Harry Sterling Wolverton (December 6, 1873 – February 4, 1937), nicknamed "Fighting Harry", was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

player. He played all or part of nine seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

from 1898 through 1905 and 1912. He played for the

Chicago Orphans The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, Washington Senators,

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

, and

New York Highlanders The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

, primarily as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

. He also managed the Highlanders in 1912. In addition to playing in MLB, Wolverton managed several minor league baseball teams. After he retired from baseball, he worked as a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

with the Oakland Police Department.

Early life

Wolverton was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on December 6, 1873, to Amanda and John the Baptist Wolverton. John, a veteran of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, worked with Amanda's father in

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular c ...

. Harry had an older brother, Fred, and a younger sister, Birdie. Fred became a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofacial c ...

, while Birdie married and moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. Wolverton played sandlot ball, and then played for his high school baseball team. Wolverton then enrolled at

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is s ...

, where he played

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

as a halfback, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

. However, he left Kenyon after his junior year, as he was facing possible expulsion. Wolverton played

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a conside ...

baseball for a

Paulding, Ohio Paulding is a village in and the county seat of Paulding County, Ohio, United States. It is located predominantly in Paulding Township about 64 miles southwest of Toledo. The population was 3,605 at the 2010 census. History Paulding was a pl ...

team for the summer of 1895, earning $60 a month ($ in current dollar terms) as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Professional career

Minor leagues

Wolverton signed with the

Columbus Senators The Columbus Senators Minor league baseball team was created in as a founding member of the Tri-State League. After that, the Senators played in the Western League (1897-1899), Interstate League (1900), Western Association (1901), and Americ ...

of the Western League on February 22, 1896, beginning his professional career in minor league baseball as a pitcher. During the 1896 season, he struggled with his

control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlli ...

, relegating him to the role of a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He did register a .385 batting average in limited

at-bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

. The next season, Wolverton was demoted to the

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

franchise of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Wester ...

. Pitching for Dubuque, Wolverton hurt his pitching arm. Dubuque began to play Wolverton as a

. His .294 batting average led the team, and he was named

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

. Columbus soon recalled Wolverton, and he responded by posting a .400 batting average through July 1898.

Major leagues

In August 1898, the

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL), a major league, purchased Wolverton from Columbus. He made his debut with the Orphans on September 25.

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Tom Burns Thomas Burns, Tommy Burns or Tom Burns may refer to: Politics * Thomas Burns (politician) (born 1960), Nationalist Northern Irish politician * Thomas Edward Burns (born 1927), Unionist Northern Irish politician * Tom Burns (Australian politician ...

named Wolverton his starting third baseman in 1899, and batted him third in the lineup. The Orphans sold Wolverton to the

on April 28, 1900. Wolverton tied a major league record in 1900 by hitting three triples in one game against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. That season, he batted .282 for the Phillies, recording a career-high 58

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

in 101 games. Late in the 1900 season, he was struck in the head by a pole beside the Philadelphia streetcar tracks, fracturing his skull. He returned to finish the season for the Phillies. Wolverton batted .309 in 93 games in 1901, but broke his

collarbone The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...

in a collision with Fred Tenney of the

. He led the NL in

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

among third baseman (.921). After a dispute with Phillies management about his contract after the 1901 season, Wolverton signed a contract with the Washington Senators of the rival

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

. Courts in Washington and Philadelphia ruled that the move was legal, but that Wolverton could not play in the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

unless he played for the Phillies. Wolverton hit .249 and committed 24

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

s in 59 games with Washington. Wolverton expressed his desire to return to Philadelphia, and the Senators acknowledged that signing Wolverton was a mistake. Wolverton finished the season with the Phillies, where he hit .294 in 34 games. In the 1903 season, he batted .308 with 12 triples, a career high, in 123 games. He again led all NL third basemen in fielding percentage (.941). Wolverton batted .266 in 102 games during the 1904 season, once again leading NL third basemen in fielding percentage (.925). After the season, the Phillies traded Wolverton to the Beaneaters with

Chick Fraser Charles Carrolton Fraser (August 26, 1873 – May 8, 1940) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched for numerous teams between 1896 and 1909. He ranks second all time among major-league pitchers in the category of hit batsmen, ...

for Togie Pittinger. He played for one season with Boston, batting .225. Though his .934 fielding percentage was second best among NL third basemen, trailing only Doc Casey, the Beaneaters released Wolverton after the season.

Player-manager

Wolverton returned to minor league baseball, joining the Williamsport Millionaires of the

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second leagu ...

in 1906 as their third baseman. The next year, he became their

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

. He continued with Williamsport through the 1908 season. He then became player-manager of the

Newark Indians The Newark Sailors, later known as the Newark Indians, were a minor league baseball team in the early twentieth century. The team played its games at Wiedenmayer's Park in Newark, New Jersey. Newark played in the Eastern League between 1908 and 1 ...

of the

Eastern League Eastern League may refer to: Baseball in the United States ''Most recent leagues listed first'' * Eastern League (1938–present), a minor league established in 1923 and renamed Eastern League in 1938, at the Double-A level * Eastern League (1916� ...

in 1909.

Joe McGinnity Joseph Jerome McGinnity (March 20, 1871 – November 14, 1929) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the late 19th and early 20th century. McGinnity played in MLB for ten years, pitching for the National League's ...

purchased Newark and announced that he would continue to pitch for the team. After Wolverton removed McGinnity from a game, the owner demoted Wolverton to team captain and assumed managerial duties for the remainder of the season. Harry Wolverton and John McGraw

Wolverton managed the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: * Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey t ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

(PCL) in 1910 and 1911. A team with little fan support, Wolverton led the Oaks into contention in the PCL, which brought fans to the stadium. Wolverton attempted to purchase the Oaks, but was rebuffed. He was also offered the managerial job in Newark, but he declined, opting to remain in Oakland. In 1912, Wolverton was named manager of the

of the AL, replacing

Hal Chase Harold Homer Chase (February 13, 1883 – May 18, 1947), nicknamed "Prince Hal", was an American professional baseball first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball, widely viewed as the best fielder at his position. During his career, he pl ...

. He led the Highlanders to a last-place finish and a 50–102 record (.329 winning percentage). He inserted himself into games as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

, batting .300 in limited playing time. Despite his efforts to reverse the team's fortunes, he was let go by Frank J. Farrell after the 1912 season. Wolverton returned to the PCL, managing the

Sacramento Sacts ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

in 1913 and 1914. He purchased the team with a business partner after the 1913 season for $20,000 ($ in current dollar terms), but the team lost $24,000 the next year ($ in current dollar terms) and went bankrupt. He managed the San Francisco Seals of the PCL from 1915 through June 17, 1917, when he was fired. He led the Seals to the PCL championship in 1915, and had the Seals in first place at the time of his firing, which team owner

Henry Berry Henry Berry, (1719 in England – 1812) was Liverpool's second dock engineer succeeding Thomas Steers and being succeeded by Thomas Morris. Berry Street in Liverpool may be named after Berry who lived in a house at the junction with Duke Stree ...

said was over player salaries. Wolverton announced his retirement from baseball. Wolverton returned to professional baseball as the manager of the

Seattle Indians Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of N ...

of the PCL in 1923. He argued with the team's owners about the amount of money spent to acquire new players, and resigned on July 8, 1923.

Managerial record

Personal life

Wolverton married Mary Maroney in 1903. They had five daughters. One of his daughters, Mary, died of an illness at the age of 10 on April 28, 1920. Wolverton purchased a farm in

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster ...

in July 1917, after he was fired from the Seals. In 1931, he became a

with the Oakland Police Department. Wolverton died in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

, at age 63 in a

hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

automobile accident. He was on patrol that day, and it was the second hit-and-run accident he suffered during the shift. He is interred at

Cypress Lawn Memorial Park Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, established by Hamden Holmes Noble in 1892, is a rural cemetery located in Colma, California, a place known as the "City of the Silent". History Cypress Lawn Memorial Park is the final resting site for several memb ...

Colma, California Colma (Ohlone for "Springs") is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924. ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolverton, Harry 1873 births 1937 deaths Major League Baseball third basemen Chicago Orphans players Philadelphia Phillies players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Boston Beaneaters players New York Highlanders players New York Highlanders managers Major League Baseball player-managers Columbus Buckeyes (minor league) players Columbus Senators players Dubuque (minor league baseball) players Williamsport Millionaires players Newark Indians players Oakland Oaks (baseball) managers Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Sacramento Sacts players Sacramento Solons managers Mission Wolves players San Francisco Seals (baseball) managers San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Seattle Indians players Kenyon Lords baseball players Baseball players from Ohio 19th-century baseball players Road incident deaths in California People from Mount Vernon, Ohio Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park

Early life

Professional career

Minor leagues

Major leagues

Player-manager

Managerial record

Personal life

See also

References

External links