1872
Born August 6, 1872
San Francisco, CA, USA
Sam Mertes Notable
b. August 6, 1872 · Philadelphia Phillies 1896, Chicago Orphans 1898–1900, Chicago White Sox 1901–1902, New York Giants 1903–1906, St. Louis Cardinals 1906
Sam Mertes's 396 stolen bases are tied for the 77th most anyone has.
He played for five clubs across 11 seasons as a left fielder, opening with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1896 and closing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906.
He stole 396 bases and scored 695 runs, with 1,227 hits and a .279 average. He finished with 40 home runs, 188 doubles and 108 triples. He went 1 and 0 with a 1.93 earned run average, pitching 4.7 innings in 1 game.
He led the league in doubles once, in 1903, with 32. He led the league in runs batted in once, in 1903, with 104. He played 974 games in the outfield, with 1,737 putouts and 123 errors. He also played 138 games at second base.
He was born in San Francisco, CA, USA on August 6, 1872, and died on March 11, 1945. He batted right-handed and threw right-handed.
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | PHI | 37 | 143 | 20 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 19 | .238 |
| 1898 | CHC | 83 | 269 | 45 | 80 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 34 | 28 | 27 | .297 |
| 1899 | CHC | 117 | 426 | 83 | 127 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 81 | 33 | 35 | 45 | .298 |
| 1900 | CHC | 127 | 481 | 72 | 142 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 60 | 42 | 26 | 38 | .295 |
| 1901 | CHW | 137 | 545 | 94 | 151 | 16 | 17 | 5 | 98 | 52 | 34 | 46 | .277 |
| 1902 | CHW | 129 | 497 | 60 | 140 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 79 | 37 | 43 | 46 | .282 |
| 1903 | NYG | 138 | 517 | 100 | 145 | 32 | 14 | 7 | 104 | 61 | 45 | 45 | .280 |
| 1904 | NYG | 148 | 532 | 83 | 147 | 28 | 11 | 4 | 78 | 54 | 48 | 47 | .276 |
| 1905 | NYG | 150 | 551 | 81 | 154 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 108 | 56 | 51 | 52 | .279 |
| 1906 | NYG/STL | 124 | 444 | 57 | 107 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 52 | 45 | 58 | 31 | .241 |
| Career | — | 1190 | 4405 | 695 | 1227 | 188 | 108 | 40 | 721 | 422 | 378 | 396 | .279 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | CHW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.93 |
| Career | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.93 |
On this day & linked events
1945
Died March 11, 1945
1896
Major-league debut: Sam Mertes
Sam Mertes made a major-league debut on June 30, 1896.
1906
Final major-league game: Sam Mertes
Sam Mertes played a final major-league game on September 15, 1906.
Image: Breisch-Williams, public domain