| Bobby Wallace | |
|---|---|
 Wallace with the St. Louis Browns in 1903 | |
| Shortstop /Pitcher /Manager | |
| Born:(1873-11-04)November 4, 1873 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: November 3, 1960(1960-11-03) (aged 86) Torrance, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 15, 1894, for the Cleveland Spiders | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 2, 1918, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .268 |
| Hits | 2,309 |
| Home runs | 34 |
| Runs batted in | 1,121 |
| Managerial record | 62–154 |
| Winning % | .287 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1953 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
Roderick John "Bobby"Wallace (November 4, 1873 – November 3, 1960) was an AmericanMajor League Baseballinfielder,pitcher,manager,umpire, andscout. Wallace claimed to have invented the continuous throwing motion as a shortstop.[1]
Wallace was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He made his major league debut in1894 as astarting pitcher with theCleveland Spiders. After a 12–14 record in1895, Wallace played outfield and pitcher in1896. In1897, Wallace was an everyday player as he became the team's full-timethird baseman,batted .335 anddrove in 112 runs.
In1899, Wallace moved to theSt. Louis Perfectos (renamed the Cardinals in1900) and changed position toshortstop. He hit .295 with 108 RBI and 12home runs (second in the league behindBuck Freeman's 25). Wallace changed teams again in1902, when he joined theSt. Louis Browns.
His playing time began decreasing a decade later, with his last season as a regular coming in1912. Wallace played in just 55 games in1913, and never played that much again for the rest of his career. In July1917, he returned to theNational League and the Cardinals, and played in just eight games that season. After batting .153 in 32 games in1918, Wallace retired with a .268 career batting average, 1059runs, 34 home runs, 1121 RBI and 201stolen bases. He played his last game on September 2, 1918, at the age of 44 years and 312 days, making him the oldest shortstop to play in a regular-season game.[2] The record was broken byOmar Vizquel on May 7, 2012.
Wallace was generally recognized as the AL's best shortstop from 1902 to 1911,[3] when he served briefly as Browns player-manager. After moving from third to short, Wallace felt he'd found his place in the infield earning the nickname "Mr. Shortstop". He would also claim to have invented the continuous throwing motion, “As more speed afoot was constantly demanded for big league ball, I noticed the many infield bounders which the runner beat to first only by the thinnest fractions of a second.. I also noted that the old-time three-phase movement, fielding a ball, coming erect for a toss and throwing to first wouldn't do on certain hits with fast men...it was plain that the stop and toss had to be combined into a continuous movement.”[1]
He played for 25 seasons, and holds the record for the longest career by a player who never played in aWorld Series.
When his playing time diminished, Wallace managed and umpired. He managed the St. Louis Browns in1911 and1912 and theCincinnati Reds during part of the1937 season. He compiled 62 wins and 154 losses for a .287 winning percentage as a major league manager. He also managed the minor leagueWichita Witches in1917. He umpired in theAmerican League in 1915, working 111 games. Upon retiring, he also became a scout.
Wallace was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in1953.
Wallace died on November 3, 1960, inTorrance, California, one day shy of his 87th birthday.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SLB | 1911 | 154 | 47 | 107 | .305 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| SLB | 1912 | 37 | 10 | 27 | .270 | Fired | – | – | – | – |
| SLB total | 191 | 57 | 134 | .298 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| CIN | 1937 | 25 | 5 | 20 | .200 | 8th in NL | – | – | – | – |
| CIN total | 25 | 5 | 20 | .200 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 216 | 62 | 154 | .287 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
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