Harry Wright
William Henry Wright
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 157 lb.
- Debut May 5, 1871
- Final Game September 29, 1877
- Born January 10, 1835 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
- Died October 3, 1895 in Atlantic City, NJ USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1953
Biographical Information[edit]
"(He was) the most widely known, best respected, and most popular of the exponents and representatives of professional baseball, of which he was virtually the founder." - Henry Chadwick, the father of baseball, about Harry Wright
"He did more than any other man, more than any number of men, to bring base ball to its present high standing . . . it is not easy to overestimate the vast beneficial influence exercised by this truly great and good man in his chosen sphere . . . " - from the obituary of Harry Wright appearing in Sporting Life, October 5, 1895
Harry Wright was one of baseball's great pioneers. In addition to playing and managing in the National Association and in the National League, he organized the first truly professional baseball team - the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. Wright managed the club, played center field and, according to The Relief Pitcher, also served as the team's "change pitcher" or relief pitcher. He also served as an umpire for a few games in both the National Association (1 game in 1875) and the National League (3 games between 1876 and 1885).
Wright, born in 1835, was already the second-oldest player in the league when the National Association formed in 1871. He had begun playing cricket professionally in 1857 and had started playing baseball that same year. He played for the Knickerbockers in New York City for several years and then for the Gothams. In 1866, when he left to play cricket professionally in Cincinnati, OH, he helped to form the Cincinnati baseball club which later became so famous. Over the years, he played center field, third base and pitcher on his amateur teams. Later, as a player in the National Association, he was primarily a center fielder and pitcher.
He had 3 saves to lead the National Association in its first year of existence, 1871.
Wright managed for 23 years in the National Association and in the National League. His last team was the 1893 Philadelphia Phillies, which featured, among other players, the 25-year-old Ed Delahanty. His career major league managerial winning percentage was .581.
He is the brother of George Wright and Sam Wright.
SABR has a biography of Wright, which says that Wright's father was a cricket star. Harry dropped out of school, worked as a jeweler and then as a cricket player, and turned to baseball. He joined the New York Knickerbockers in 1857. Wright went temporarily blind as a result of an eye illness in 1890, but recovered part of his sight later. He died from a lung illness in 1895.
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 3-time NA Saves Leader (1871, 1872 & 1874)
- NA Pennants: 4 (1872-1875)
- NL Pennants: 2 (1877 & 1878)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1953
| Preceded by None |
Boston Red Stockings Manager 1871-1881 |
Succeeded by John Morrill |
| Preceded by Blondie Purcell |
Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies Manager 1884-1893 |
Succeeded by Arthur Irwin |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Further Reading[edit]
- Christopher Devine: "Harry Wright: The Most Important Figure of the 19th Century?", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Number 31, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 2003, pp. 35-38.
- Christopher Devine: Harry Wright: The Father of Professional Base Ball, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2003. ISBN 978-0-7864-1561-8
- Wayne Soini: It Happened in Boston: Harry & George Wright's Creation of Professional Baseball in the year 1872, independently published, 2022. ISBN 979-8431584015
Related Sites[edit]
- Harry Wright at the SABR Bio Project
- BR Manager page
- BR Minors page
- Baseball Iconography
- Harry Wright's cricket career
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