| Morrie Rath | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Rath with the Chicago White Sox in 1912 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born:(1887-12-25)December 25, 1887 Mobeetie, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: November 18, 1945(1945-11-18) (aged 57) Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 28, 1909, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1920, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .254 |
| Home runs | 4 |
| Runs batted in | 92 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Morris Charles Rath (December 25, 1887 – November 18, 1945) was an Americanbaseball player. He playedsecond base inMajor League Baseball for thePhiladelphia Athletics,Cleveland Naps,Chicago White Sox, andCincinnati Reds. Rath was the batter hit byEddie Cicotte in the1919 World Series as Cicotte's signal to gamblers that the "fix was on" in that series. In an era beforeon-base percentage was a valued statistic, Rath was known for his ability to get on base by drawingbases on balls. His name was sometimes reported as Maurice Rath.
Born inMobeetie, Texas, Rath moved with his family toPhiladelphia where he grew up. Rath attendedSwarthmore College but did not play for the Garnet Tide, as the school had not yet established a baseball program, but he did pledge theDelta Upsilon fraternity during his tenure. He played on teams in the Philadelphia area and moved to professional baseball in 1908, playing inWilmington, North Carolina, andLynchburg, Virginia. After playing for theReading Pretzels, Rath began his major league career as a bench player for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1909, appearing in seven games. He was traded in the middle of the 1910 season to the Cleveland Naps because the Athletics already had star second basemanEddie Collins. He was sent to theBaltimore Orioles of the Eastern League before the end of the season.
In 1911, Rath was drafted by the Chicago White Sox. In 1912, he was the team's starting second baseman and had a breakthrough year,hitting .272 with 95bases on balls and 30stolen bases, in addition to outstanding defensive numbers. After a slow start in 1913, he was sent down to theKansas City Blues of theAmerican Association and remained in the minor leagues until 1917. In 1915, Rath led theInternational League with a .332 batting average while playing for theToronto Maple Leafs. He then played for theSalt Lake City Bees in thePacific Coast League in 1916 and 1917.
In 1918, Rath joined theU.S. Navy and missed the 1918 baseball season. The following year, he was back in the major leagues, given a chance to start by the Cincinnati Reds. In his comeback season he had a .264 batting average, drew 64 walks, and was the leadoff hitter for thepennant-winning Reds. He led allNational League second basemen that year in assists, putouts, and double plays.[1] In the 1919 World Series, Rath was hit by a pitch to start the series, which was later found out to be a signal used by White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte that thefix of the World Series was on.[2] At almost the very end of his career, Rath became one of only two players in modern major league history to play in three games in one day, playing in all three games of modern baseball's lone tripleheader on October 2, 1920. (The other player to play in all three games wasCotton Tierney). Rath only played in one further ML game after the tripleheader; after a mediocre 1920 season, Rath was sent to theSeattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League and then to theSan Francisco Seals, where he ended his playing career.
According to statisticianBill James, Rath's skills were generally unrecognized during his career. Before on-base percentage was considered an important statistic, there was little to distinguish him offensively. James wrote that Rath "was actually quite a good player... but he spent almost all of his career in the minor leagues, just because his skills were too subtle for the men who managed the major league teams."[2]
Rath was the half-uncle ofMike Balenti, an opposing ballplayer in theAmerican League, in that Balenti's mother was Rath'shalf-sister. There is no indication that either player was aware of this relationship during their lifetimes.[3][4]
After his retirement from baseball, Rath ran a sporting goods store inUpper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It was in that town that he killed himself at age 57. He had reportedly been in poor health for a couple of years. He is buried atArlington Cemetery inDrexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
