| Fred Tenney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1871-11-26)November 26, 1871 Georgetown, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: July 3, 1952(1952-07-03) (aged 80) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 16, 1894, for the Boston Beaneaters | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 7, 1911, for the Boston Rustlers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .294 |
| Hits | 2,231 |
| Home runs | 22 |
| Runs batted in | 688 |
| Managerial record | 202–402 |
| Winning % | .334 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
Frederick Tenney (November 26, 1871 – July 3, 1952) was an American professionalbaseball player whose career spanned 20 seasons, 17 of which were spent with theMajor League Baseball (MLB)Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Rustlers (1894–1907, 1911) and theNew York Giants (1908–1909). Described as "one of the best defensive first basemen of all time", Tenney is credited with originating the 3-6-3double play and originating the style of playing off the first basefoul line and deep, as modern first basemen do.[1][2] Over his career, Tenney compiled abatting average of .294, 1,278runs scored, 2,231hits, 22home runs, and 688runs batted in (RBI) in 1,994games played.
Born inGeorgetown, Massachusetts, Tenney was one of the first players to enter the league after graduating college, where he served as a left-handed catcher forBrown University. Signing with the Beaneaters, Tenney spent the next 14 seasons with the team, including a three-year managerial stint from 1905 to 1907. In December 1907 Tenney was traded to the Giants as a part of an eight-man deal; after two years playing for New York, he re-signed with the Boston club, where he played for and managed the team in 1911. After retiring from baseball, Tenney worked for theEquitable Life Insurance Society before his death in Boston on July 3, 1952.
Tenney was born in Georgetown, Massachusetts, the third of five children to Charles William and Sarah Lambert (née DeBacon) Tenney.[3] Charles Tenney attendedDummer Academy from 1850 to 1853, and served for the50th Massachusetts Regiment in theCivil War, where he nearly died due to "intense suffering".[3] Growing up, Fred led his class in drawing and sketching.[4] He reportedly started playing baseball around 1880.[5]
In 1892, Tenney played his first professional game for theBinghamton Bingos of theEastern League, going 1 for 4 with asingle.[6] He played as Brown University's catcher for the 1893 and 1894 seasons. In 1894, the team had a 23–8 record and were selected as national champions byHarper's Weekly.[7] The night of his senior dinner, Tenney received a telephone message fromFrank Selee, the manager of the Beaneaters, asking him to play a game for the team at catcher, due to the injuries of other players.[7][8]
In his MLB debut on June 16, 1894, Tenney had to be removed from the game in the fifth inning due to afractured finger on his throwing hand from a foul tip. After Tenney had his finger addressed, James Billings, an owner of the Beaneaters, offered him a contract worth US$300 a month from that day.[9] Tenney, later writing about the day, stated:
I thought they were trying to have a little joke with me, and I concluded that I could do a little kidding myself. So I thought I would call their bluff by asking for some advance money. I screwed up my courage and asked Mr. Billings whether, if I signed the contract at once, I could get some advance money. He asked how much I wanted, and I thought I would mention a big sum in order to call their bluff good and strong. So I said $150. He consulted with Mr. Conant, another Director, and said that I could have the money all right, and asked me how I would like to have it– cash or check. [...] I replied that I would take half cash and then half in check, and immediately he wrote out a check for $75, counted out $75 in cash, shoved the contract over to me to sign, laying the cash and check beside it.
— Fred Tenney,The New York Times[9]
He returned to the team a month later, and finished the year batting .395 in 27 games.[8] The following season, Tenney moved to the outfield due to an erratic throwing arm behind the plate, according to manager Selee.[8] For the season, he hit .272 in 49 games, while also playingminor league baseball for the New Bedford Whalers. In 1896, Tenney again caught and played outfield; offensively, however, Tenney hit .336 in nearly double the games from the previous year (88) despite playing in the minors for the Springfield Ponies.[10]
In 1897, Tenney moved to first base to replace the agingTom Tucker. According toAlfred Henry Spink, within two weeks of the move it was evident that Tenney had become "one of the finest first sackers that the game [had] ever seen."[11] On June 14, 1897, in a game against theCincinnati Reds, Tenney turned the first 3-6-3 double play in MLB history.[12] Offensively, Tenney led MLB inplate appearances (646) and tiedDuff Cooley,Gene DeMontreville, andGeorge Van Haltren for the lead inat bats (566) as the Boston club becameNational League (NL) champions with a 93–39 record.[13][14]
Boston again won the NL in 1898 while Tenney hit .328 with 62 RBIs. In 1899 he collected 209 hits, fifth most in MLB, and recorded 17triples, good for fourth best in MLB.[15] In 1900 Tenney, at age 28, batted .279 over 112 games played.[16] He began a streak of seven consecutive seasons where he led the NL inassists in 1901; he holds the record for most seasons leading a league in assists, with eight, including one in 1899.[1] He was suspended for ten games for fightingPittsburgh Pirates managerFred Clarke in May 1902,[8][17] and finished the 1902 season with the second mostsacrifice hits (29) in the majors, to go along with a .315 average.[10][18] Throughout the 1901–1902 seasons, Tenney received contract offers worth up to $7,000 ($206,248 in 2017) from St. Louis, Cleveland, and Detroit;[8] Tenney, however, decided to remain in Boston, and was named captain of the club in 1903.[1] For the season, he hit .313, with 41 RBIs and three home runs, as he led his team inwalks (70) and had the beston-base percentage mark (.415) on the squad.[19] In 1904, Tenney again led his team in walks and on-base percentage, as he tied for the team lead in runs withEd Abbaticchio.[20]
He was named manager of the team in 1905, but did not receive additional pay; he was, however, offered a bonus if the team didn't lose money.[8] In 1905, Tenney tried to signWilliam Clarence Matthews, an African-American middle infielder fromHarvard University, to a contract. Tenney later retracted his offer due to pressure from MLB players.[21] Defensively, he led the majors inerrors committed by a first baseman and finished second in mostputouts for any position.[22] Tenney led the 1906 Beaneaters to a 49–102 record. For the second straight year, the Boston team lost more than 100 games.[23]
After a 158–295 record as manager, on December 3, 1907, Tenney was traded to the Giants, along withAl Bridwell andTom Needham, forFrank Bowerman,George Browne,Bill Dahlen,Cecil Ferguson andDan McGann;[10] the trade was called "one of the biggest deals in the history of National League baseball".[24]
Tenney also served as the head baseball coach at Tufts College—now known asTufts University—in 1902 and 1903.[25][26]
In his first season with the Giants, Tenney led MLB with 684 plate appearances and finished third in runs scored, with 101.[27] In a game against theChicago Cubs on September 23, Tenney could not play due to an attack oflumbago; it was the only game he did not play in during the season.[28] RookieFred Merkle took his spot at first base. The game was at a 1–1 tie in the bottom of the ninth. Merkle, after hitting a single, was at first, andMoose McCormick was at third, with two outs.Al Bridwell singled tocenter field, butHank O'Day called Merkle out because Merkle had not touched second base.[28] O'Day ruled the game a 1–1 tie due to darkness.[28] With both teams finishing the season at a 98–55 record, a replay game had to be played to determine who would win the National League pennant. The game was held on October 8, with the Cubs winning, 4–2.[28]
After batting a career low .235 in 1909, Tenney was released by the Giants.[8][29] He spent the 1910 season as a player–manager for the minor leagueLowell Tigers, leading the team to a 65–57 record, good for fourth (out of eight teams) in theNew England League.[30]
On December 19, 1910, Tenney signed a two-year contract with the Boston Rustlers. For the 1911 season, Tenney hit .263 over 102 games.[10] He was released by the Braves on March 20, 1912, after 44–107 record in one season; Tenney was paid not to manage for the second year on his contract.[8]
In 1916, he bought theNewark Indians of theInternational League withJames R. Price for $25,000 ($527,450 in 2012).[31][32] MayorThomas Lynch Raymond declared April 27 a "half-holiday" for the city ofNewark for the Indians'Opening Day.[33] Tenney played in 16 games for the Indians, hitting .318 with seven hits over 22 at-bats, and managed the team to a 52–87 record.[34][35]
Tenney married a Georgetown girl, Bessie Farnham Berry, on October 21, 1895. The couple had two children together; Barbara, born July 4, 1899, and Ruth, born December 8, 1901.[3] Early in his career, he refused to play baseball on Sundays due to his religion,[3] although he later changed his mind.[36] Tenney was known as the "Soiled Collegian" at the major league level because it was unpopular for college players to become professional.[37] Tenney served as a journalist forThe Boston Post,Baseball Magazine, andThe New York Times.[8] He painted and sketched during the winter.[4]
After retiring from baseball, Tenney worked for the Equitable Life Insurance Society and continued writing forThe New York Times. In 1912, he was vice-president of the Usher–Stoughton shoe manufacturing company inLynn, Massachusetts; later, he formed the Tenney–Spinney Shoe Company in partnership with Henry Spinney.[38][39] He was balloted for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame from 1936 to 1942 and again in 1946, but never received more than eight votes, receiving eight (3.1% of total ballots cast) during theBaseball Hall of Fame balloting in 1938.[10] Tenney died on July 3, 1952, atMassachusetts General Hospital after a long illness.[8][37] He was interred at Cemetery in Georgetown.[10]
In 2023, Tenney was posthumously inducted into theBraves Hall of Fame, alongsideRico Carty.[40]
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