| Tuck Turner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1867-02-13)February 13, 1867 New Brighton, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: July 16, 1945(1945-07-16) (aged 72) Staten Island, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Both Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 1893, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 10, 1898, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .320 |
| Home runs | 7 |
| Runs batted in | 215 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
George A. Turner (February 13, 1867 – July 16, 1945) was an AmericanMajor League Baseball player for thePhiladelphia Phillies andSt. Louis Browns.
Born inWest New Brighton, Staten Island, Turner began his baseball career as a paid player in the Buffalo Amateur Baseball League of theAmateur Athletic Union.[1] "Tuck" broke into theNational League with thePhiladelphia Phillies in 1893 at the age of 26, but as was a common practice in baseball at the time, Turner lied about his age, claiming to be only 20. In 1894, Turner was part of one of the greatest outfields in baseball history; Turner,Billy Hamilton,Sam Thompson, andEd Delahanty all batted over .400 on the year. Turner, with a .418 batting average, finished second in the league that season toHugh Duffy, who also happened to set the single-season batting average record of .440. The Phillies were unable to win the pennant, however, as the late 1890s were the peak of the powerfulOriginal Baltimore Orioles andBoston Beaneaters.
Turner had another great season in 1895, leading the league with a .411 batting average through August.[2] By the tail end of 1895 and the beginning of 1896, Turner had lost his batting touch and was traded to St. Louis forDuff Cooley. According to accounts in the defunct sports journalThe Sporting Life, Turner had contractedmalaria, suffering recurrent attacks in 1897 and 1898.[3][4]
On October 3, 1897, while playing for St. Louis, Turner accomplished a rare feat by hitting aninside-the-park grand slam. Turner's .418 batting average in 1894 is ninth all-time in single-season batting average and also the highest in a single season for a switch hitter.[citation needed]
From 1899 to 1901, Turner played with the Hartford Indians in theEastern League, replacing the legendaryLouis Sockalexis in the field his first season. Turner's post-majors career also included stops in theWestern League,Connecticut League andNew England League.[5][6]
Turner was inducted into theStaten Island Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. His award was accepted by his grandson Richard Turner.[7]