Grover Allen Hartley (July 2, 1888 – October 19, 1964) was a backup

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 catc ...

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 ...

. From

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

through

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, he played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

(1911–13, 1924–26), St. Louis Terriers (1914–15),

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

(1916–17, 1934),

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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

(1927) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

(1930). Hartley batted and threw right-handed. He was born in

Osgood, Indiana Osgood is a town in Center Township, Ripley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,624 at the 2010 census. History Osgood was platted in 1854 when the railroad was extended to that point. The town was named for A. L. Osgoo ...

. In a 14-season career, Hartley was a .268

hitter In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher. The three main goals of batters are to become a baserunner, to dri ...

with three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 144 RBI in 569

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

Hartley was a catcher with good defensive skills as he took responsibility for getting the most out of his

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, ...

s, and worked hard at ensuring their success. He debuted with the New York Giants in 1911, appearing in part of three seasons. In 1914 he jumped to the outlaw

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

, becoming a regular with the St. Louis Terriers for the next two years, and later shared catching tenures for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and new stints with the Giants and Browns, retiring at the end of the 1934 season. Between his stints with the Browns and Giants, he spent seven years in the minor leagues 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 Ameri ...

. In 1935 Hartley became an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

. He also managed in the minors and coached for the Giants, Browns,

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

and

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

. Hartley died in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona� ...

, at the age of 76.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Grover Boston Red Sox players Cleveland Indians players New York Giants (baseball) players New York Giants (NL) coaches St. Louis Browns players St. Louis Terriers players 20th-century American sportsmen Major League Baseball catchers 1888 births 1964 deaths People from Ripley County, Indiana St. Louis Browns coaches Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Cleveland Indians coaches Minor league baseball managers Battle Creek Crickets players Toledo Mud Hens players Springfield Senators players Decatur Commodores players Columbus Senators players Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Findlay Browns players Findlay Oilers players Baseball players from Indiana Lima Chiefs players Marion Cardinals players Marion Diggers players