlon

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1890	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	National League	23-113	8th	Pittsburgh Alleghenys
1891	Fort Wayne	Northwestern League	39-33	2nd	none
1892	Jacksonville Lunatics	Two-I League		4th	none		replaced Jack Pettiford
1895	Oil City Oilers	Iron and Oil League	42-31	2nd (t)	none
1897	Cambridge/Twin Cities	Ohio-West Virginia League	16-27	4th	none		team moved on June 21
1898	Oil City/Dunkirk-Fredonia	Iron and Oil League	22-30	5th	none		team moved on June 18

Records Held

Runs, game, 7, 8/15/1886 (second game)

Related Sites

• Guy Hecker at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page