Zack Wheat Marquee Hall of Fame 1959

b. May 23, 1888 · Brooklyn Superbas 1909–1910, 1913, Brooklyn Dodgers 1911–1912, Brooklyn Robins 1914–1926, Philadelphia Athletics 1927

Wheat played eighteen seasons in the Brooklyn outfield and batted .317, with 2,884 hits, 1,289 runs and 1,248 runs batted in. He was better late than early. He made 200 or more hits three times, in 1922, 1924 and 1925, the last of those a career-best 221 at the age of 37.

His 2,804 hits for the franchise are still the most of any Dodger, in Brooklyn or Los Angeles, and Pee Wee Reese is next with 2,170. He played more games for the club than anyone else as well. He never once led the National League in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs or runs batted in.

The club changed names around him, Superbas to Dodgers to Robins, and it reached the World Series twice while he was in it, in 1916 and 1920, and lost both. He finished with 88 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1927, went home to Missouri and joined the Kansas City police force. The Veterans Committee elected him in 1959.

Honors

Award	Times	Years
Baseball Magazine All-Star	9	1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1925

Batting, season by season

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
1909	BRO	26	102	15	31	7	3	0	4	6	13	1	.304
1910	BRO	156	606	78	172	36	15	2	55	47	80	16	.284
1911	BRO	140	534	55	153	26	13	5	76	29	58	21	.287
1912	BRO	123	453	70	138	28	7	8	65	39	40	16	.305
1913	BRO	138	535	64	161	28	10	7	58	25	45	19	.301
1914	BRO	145	533	66	170	26	9	9	89	47	50	20	.319
1915	BRO	146	528	64	136	15	12	5	66	52	42	21	.258
1916	BRO	149	568	76	177	32	13	9	73	43	49	19	.312
1917	BRO	109	362	38	113	15	11	1	41	20	18	5	.312
1918	BRO	105	409	39	137	15	3	0	51	16	17	9	.335
1919	BRO	137	536	70	159	23	11	5	62	33	27	15	.297
1920	BRO	148	583	89	191	26	13	9	73	48	21	8	.328
1921	BRO	148	568	91	182	31	10	14	85	44	19	11	.320
1922	BRO	152	600	92	201	29	12	16	112	45	22	9	.335
1923	BRO	98	349	63	131	13	5	8	65	23	12	3	.375
1924	BRO	141	566	92	212	41	8	14	97	49	18	3	.375
1925	BRO	150	616	125	221	42	14	14	103	45	22	3	.359
1926	BRO	111	411	68	119	31	2	5	35	21	14	4	.290
1927	PHA	88	247	34	80	12	1	1	38	18	5	2	.324
Career	—	2410	9106	1289	2884	476	172	132	1248	650	572	205	.317

On this day & linked events

1888

Born May 23, 1888

Hamilton, MO, USA

1972

Died March 11, 1972

1909

Major-league debut: Zack Wheat

Zack Wheat made a major-league debut on September 11, 1909.

1927

Final major-league game: Zack Wheat

Zack Wheat played a final major-league game on September 21, 1927.

Image: [1], public domain