Heinie Reitz

Henry Peter Reitz

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 158 lb.

• Debut April 27, 1893
• Final Game June 3, 1899
• Born June 29, 1867 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died November 9, 1914 in Sacramento, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

". . . a member of the famous Baltimore Orioles Brouthers-Reitz-Jennings-McGraw infield . . ." - from Sporting Life, November 14, 1914

Heinie Reitz was the second baseman on the legendary Baltimore Orioles National League teams in the 1890s that won the pennant several times and came close other times. His teammates included such great players as Dan Brouthers, Hughie Jennings (who as shortstop formed the double play combination with Reitz), John McGraw (who played third base), Willie Keeler, and Joe Kelley.

Reitz led the league in triples in 1894 with 31, which tied the all-time single-season record (later to be surpassed only once, by Chief Wilson in 1912). He was also 5th in RBI in 1896. He served as an umpire for one game in 1895.

He closed out his career playing two seasons in Washington and Pittsburgh.

The Orioles were famous for being a tough team. It is said that Honus Wagner used to tell a tall tale with a grain of truth about his early days in the league when he played against the Orioles, which went something like this: "I hit a ball that should have been a homer, but when I got to first base Jack Doyle tried to trip me, when I got to second base Heinie Reitz blocked me, and when I managed to get past second base the shortstop Hughie Jennings threw himself at me, knocking me flat. Finally, when I got up and ran to third, there was John McGraw holding a shotgun and saying "you stop right here!".

Reitz also played in the minors for San Francisco, Spokane, and Milwaukee.

He was the first major leaguer to die in an automobile accident. Tony Boeckel later became the first such active major leaguer.

Notable Achievements

• NL Triples Leader (1894)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1894 & 1896)