| Arlie Latham | |
|---|---|
 Latham with the New York Giants in 1909 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born:(1860-03-15)March 15, 1860 West Lebanon, New Hampshire, U.S. | |
| Died: November 29, 1952(1952-11-29) (aged 92) Garden City, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 5, 1880, for the Buffalo Bisons | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1909, for the New York Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .269 |
| Home runs | 27 |
| Runs batted in | 563 |
| Stolen bases | 742 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Walter Arlington Latham (March 15, 1860 – November 29, 1952) was an Americanthird baseman inMajor League Baseball. He played from1880 through1909 for theBuffalo Bisons,St. Louis Browns,Chicago Pirates,Cincinnati Reds,Washington Senators, andNew York Giants. He also served asplayer-manager of the Browns in 1896.
Latham stole 129 bases during the 1887 season. His career total of 742 ranks seventh all-time in the majors. As a player-coach for the1909 Giants, Latham, at age 49, became the oldest MLB player to steal a base.[1]
After his retirement as a player, he became what is acknowledged as the first full-timebase coach in baseball history. For years he served as a coach and manager in theminor leagues.
After retiring from baseball, Latham traveled to Great Britain, where he organized baseball matches for soldiers duringWorld War I and taught baseball to the British. He later worked in baseball as a press box attendant.
Latham's father was abugler in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War. Latham became interested in baseball when soldiers returning from the battlefield brought the game of baseball with them.[2] At the age of fourteen, he played with a local team fromStoneham, Massachusetts, as theircatcher, fielding barehanded.[3] In 1877, he played for a team inPittsfield, Massachusetts, as athird baseman.[2]
_for_Old_Judge_Cigarettes_MET_DP846068.jpg)
Latham made hisprofessional baseball debut with Springfield of theNational Association in 1879. Latham made his major-league debut with theBuffalo Bisons of theNational League (NL) in 1880; he is considered the first man from New Hampshire to play in MLB.[2] He played for the Philadelphia Athletics of theEastern Championship Association in 1881, and the Philadelphia Phillies of theLeague Alliance in 1882.
Latham returned to the major leagues with theSt. Louis Browns of theAmerican Association (AA) in 1883. Latham was known as an excellentbase stealer in his day. He led the AA inruns scored (152) during the 1886 season, batted .316, and stole 142 bases, plus another 12 stolen bases in the playoffs.[2] In1887, as a member of the Browns, he stole 129 bases. This record is not recognized by Major League Baseball, as stolen bases were defined differently prior to1898. He led the league in stolen bases with 109 during the 1888 season.
In 1890, he jumped to theChicago Pirates of thePlayers' League. He returned to the NL with theCincinnati Reds in July 1890 to serve as autility player and coach.[4] He played for Cincinnati through 1895, and was traded to the Browns after the 1895 season withEd McFarland,Morgan Murphy,Tom Parrott and cash forRed Ehret andHeinie Peitz. The Browns released Latham after the 1896 season.
Latham then returned to the minor leagues. He played for theColumbus Buckeyes/Senators of theWestern League andScranton Miners of theEastern League in 1896. He played for theMansfield Haymakers of theInterstate League in 1897. In 1898, he applied to become a NLumpire;[5] instead, he played for theNew Britain Rangers of theConnecticut State League andHartford Cooperatives of theAtlantic League in 1898. Latham returned to the major leagues with theWashington Senators in 1899. He played for theDenver Grizzlies of theWestern League in 1902.[2][6]
He made a handful of cameo appearances as a player for the New York Giants of the NL in 1909, becoming the oldest man in Major League history to steal a base, at the age of 49, a record that still stands today.[1] Latham ended his career with 742 stolen bases.[2] Latham's baserunning expertise was apparently purely instinctive.
He holds the career record for errors at third base, with 822, more than 200 more than the next player on the list.[2] Latham's arm had been injured in a throwing contest with a teammate,[7] which led to Latham making weak or half-hearted attempts to field ground balls.
Latham became an umpire in 1903 in theInternational League.[8] In 1906, Latham managed theJacksonville Jays of theSouthern League. He also served as an umpire for the league and theSouth Atlantic League.[2][9]
Latham was Major League Baseball's first full-timecoach. During his playing days, he would stand on the third base line and yell insults at the other team's pitcher, attempting to distract him and give the Browns an advantage. One of his techniques was to scream while running up and down the third base line during the pitcher's delivery. The coach's box was introduced to prevent him from doing this.[1]
WhileCy Seymour coached third base for the Giants during a game against thePhiladelphia Phillies, Seymour tackledMoose McCormick as he rounded third base and headed forhome plate. When GiantsmanagerJohn McGraw asked why, Seymour made an excuse about having the sun in his eyes.[10] This led McGraw, realizing the need for a full-time coach, to hire Latham for the role, the first full-time coach in MLB.[11] Latham tried to do the same things in New York as he had done years earlier in St. Louis, but times had changed and screaming obscenities was not looked well upon, as baseball was being changed into more of a family-friendly game by then. In the opinion of Giants playerFred Snodgrass, however, he was "probably the worst third base coach that ever lived".[1] After the 1910 season, Latham was let go by the Giants.[12]
In 1914, Latham coached with theLynn Fighters of theNew England League;[13] in July 1914, he resigned from the team.[14] Latham announced his retirement from professional baseball in 1915.[15] He wrote forThe Pittsburgh Press in 1915.[16] Latham lived in England during World War I, where he organized baseball for the soldiers, and taughtKing George V about baseball.[2][17][18] He returned to the United States in 1923, and opened adelicatessen onSaint Nicholas Avenue inManhattan. He also served as a press box attendant for the Giants at thePolo Grounds andNew York Yankees atYankee Stadium.[2][19]
Known for his on-field antics, Latham was considered one of the funniest personalities in baseball.[20] Nicknamed "The Freshest Man on Earth", Latham was a colorful player known for playing practical jokes, including on Browns ownerChris von der Ahe and managerCharles Comiskey.[2] In one famous stunt, he lit a firecracker under third base in an effort to "wake himself up", after Comiskey had been complaining about him falling asleep on the job. Also he would occasionally put on a clown's nose while walking behind von der Ahe.
A practical joke Latham pulled on Cy Seymour in March 1909 caused a fight between the two at the team's hotel, prompting McGraw to discharge Seymour from the team and seek a buyer.[21][22]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
