| Harry Wolverton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1873-12-06)December 6, 1873 Mount Vernon, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: February 4, 1937(1937-02-04) (aged 63) Oakland, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 25, 1898, for the Chicago Orphans | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 25, 1912, for the New York Highlanders | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .278 |
| Home runs | 7 |
| Runs batted in | 352 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
Harry Sterling Wolverton (December 6, 1873 – February 4, 1937), nicknamed "Fighting Harry",[1] was an American professionalbaseball player. He played all or part of nine seasons inMajor League Baseball from 1898 through 1905 and 1912. He played for theChicago Orphans,Philadelphia Phillies,Washington Senators,Boston Beaneaters, andNew York Highlanders, primarily as athird baseman.[2] He also managed the Highlanders in 1912.
In addition to playing in MLB, Wolverton managed severalminor league baseball teams. After he retired from baseball, he worked as apolice officer with theOakland Police Department.
Wolverton was born inMount Vernon, Ohio, on December 6, 1873, to Amanda and John the Baptist Wolverton. John, a veteran of theCivil War, worked with Amanda's father indyeing. Harry had an older brother, Fred, and a younger sister, Birdie. Fred became adentist, while Birdie married and moved toFlorida.[3]
Wolverton playedsandlot ball, and then played for his high school baseball team. Wolverton then enrolled atKenyon College, where he playedAmerican football as ahalfback, andbaseball as acatcher. However, he left Kenyon after his junior year, as he was facing possible expulsion. Wolverton playedsemi-professional baseball for aPaulding, Ohio team for the summer of 1895, earning $60 a month ($2,268 in current dollar terms) as apitcher andfirst baseman.[3]
Wolverton signed with theColumbus Senators of theWestern League on February 22, 1896, beginning his professional career inminor league baseball as a pitcher. During the 1896 season, he struggled with hiscontrol, relegating him to the role of arelief pitcher. He did register a .385batting average in limitedat-bats.[3]
The next season, Wolverton was demoted to theDubuque, Iowa franchise of theWestern Association. Pitching for Dubuque, Wolverton hurt his pitching arm. Dubuque began to play Wolverton as athird baseman. His .294 batting average led the team, and he was namedteam captain. Columbus soon recalled Wolverton, and he responded by posting a .400 batting average through July 1898.[3]
In August 1898, theChicago Orphans of theNational League (NL), a major league, purchased Wolverton from Columbus. He made his debut with the Orphans on September 25.ManagerTom Burns named Wolverton his starting third baseman in 1899, and batted him third in the lineup. The Orphans sold Wolverton to thePhiladelphia Phillies on April 28, 1900.[3]
Wolverton tied a major league record in 1900 by hitting three triples in one game against thePittsburgh Pirates. That season, he batted .282 for the Phillies, recording a career-high 58runs batted in in 101 games. Late in the 1900 season, he was struck in the head by a pole beside the Philadelphia streetcar tracks, fracturing his skull. He returned to finish the season for the Phillies. Wolverton batted .309 in 93 games in 1901, but broke hiscollarbone in a collision withFred Tenney of theBoston Beaneaters.[3] He led the NL infielding percentage among third baseman (.921).[4]
After a dispute with Phillies management about his contract after the 1901 season, Wolverton signed a contract with theWashington Senators of the rivalAmerican League. Courts in Washington and Philadelphia ruled that the move was legal, but that Wolverton could not play in the state ofPennsylvania unless he played for the Phillies. Wolverton hit .249 and committed 24errors in 59 games with Washington. Wolverton expressed his desire to return to Philadelphia, and the Senators acknowledged that signing Wolverton was a mistake. Wolverton finished the season with the Phillies, where he hit .294 in 34 games. In the 1903 season, he batted .308 with 12triples, a career high, in 123 games.[3] He again led all NL third basemen in fielding percentage (.941).[5]
Wolverton batted .266 in 102 games during the 1904 season, once again leading NL third basemen in fielding percentage (.925).[6] After the season, the Phillies traded Wolverton to the Beaneaters withChick Fraser forTogie Pittinger. He played for one season with Boston, batting .225.[2][3] Though his .934 fielding percentage was second best among NL third basemen, trailing onlyDoc Casey,[7] the Beaneaters released Wolverton after the season.[3]
Wolverton returned to minor league baseball, joining theWilliamsport Millionaires of theTri-State League in 1906 as their third baseman. The next year, he became theirplayer-manager. He continued with Williamsport through the 1908 season. He then became player-manager of theNewark Indians of theEastern League in 1909.Joe McGinnity purchased Newark and announced that he would continue to pitch for the team. After Wolverton removed McGinnity from a game, the owner demoted Wolverton to team captain and assumed managerial duties for the remainder of the season.[3]
Wolverton managed theOakland Oaks of thePacific Coast League (PCL) in 1910 and 1911. A team with little fan support, Wolverton led the Oaks into contention in the PCL, which brought fans to the stadium. Wolverton attempted to purchase the Oaks, but was rebuffed.[3] He was also offered the managerial job in Newark, but he declined, opting to remain in Oakland.[8]
In 1912, Wolverton was named manager of theNew York Highlanders of the AL, replacingHal Chase. He led the Highlanders to a last-place finish and a 50–102 record (.329 winning percentage).[2] He inserted himself into games as apinch hitter, batting .300 in limited playing time. Despite his efforts to reverse the team's fortunes, he was let go byFrank J. Farrell after the 1912 season.[9]
Wolverton returned to the PCL, managing theSacramento Sacts in 1913 and 1914. He purchased the team with a business partner after the 1913 season for $20,000 ($636,296 in current dollar terms), but the team lost $24,000 the next year ($753,409 in current dollar terms) and went bankrupt. He managed theSan Francisco Seals of the PCL from 1915 through June 17, 1917, when he was fired. He led the Seals to the PCL championship in 1915, and had the Seals in first place at the time of his firing, which team ownerHenry Berry said was over player salaries. Wolverton announced his retirement from baseball.[3]
Wolverton returned to professional baseball as the manager of theSeattle Indians of the PCL in 1923. He argued with the team's owners about the amount of money spent to acquire new players, and resigned on July 8, 1923.[3]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| NYH | 1912 | 152 | 50 | 102 | .329 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 152 | 50 | 102 | .329 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Wolverton married Mary Maroney in 1903. They had five daughters. One of his daughters, Mary, died of an illness at the age of 10 on April 28, 1920.[3]
Wolverton purchased a farm inSan Mateo, California in July 1917, after he was fired from the Seals. In 1931, he became apolice officer with theOakland Police Department.[3]
Wolverton died inOakland, California, at age 63 in ahit-and-run automobile accident. He was on patrol that day, and it was the second hit-and-run accident he suffered during the shift.[3] He is interred atCypress Lawn Memorial Park inColma, California.[2]
Harry Wolverton, who managed the New York Americans during the past season, was yesterday deposed as manager by Frank J. Farrell, owner of the club. The official announcement of Wolverton's release was not made at the club headquarters, Mr. Farrell refusing to make any statement other than that he had declined to renew Wolverton's contract for another year.
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