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47-563: Future major leaguers who played in the ESBL include notables such as: Frank "Home Run" Baker , Mickey Cochrane , Jimmie Foxx , Mickey Vernon , and Don Zimmer . The Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland , pays homage to ESBL players and locals who made the major leagues. Perdue Stadium is the home of the class A Delmarva Shorebirds , an Orioles farm team. The class D "Eastern Shore League"

94-650: A sportswriter for the Detroit Free Press , referred to Baker as a "soft-fleshed darling". In the 1910 season, Baker led the American League with 11 home runs in 1911 , and batted .344. Baker helped the Athletics win the 1910 World Series over the Chicago Cubs , four games to one, as he batted .409 in the five-game series. In the 1911 World Series , the Athletics faced off against

141-584: A baseball career. Baker attended Trappe High School and played for their baseball team as a pitcher and outfielder . He also worked as a clerk at a butcher shop and grocery store owned by relatives. Baker signed with a local semi-professional baseball team based in Ridgely, Maryland , in 1905, at the age of 19. The team, which was managed by Buck Herzog , paid him $ 5 per week ($ 170 in current dollar terms) and covered his boarding costs. Herzog found that Baker could not pitch well, but that he could hit. Baker

188-487: A couple of days later, but they died before they were two weeks old. The twins were initially reported as being a boy and a girl by The New York Times , but they were reported as twin girls by the same publication a few days later. After the 1919 season, his wife contracted scarlet fever and died. He remarried, to Margaret Mitchell, after leaving the Yankees. In addition to working on his farm, Baker served Trappe as

235-592: A member of the Trappe Town Board, a tax collector, and a volunteer firefighter. He was also a director of the State Bank of Trappe. In 1924 Baker intervened to stop the lynching of a black man in Easton, Maryland who had assaulted Baker's sister-in-law. On June 28, 1963, Baker died about two weeks after having a stroke . He was survived by his wife and two children from each of his two marriages. He

282-469: A round-robin series. Cambridge (4–2). Milford (4–3). Easton (3–4). Salisbury (2–4). Finals: Milford 4 games, Cambridge 1. 1949 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Teams played a round-robin series. Federalsburg (4–1). Rehoboth Beach (4–2). Easton (2–4). Salisbury (1–4). Finals: Rehoboth Beach 4 games, Federalsburg 3. Home Run Baker John Franklin " Home Run " Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963), also called Frank Baker ,

329-492: The 1914 World Series . Despite predictions that Philadelphia would win the series handily, the Braves defeated the Athletics four games to none, as Baker batted only .250. After the 1914 World Series, Mack began to sell off some of his best players not including Collins, to whom he had given a multiyear contract during the regular season to prevent him from jumping to the upstart Federal League . Baker, who had just completed

376-537: The American League , while his 85 runs batted in (RBIs) were third-best, and his 19 triples led the league. The Athletics improved by 27 wins over their 1908 record in 1909, but finished in second place behind the Detroit Tigers . In a late season series against the Tigers in 1909, Ty Cobb spiked Baker while sliding into third base, lacerating Baker's arm. Baker referred to the spiking as "deliberate" on

423-676: The New York Giants of the National League noticed Baker while he was playing for Sparrows Point. They arranged for Baker to receive a tryout with the Baltimore Orioles of the Class A Eastern League late in the 1907 season. Playing in five games, Baker recorded two hits, both singles , in 15 at-bats . Orioles' manager Jack Dunn decided that Baker "could not hit", and Baker was released. In 1908, Baker began

470-638: The New York Yankees for $ 35,000 ($ 980,000 in current dollar terms). Even though Baker reported to the Yankees with an injured finger, and he injured his knee during a game in May, he and Wally Pipp combined to form the center of the Yankees' batting order . Pipp led the American League in home runs with 12 in 1916; Baker finished second with 10, despite missing almost a third of the Yankees' games. Pipp hit nine home runs in 1917, again leading

517-408: The 1909 season. That year, Mack established his " $ 100,000 infield ", with Baker joined by first baseman Stuffy McInnis , second baseman Eddie Collins , and shortstop Jack Barry . He hit .305 with a .447 slugging percentage and four home runs for Philadelphia in 1909, including the first home run to go over the fence in right field of Shibe Park . His slugging percentage was fourth best in

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564-587: The 1912 and 1913 editions in the top five of all time. In 1955, the Veterans Committee elected Baker into the National Baseball Hall of Fame . He was also inducted into the baseball hall of fame for Reading, Pennsylvania . Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their 1981 book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time . In his 2001 book The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract , Bill James ranked Baker

611-582: The 1920 season, Baker again played for Upland, and stated his desire to return to New York. He rejoined the Yankees in 1921, as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Missing the last six weeks of the 1921 season, Yankees' manager Miller Huggins started Mike McNally in his place. In the 1921 World Series , a best-of-nine series, Huggins opted to start McNally over Baker, though he wanted to be sure to take advantage of Baker's World Series experience. The Giants defeated

658-504: The 70th greatest player of all time and the 5th greatest third baseman. Home Run Baker Park in his hometown of Trappe is named for him. Blue Ridge League The Blue Ridge League was the name of two minor league baseball organizations that operated in the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. The first league operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 through 1918, and 1920 to 1930. It

705-563: The Athletics win the 1910 , 1911 and 1913 World Series . After a contract dispute, the Athletics sold Baker to the Yankees, where he and Wally Pipp helped the Yankees' offense. Baker appeared with the Yankees in the 1921 and 1922 World Series , though the Yankees lost both series, before retiring. Baker led the American League in home runs from 1911 to 1914. He had a batting average over .300 in six seasons, had three seasons with more than 100 runs batted in , and had two seasons with over 100 runs scored . Baker's legacy has grown over

752-534: The Athletics with a .375 batting average, nine hits and five RBIs in the series. Baker again led the American League in home runs in 1912, and led the league with 130 RBIs as well. But his Athletics finished in third place, and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Giants in an exciting eight-game World Series. In 1913, he again led the league with 12 home runs and 117 RBIs, but this time the Athletics defeated

799-596: The Athletics, the Farmers fired Baker, because they believed Mack did not pay a high enough price for Foxx. Baker was a modest man who never drank, smoked, or swore. He returned to his Maryland farm every offseason, where he enjoyed duck hunting . While playing in Cambridge, Baker met Ottilie Tschantre, the daughter of a Swiss jeweler. They were married on November 12, 1909. Baker and his wife had twin babies in late January 1914. The babies were reported as doing well

846-570: The Blue Ridge League's last season. Another Blue Ridge League operated between 1946 and 1950. It was located in North Carolina and Virginia and was rated as a D-level league. The Presidents in the history of the league were Joe Ryan (1946), Stanley F. Radke (1947-'48), Judge E. C. Bivins (1948-'49) and John B. Spiers (1950). In 1946, the team with the best winning record was declared the pennant winner. From 1947 through 1950,

893-556: The Giants in the World Series , as Baker batted .450 with a home run and seven RBIs in the five games. He led the league in home runs for a fourth consecutive season in 1914, with nine, despite suffering from pleurisy during the season. He also batted .319 and added 89 RBIs, 10 triples and 19 stolen bases. Late in the season, Mack sent Baker, Collins and pitcher Chief Bender to scout the Boston Braves , their opponent in

940-598: The Giants in the World Series, losing four games to none. Baker received only one at bat in the 1922 World Series . He finished his career as a Yankee with a .288 batting average, 48 home runs and 379 RBIs in 676 games. Following his retirement as a player, Baker managed the Easton Farmers of the Eastern Shore League during the 1924 and 1925 seasons. He was credited with discovering Jimmie Foxx and recommending him to Mack. After Baker sold Foxx to

987-529: The Giants. Based on Baker's past run-in with Cobb, Giants players believed they could intimidate him. Fred Snodgrass spiked Baker while sliding into third base in Game One, knocking the ball loose and requiring Baker to bandage his arm. In Game Two, Baker hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard for an Athletics win. He hit a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game Three. Later in

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1034-401: The Yankees five games to three; Baker played in only four of the eight games, though McNally struggled to a .200 batting average. In the 1922 season, Baker played in 66 games. Overshadowed by Babe Ruth as a home run hitter, Baker complained about the "rabbit ball", saying that the ball being used traveled much further than the ball used for the majority of his career. The Yankees again faced

1081-415: The first week of the 1916 season, being replaced by James Vincent Jamison Jr. Jamison was at the forefront of the league until it ceased its operations shortly before the beginning of the 1931 season. Blue Ridge League play officially began in 1915 with six teams from Chambersburg , Frederick , Gettysburg , Hagerstown , Hanover and Martinsburg . The team to win the most games during the regular season

1128-401: The first year of a three-year contract, attempted to renegotiate his terms, but Mack refused. Baker sat out the entire 1915 season as a result of this contract dispute. He remained in baseball, playing for a team representing Upland, Pennsylvania , in the semi-professional Delaware County League. Pressured by American League president Ban Johnson , Mack sold Baker's contract in 1916 to

1175-481: The game Snodgrass again attempted to spike Baker, but he was able to hold onto the ball and the Athletics won again. A six-day delay between games as a result of rain, which turned Shibe Park into a "virtual quagmire", allowed Baker's feats to be magnified by the Philadelphia press, during which time he began to be referred to by the nickname "Home Run". The Athletics defeated the Giants in six games, as Baker led

1222-559: The league for the 1922 season, with the final day being Labor Day. A general admission fee of 40 cents, including war tax, was set, and it was decided that each team should post an $ 875 guarantee by March 1, 1922, in order to assure the team would finish out the season. At this point, it was decided that having three teams in Worcester County would be too many. The director for each of the three teams, Berlin, Pocomoke City, and Snow Hill, volunteered for their team to withdraw. A vote

1269-407: The league from playing any scheduled games until Snow Hill was allowed to return to the league, saying that the league's organizational meeting was held at Snow Hill's suggestion. On December 13, it was announced that Princess Anne was dropping out of the league because it could not find an adequate location for a new ballpark at a reasonable price, and that the former ballpark at Washington High School

1316-512: The league, among others Cleveland Indians (Frederick), Detroit Tigers (Hanover), New York Yankees (Chambersburg), St. Louis Cardinals (Waynesboro) and Philadelphia Athletics (Martinsburg), Washington Senators (Hagerstown). But after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Detroit and St. Louis dropped their affiliations due to heavy financial losses. Only the teams of Chambersburg, Frederick, Hagerstown and Waynesboro returned in 1930,

1363-574: The league. Baker led the league with 141 games played in the 1919 season. The Yankees hit a league-leading 47 home runs that year, of which Baker hit ten. Sports cartoonist Robert Ripley , working for the New York Globe coined the term " Murderer's Row " to refer to the lineup of Baker, Pipp, Roger Peckinpaugh , and Ping Bodie . Baker sat out of baseball during the 1920 season, as his wife died of scarlet fever . His two daughters were also affected, but they were able to recover. Late in

1410-635: The meeting to seek expansion teams; Dover and Milford in Delaware, Berlin in Maryland, and Parksley in Virginia. Dover and Milford withdrew their request after it was decided that only one new team would be added for 1922. The Parksley team was nominated by Pocomoke City and the Berlin team by Snow Hill, with Berlin winning the vote 4 to 3. At this meeting, a $ 1,750 a month salary limit was put in place and it

1457-675: The opinion of a few young men in the heat of anger and the story had been spread to affect the election. In mid-November, President Miller announced that the Eastern Shore League was admitted by the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs and that arrangements were being made for the winner of the league to face the winner of the Blue Ridge League . By November 29, Snow Hill fans had threatened legal action, requesting an injunction to prevent

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1504-410: The part of Cobb, while Mack called Cobb the dirtiest player he had seen, and asked American League president Ban Johnson to investigate. A photograph taken for The Detroit News vindicated Cobb, by showing that Baker had to reach across the base to reach Cobb. Though Baker remained in the game after wrapping his arm, he acquired a reputation for being weak and easily intimidated. Joe S. Jackson ,

1551-625: The season with the Reading Pretzels of the Class B Tri-State League . He had a .299 batting average in 119 games played , adding six home runs , 65 runs scored , and 23 stolen bases . Connie Mack , the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics , purchased Baker's contract in September 1908. In nine games, Baker batted .290 in 31 at-bats to close the 1908 season. Mack named Baker his starting third baseman for

1598-599: The war and the 1918 flu pandemic , the Blue Ridge League did not resume operations until 1920, with Chambersburg, Frederick, Hagerstown, Hanover and Martinsburg rejoining the action, as well as the addition of the Waynesboro franchise to bring again the six-team format. Since 1928, the two teams with the best records competed in a series of play-off games to determine the League Champion. Gradually, six Major League Baseball franchises started their affiliation with

1645-760: The years, and he is regarded by many as one of the best power hitters of the deadball era . During his 13 years as a major league player, Baker never played a single inning at any position other than third base. Baker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1955. John Franklin "Home Run" Baker was born on March 13, 1886, to Franklin Adams Baker and Mary Catherine ( née Fitzhugh) on their farm in Trappe, Maryland . The Bakers, who were of English descent, had been farmers in Trappe for six generations. His mother, of Scottish descent,

1692-565: Was a Class D level league in the old classification system that ran from Class D up to Class Double-A , and had teams from Maryland , Pennsylvania and West Virginia . The league was founded by Charles W. Boyer in 1915, as part of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. Boyer, former president of the original South Atlantic League , served as the league president in the Blue Ridge League's inaugural season. Due to internal problems, Boyer resigned as president

1739-492: Was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman , Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922 for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees . Although he never hit more than 12 home runs in a season and hit only 96 in his major league career, Baker has been called the "original home run king of the majors". Baker was a member of the Athletics' $ 100,000 infield . He helped

1786-2546: Was announced that the decision by Princess Anne to withdraw was final and the representative of the Berlin team offered to withdraw, since Berlin was the last team added to the league. The league accepted the withdrawal under the terms that if the league expanded to eight teams again, Berlin would be added back. The opening game of the inaugural season was played on June 9, 1922, between the Laurel Blue Hens and Cambridge Canners in Laurel. 1925 Eastern Shore League schedule No Playoffs Scheduled. Five State Championship : Hagerstown ( Blue Ridge League ) 4 games, Cambridge 3. 1926 Eastern Shore League schedule 34 Easton wins were reversed August 16; 19 Parksley wins were reversed August 22; 23 Dover Wins and 22 Cambridge wins were reversed September 2. All due to salary limit violations. Five State Championship : Hagerstown ( Blue Ridge League ) 4 games, Chrisfield 2. 1927 Eastern Shore League schedule Five State Championship : Parksley 4 games, Chambersburg ( Blue Ridge League ) 2. 1928 Eastern Shore League schedule The League Disbanded July 10. No Player Statistics Available. 1937 Eastern Shore League schedule Salisbury had 21 wins reversed June 19 due to veteran player limit violations Playoffs: Salisbury 2 games, Cambridge 1.Centreville 2 games, Easton 1. Finals: Salisbury 3 games, Centreville 2. 1938 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Salisbury 2 games, Milford 0. Cambridge 2 games, Dover 0. Finals: Salisbury 3 games, Cambridge 1. 1939 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Cambridge 3 games, Centreville 0. Dover 3 games, Federalsburg 0. Finals: Cambridge 4 games, Dover 2. 1940 Eastern Shore League 1940 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Milford 3 games, Dover 2. Salisbury 3 games, Centreville 2. Finals: Salisbury 4 games, Milford 2. 1941 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Milford 3 games, Centreville 0. Easton 3 games, Cambridge 0. Finals: Easton 4 games, Milford 3. 1946 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Centreville 4 games, Dover 3. Milford 4 games, Salisbury 2. Finals: Centreville 4 games, Milford 1. 1947 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Cambridge 4 games, Dover 3; Seaford 4 games, Federalsburg 0. Finals: Seaford 4 games, Cambridge 3. 1948 Eastern Shore League schedule Playoffs: Teams played

1833-425: Was decided to divide gate receipts 50/50 with a guarantee of at least $ 60 per game. It was also announced that three town, Berlin, Cambridge, and Princess Anne, would build new ballparks. The Board of Directors met on October 22, 1921, and elected Walter B. Miller of Salisbury as the first President of the league. It was decided upon a 70-game schedule, five games at home and five games on the road, versus each team in

1880-399: Was declared the pennant winner. Through the 1917 midseason, Chambersburg replaced Cumberland when this team refused to pay its annual forfeit fee. The league shrank from six teams to four in 1918, with teams representing Cumberland, Hagerstown, Martinsburg and Piedmont , and ultimately disbanded after three weeks of play due to the lack of players during World War I. Due to the aftermath of

1927-472: Was held and Snow Hill was eliminated, with the opening for the eighth team in the inaugural season being offered to Parksley, Virginia . A meeting of Snow Hill residents was held shortly after where resolutions were passed protesting Snow Hill's removal from the league and it was reported that President Miller would call the Board of Directors back together to reconsider Snow Hill's removal. By early November, it

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1974-548: Was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery in Easton, Maryland. Though nicknamed "Home Run", Baker hit only 96 home runs in his career, and never more than 12 in a season as he played during the dead ball era. Walter Johnson referred to Baker as "the most dangerous batter I ever faced." Baseball historian Bill James rated the 1914 edition of the $ 100,000 infield as the greatest infield of all time, and also ranked

2021-533: Was reported that the residents of Snow Hill were so angered by their team being removed from the 1922 season, there was concern of it affecting elections in Worcester County that fall, as Snow Hill residents stated they would not support any candidate from Pocomoke City due to the Pocomoke City delegation not supporting Snow Hill to remain in the league. This was refuted later, stating it was merely

2068-461: Was reported to be a distant relative of Robert E. Lee . Baker enjoyed working on his father's farm, but he aspired to become a professional baseball player from the age of ten. In Trappe, most of the residents attended the local baseball team's games on Saturdays. Frank's older brother, Norman, was well known in the town for his playing ability. Norman once tried out for the Philadelphia Athletics , but he did not like that city and stopped pursuing

2115-512: Was started in 1922 using teams from the pre-existing Eastern Shore League, a group which had been playing baseball since the 1890s. The first meeting of the class D league was held on October 8, 1921, in Salisbury, Maryland where it was decided that the seven teams that completed the 1921 season would be joined by an eighth team for the 1922 season. The seven teams that completed the 1921 season were Cambridge, Crisfield, Laurel, Pocomoke City, Princess Anne, Salisbury, and Snow Hill. Four towns attended

2162-417: Was too small for the league. Speculation then began that Snow Hill may re-enter the league, that Princess Anne could be replaced by Milford or Dover in Delaware, or Easton, Maryland, who had been invited to the first meeting and declined, or that the league could contract and play as a six-team league for 1922, with Cambridge being mentioned as a possible contraction candidate. At a meeting on January 5, 1922, it

2209-537: Was unable to play the outfield well, but he was able to move into the infield as a third baseman for Ridgely. In 1906, Baker played for Sparrows Point Club in Baltimore, earning $ 15 per week ($ 509 in current dollar terms). He received an offer to play for a team in the Class C Texas League in 1907, which he turned down. He instead signed with an independent team based in Cambridge, Maryland . A scout for

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