Charles Frederick "Heinie" Wagner (September 23,

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

– March 20,

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

) was an American

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 ...

player and

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 activities ...

. He played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

for the New York Giants (1902) and the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

(1906–1918). He was also the manager of the Red Sox during the 1930 baseball season. Wagner was born in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York, in September 1880. He began his baseball career playing for the Waverly Club in the

New York State League The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eight ...

in 1901. In 1902, he began the season playing for Columbus in the American Association, and played briefly in 17 games for the New York Giants 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 ...

. He spent the remainder of the 1902 season with the Newark Sailors and continued to play for the Eastern League team through 1906. Heinie Wagner baseball card

In 1906, Wagner joined the

. He played for the Red Sox from 1906 to 1918, missing only the 1914 and 1917 seasons. He was the captain of Boston's

1912 World Series The 1912 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1912 season. The ninth edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Boston Red Sox and the National League champion New York Giants. The R ...

championship team. He also played for the Red Sox World Series championship teams in 1915, 1916 and 1918. Wagner and

Harry Hooper Harry Bartholomew Hooper (August 24, 1887 – December 18, 1974) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hooper batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Hooper was born in Bell Station, Ca ...

were the only players to play on all four of the Red Sox World Series championship teams of the era. Wagner was considered to be a valuable infielder while playing with the Red Sox and was reputed to have "an exceptionally powerful and accurate throw." He was also known to block the basepaths with his "exceptionally big" feet. With 141 career stolen bases for the Red Sox, Wagner ranked third in team history when he retired (trailing Hall of Famers

and

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career ba ...

) and still ranks fifth on the all-time Red Sox stolen base list. After being released by the Red Sox in January 1916, Wagner served as the player-manager of the Hartford team in the Eastern League for the first part of the 1916 season. He returned to the Red Sox in late June 1916. In 1920, Wagner closed out his playing career as the player-manager of the Norfolk Mary Janes in the

Virginia League The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928. The most famous alumni to c ...

. After seven years out of baseball, Wagner was hired as a coach for the Boston Red Sox under

Bill Carrigan William Francis Carrigan (October 22, 1883 – July 8, 1969), nicknamed "Rough", was a Major League baseball catcher and manager. He played for the Boston Red Sox between 1906 and 1916, and he was a player-manager for the last four of those season ...

. He was reported to be Carrigan's "right-hand man" during the 1928, 1929, and 1930 seasons. In 1930, he was hired as

of the Red Sox after Carrigan retired. In Wagner's sole season as manager, the Red Sox finished last in the

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 ...

with a 52–102 (.338) record. On September 29, 1930, Wagner's resignation as manager of the Red Sox was accepted by team president Bob Quinn. He never managed again. After retiring from baseball, Wagner worked as the superintendent of a lumber yard in New Rochelle, New York. He also coached the baseball teams of the New Rochelle Police and Fire Departments and Elks Club. Wagner was married to Martha Hahn Wagner. They had two sons and four daughters. In March 1943, Wagner died of a heart ailment at his home on Van Guilder Avenue in New Rochelle at age 62.

Managerial record

Notes

External links

*
Heinie Wagner
at SABR (Baseball BioProject * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Heinie 1880 births 1943 deaths New York Giants (NL) players Boston Red Sox players Boston Red Sox managers Boston Red Sox coaches Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball second basemen Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Baseball players from Westchester County, New York Minor league baseball managers Columbus Senators players Newark Sailors players Norfolk Mary Janes players Baseball players from New York City Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)