Sargent Perry "Sadie" Houck (February 29, 1856 – May 26, 1919) was a professional

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 ...

player from 1879 to 1888. He played eight seasons of

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 ...

, principally 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 ...

, for the

Boston Red Caps The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National ...

Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the ...

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

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 ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, and

New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York M ...

. Houck was considered a solid defensive shortstop. During his

prime years Prime years, or the ideal age or perfect age, are a part of someone's self-concept and occur in many philosophical and sociological deliberations. They refer to the stage of life where one experiences the best years of their life, and is in a go ...

of 1881, 1883 and 1884, he led either the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

or the American Association in assists (1883, 1884),

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tag ...

s (1883),

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Le ...

s (1881, 1883), and

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

(1884) by a shortstop. Houck had a career

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 .250 and ranked fourth in the

with 35

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s as a rookie in 1879. He was added to the

's "blacklist" in September 1881, allegedly for being "addicted to drink", and barred from playing for or against any National League team. He was reinstated in 1883.

Family

Houck was born in Washington, D.C., in 1856. He was the son of John W. and Catherine Houck.

Baseball career

Boston and Providence

Houck made his major league debut in May 1879 with the

, splitting his playing time between the outfield and shortstop. In his rookie season, Houck was among the

leaders with 35 extra base hits (4th), 24 doubles (5th), 69 runs scored (8th), and nine triples (9th). Houck began the 1880 season with Boston, but played most of the season with the

. His batting average dropped by 74 points to .201 from 1879 to 1880.

Detroit

In 1881, Houck signed with the

in their first season in the National League. Houck was not with the Wolverines at the start of the season, but was credited with filling a hole in the team's defense when he signed with them. The ''Detroit Free Press'' on June 19, 1881, wrote that the team had fully recovered from a severe illness with "Dr. Houck curing them." Houck raised his batting average to .279 with 16 doubles, 6 triples, a home run, and 36 RBIs in 75 games. Defensively, he led the National League's shortstops with 40 double plays. In late September 1881, Houck was placed on a list of players expelled from the league as part of the league's so-called "blacklist." The ''Detroit Free Press'' reported on Houck's expulsion as follows: "Houck is one of the best short stops in the country and a thorough ball player. Were his habits good, he could command $250 or $300 per month during the season, but he is addicted to drink, and is not, therefore, entirely trustworthy. He was warned of his fate two months ago." As a result of his inclusion on the "blacklist", Houck did not play in organized baseball during the 1882 season. After missing the 1882 season, Houck was removed from the "blacklist" and returned to the Detroit Wolverines. Houck played all 101 games at shortstop for Detroit in 1883. He led the National League that year in assists (328), putouts (162), and double plays (36) by a shortstop. His 12 triples also ranked seventh in the league.

Philadelphia

In November 1883, Detroit sold Houck to the

of the American Association. He appeared in 108 games for Philadelphia in 1884 and compiled career highs with a .297 batting average and 14 triples. He led the American Association in fielding percentage (.893) and assists (379) by a shortstop. He also ranked among the league leaders with 122 putouts at shortstop (3rd), 140 hits (8th) and 187 total bases (8th).

Later years

In February 1886, the Athletics sold Houck to the

, also in the American Association. He compiled a .192 batting average for Baltimore in 1886. He next played for

in 1887 and compiled a .215 batting average. Houck spent most of the 1888 season in the minor leagues with the Charleston/New Orleans Pelicans where he compiled a .228 batting average in 52 games. Late in the 1888 season, Houck had a final major league stint with the

. He compiled a .152 batting average and appeared in his last minor league game on September 23, 1887, at age 31.

Death

Houck died in Washington, D.C., in 1919 at age 63. After a funeral at Frank Geier's Sons chapel. The sermon was held by long time friend Aidan Howlin. his interment was at Glenwood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houck, Sadie 1856 births 1919 deaths Baseball players from Washington, D.C. Major League Baseball shortstops 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Boston Red Caps players Providence Grays players Detroit Wolverines players Philadelphia Athletics (AA) players Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Washington Nationals (1886–1889) players New York Metropolitans players Washington Nationals (minor league) players Albany (minor league baseball) players Lynn Lions players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Charleston Seagulls players Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)