Elmer Ward Bliss (March 9, 1875 – March 18, 1962) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. Bliss played for the

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 ...

in and . In 1903, Bliss, as a pitcher, played in 1 game and got the win, going 7 innings with one run allowed. Then in 1904, Bliss appeared in a game for the Highlanders as an outfielder. He went 0–1 in the game. He batted left and threw left-handed.

Biography

A former oil and ironworker, Bliss made his professional baseball debut in 1900, joining the Atlantic League, a successor of the

Pennsylvania State League The Pennsylvania State League was an American minor league baseball sports league that operated from 1892 to 1895, then became the first Atlantic League (1896–1900), Atlantic League. The league member teams were exclusively based in Pennsylvania ...

, playing as a

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

. However, the league folded at the end of the 1900 season and he joined local teams in the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

while living in Bolivar, New York. After impressing other teams, the Utica Pent-Ups signed Bliss for the 1901 season. After playing for the Pent-Ups from 1901–1903, the Highlanders purchased his contract in August 1903. After his appearances for the Highlanders, Bliss ended up with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

of the Eastern League in 1904. In 1905 he played for the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

and the

Rochester Bronchos The Rochester Bronchos were a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York, from 1899 to 1911. In 1899, the franchise was purchased by a syndicate of local businessmen doing business as the "Flower City Baseball Company": George W. Swe ...

. Late in the 1905 season, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

purchased Bliss' contract. For the 1906–1908 seasons, Bliss served as the manager for the Grand Rapids Wolverines of the

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

. After the 1908 season, the White Sox sold him to the Montgomery Climbers, where he played until his retirement after the 1911 season. After retiring, Bliss returned to the oil business and started working in real estate, moving to

Bradford, Pennsylvania Bradford is a city in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located close to the border with New York state and approximately south of Buffalo, New York. Home to an oil refinery, Zippo headquarters and a University of Pittsburgh b ...

in 1915, where he started his own insurance business. Bliss retired from the insurance business in 1957. He died on March 18, 1962 at Bradford Hospital, aged 87.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, Elmer 1875 births 1962 deaths New York Highlanders players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Clearfield County, Pennsylvania Minor league baseball managers Waverly Wagonmakers players Utica Pent-Ups players Montreal Royals players Rochester Bronchos players Grand Rapids Orphans players Grand Rapids Wolverines players Montgomery Senators players Montgomery Climbers players Binghamton Bingoes players Wellsville Rainmakers players