Laurie Reis

Laurence P. Reis

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut October 1, 1877
• Born November 20, 1858 in Illinois USA
• Died January 24, 1921 in Chicago, IL USA

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Biographical Information

Lawrence "Laurie" Reis is (through 2009) one of four major leaguers with the last name "Reis", including Bobby Reis, Jack Reis and Tommy Reis. There is also an Al Reiss.

Laurie pitched at age 18 for the 1877 Chicago White Stockings, going 3-1, and then for the 1878 Chicago White Stockings, going 1-3. He was quite effective in 1877, with an 0.75 ERA on a team whose ERA overall was 3.37.

The Baseball Rookies Encyclopedia has a couple of paragraphs on Reis, saying that he had been an amateur in Chicago and then played for the team in Valley City, IA. He pitched most of the White Stockings' games at the end of the 1877 season, including an exhibition game.

In 1879 he played for Dubuque, which was apparently not a step down since quite a few major leaguers were on the team. The team won the pennant. Future major leaguers Charley Radbourn and Charlie Comiskey also were on the team.