Neal Ball
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Cornelius "Neal" Ball (April 22, 1881 – October 15, 1957) was an American
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
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 ...
who played seven seasons in
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 ...
(MLB). He played for the New York Highlanders, Cleveland Naps, and
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 ...
from 1907 to 1913. Although his primary position was shortstop, Ball played at
second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...
,
third base 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 us ...
, and in the
outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...
as well. He is the first player to turn an
unassisted triple play In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes triple play, all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any Assist (baseball), assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Majo ...
in
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 ...
history on July 19, 1909. Ball played
minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
for the Montgomery Senators of the Southern League until 1907, when he signed for the New York Highlanders. After spending less than three seasons with the organization, Ball was sold to the Cleveland Naps, where he spent the next two seasons. In the middle of the 1912 season, his contract was then purchased by the Boston Red Sox, with whom he played his last game on June 30, 1913. He died on October 15, 1957, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
.


Personal life

Ball was born on April 22, 1881, in
Grand Haven, Michigan Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River (Michigan), Grand River, for which ...
. After his Major League career ended, he went on to coach 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 ...
(who were a minor league team at the time). It was there that he was assigned to train
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
, who had just come out of St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Ball described Ruth as "the dumbest and yet the strongest player" he had ever coached. The two remained good friends after Ruth broke into the Majors and even played a friendly game of
bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
against one another in 1923 (with Ball edging out Ruth, winning four out of the seven games played). Ruth held Ball in great respect, and because of their close friendship in baseball, he eventually became a fan of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. In the 1950s, an annual bowling tournament held at the Newfield Alleys near
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
was named after Ball in order to honor the city's famous inhabitant. On February 12, 1952, at the age of 71, his health severely deteriorated due to a heart ailment and he was rushed to
Bridgeport Hospital Bridgeport Hospital is a not-for-profit general medical and surgical hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is a member of Yale New Haven Health System and affiliated with Yale School of Medicine. During 2018, Bridgeport Hospital received pr ...
, where he was placed on the danger list and visitors were prohibited from seeing him. He died on October 15, 1957 and was interred at Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport.


Professional career


Minor leagues

Ball started playing organized baseball on the semi-pro team in Three Rivers, Michigan, where he played in a game against
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Negro league The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...
star Rube Foster of the Otsego Independents during the 1902 season. He then proceeded to play for Montgomery Senators, a
minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
team that competed in the Southern League. He played for the team until , when he signed for the New York Highlanders. He made his major league debut for the Highlanders on September 12, 1907, at the age of 26, in a 2–0 loss against the Washington Senators.


New York Highlanders (1907–09)

During his rookie season, Ball posted a
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .247 and led the majors in strikeouts with 91. Defensively, he committed the most errors among all fielders in the
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 ...
with 81 and most errors by a shortstop with 80, both of which are Yankee rookie records that still stand today. However, he also set the team record for most assists by a rookie with 438 (this record has since been broken by
Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974), nicknamed "the Captain", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) caree ...
, who had 444 assists in ).


Cleveland Naps (1909–12)

On May 18, , the Cleveland Naps bought Ball’s contract for approximately $5,000 (worth $ in ). Ball was brought in to serve as the temporary replacement for Cleveland's injured starting shortstop Terry Turner, who suffered from a recurring arm injury. In his first season with Cleveland, Ball batted .256 with one
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 ( ...
and 25
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
. Although he was never famous for his defensive skills, he achieved baseball history when he executed the first
unassisted triple play In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes triple play, all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any Assist (baseball), assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Majo ...
in the MLB on July 19, 1909, doing so against 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
at
League Park League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Dunham Street (now known as East 66th Street) and Lexington Avenue in the Hough, Cleveland, Hough neighborhood. It was buil ...
. In the second inning of the game, Ball, playing
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 ...
, caught Amby McConnell's line drive, stepped on second base to retire Heinie Wagner, and then tagged Jake Stahl as he was advancing towards second. Because the play was unprecedented and turned so swiftly, the ballplayers on the field did not know the inning was over, and the crowd of 11,000 were unsure of how to react.
Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered t ...
, the game's
starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...
, was puzzled and asked Ball why he was leaving the field. Once the fans in attendance realized what had happened, they gave him an ovation, while his teammates applauded him as he returned to the dugout. In the following inning, with the crowd still cheering, he hit an
inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...
to center field, which was his only home run that season. In a rare post-game interview, Ball remained humble about the feat and reminded the reporters that "anyone could have made the play". The
glove A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...
that he used to make the unassisted triple play is on exhibit at the
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
. He was presented with two medals to recognize his achievement: one by the '' Cleveland Press'' and one paid for by a fund organized by the ''Cleveland News''. At the end of the season, after playing just 54 games with the team, Ball was sent down and released to the Portland Beavers. He refused to play for the minor league team and this, coupled with the underperformance of the infielders brought in to replace him, resulted in the Naps repurchasing his contract. The season turned out to be Ball's best statistical year, with several career highs. He batted .296 with 122 hits, 9 triples, 45 RBI and 3 home runs, though he also recorded the third highest number of strikeouts in the AL with 93. Although his defense was never stellar, he executed two noted plays that season. He made a one-handed stop against 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 ...
that was described as "marvelous" by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and held the Yankees (his former team) to a 3–3 draw when he, serving as the cut-off man, successfully relayed the ball thrown from
right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
Shoeless Joe Jackson to
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 ...
Gus Fisher. In doing so, he nailed Birdie Cree (who represented the Yankees' winning run) at home plate and the game was immediately suspended due to darkness. However, in a rematch against the White Sox on May 5, 1912, Ball suffered a momentary defensive lapse that ultimately cost his team the game. In the sixth inning, he was unable to catch Shano Collins stealing second base and then inexplicably held onto the ball. This allowed Ping Bodie to advance to home plate and score the winning run.


Boston Red Sox (1912–13)

On June 25, 1912, 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
purchased Ball's contract from the Naps for $2,500 (equivalent to $ in ). Ball's final major league team was ironically the one he turned his unassisted triple play against. The player who was final out of that play, Jake Stahl, became his manager and teammate. The Red Sox signed Ball with the intention of using him only as a
utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...
who could substitute for any injured players on the team. As a result, he rarely started for the Red Sox. The team advanced to the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
at the end of that season, where they defeated 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 ...
4–3. Although he struck out in his only
plate appearance In baseball, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner. This ha ...
of the series, he still received the prize money of $4,025 ($ in ) rewarded to players on the winning team. This prompted the ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...
'' to label him "the luckiest man in baseball."


Post-playing career

After playing his final major league season in , Ball returned to the minors and played for several teams until . Most notably, in May , he was traded by the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
to his hometown team, the Bridgeport Hustlers of the Eastern League, and became both their manager and second baseman. The Hustlers were struggling at the time,and the addition of Ball did nothing to change the team's fortunes. By July, the Hustlers were still languishing in last place and, as a result, he was dismissed from the team.


References


External links

, o
RetrosheetNeal Ball
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Neal 1881 births 1957 deaths Baltimore Orioles (International League) players 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Ottawa County, Michigan Boston Red Sox players Bridgeport Hustlers players Burials at Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport Cedar Rapids Rabbits players Cleveland Naps players Major League Baseball shortstops Minor league baseball managers Montgomery Senators players New Haven Indians players New Haven Murlins players New Haven Profs players New Haven Weissmen players New York Highlanders players Pittsfield Hillies players Sportspeople from Grand Haven, Michigan Richmond Climbers players Baseball players from Boston Baseball players from Bridgeport, Connecticut Toledo Mud Hens players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players