Morrie Rath: Difference between revisions

Morrie Rath
Morrie Rath
	Rath with the Chicago White Sox in 1912
	Second baseman
	Born: December 25, 1887; Mobeetie, Texas, U.S.
	Died: November 18, 1945 (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 at Baseball Reference
Teams
	Philadelphia Athletics (1909–1910); Cleveland Naps (1910); Chicago White Sox (1912–1913); Cincinnati Reds (1919–1920);
Career highlights and awards
	World Series champion (1919);

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Morris Charles Rath (December 25, 1887 – November 18, 1945) was an American baseball player. He played second base in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Naps, Chicago White Sox, and Cincinnati Reds. Rath was the batter hit by Eddie Cicotte in the 1919 World Series as Cicotte's signal to gamblers that the "fix was on" in that series. In an era before on-base percentage was a valued statistic, Rath was known for his ability to get on base by drawing bases on balls. His name was sometimes reported as Maurice Rath.

Baseball career

Born in Mobeetie, Texas, Rath moved with his family to Philadelphia where he grew up. Rath attended Swarthmore College but did not play for the Garnet Tide, as the school had not yet established a baseball program, but he did pledge the Delta Upsilon fraternity during his tenure. He played on teams in the Philadelphia area and moved to professional baseball in 1908, playing in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Lynchburg, Virginia. After playing for the Reading 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 baseman Eddie Collins. He was sent to the Baltimore 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 95 bases on balls and 30 stolen bases, in addition to outstanding defensive numbers. After a slow start in 1913, he was sent down to the Kansas City Blues of the American Association and remained in the minor leagues until 1917. In 1915, Rath led the International League with a .332 batting average while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He then played for the Salt Lake City Bees in the Pacific Coast League in 1916 and 1917.

In 1918, Rath joined the U.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 the pennant-winning Reds. He led all National 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 the fix 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 was Cotton Tierney). Rath only played in one further ML game after the tripleheader; after a mediocre 1920 season, Rath was sent to the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League and then to the San Francisco Seals, where he ended his playing career.

According to statistician Bill 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]

Personal life

Rath was the half-uncle of Mike Balenti, an opposing ballplayer in the American League, in that Balenti's mother was Rath's half-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 in Upper 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 at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

References

^ Sagert, Kelly Boyer (2004). Joe Jackson: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 85. ISBN 0313329613.
^ ^a ^b James, Bill (2010). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Simon & Schuster. p. 534. ISBN 978-1439106938.
^ Anderson, H. Allen. "Rath, Charles". www.tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
^ Weiser, Kathy. "Charles Rath, Buffalo Entrepreneur". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved August 21, 2020.

External links

Career statistics from Baseball Reference
Morrie Rath at Find a Grave

[Jackson-1] Sagert, Kelly Boyer (2004). Joe Jackson: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 85. ISBN 0313329613.

[James-2] James, Bill (2010). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Simon & Schuster. p. 534. ISBN 978-1439106938.

[3] Anderson, H. Allen. "Rath, Charles". www.tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 21, 2020.

[4] Weiser, Kathy. "Charles Rath, Buffalo Entrepreneur". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved August 21, 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American baseball player (1887-1945)}}
-{{Infobox MLB player
+{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
+{{Infobox baseball biography
 |name=Morrie Rath
+|image=Morris Rath 1912 (cropped).jpeg
-|position=[[Catcher]]
+|caption=Rath with the Chicago White Sox in 1912
-|image= Morrie Rath baseball card.jpg
+|position=[[Second baseman]]
-|caption=  Morrie Rath baseball card
+|birth_date={{birth date|1887|12|25}}
+|birth_place=[[Mobeetie, Texas]], U.S.
+|death_date={{death date and age|1945|11|18|1887|12|25}}
+|death_place=[[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
 |bats=Left
 |throws=Right
+|debutleague = MLB
-|birth_date={{Birth date|1886|12|25}}
-|birth_place=[[Mobeetie, Texas]]
-|death_date={{death date and age|1945|11|18|1886|12|25}}
-|death_place=[[Upper Darby, Pennsylvania]]
 |debutdate= September 28
 |debutyear= 1909
 |debutteam= Philadelphia Athletics
+|finalleague = MLB
 |finaldate=October 3
 |finalyear=1920
 |finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
+|statleague = MLB
-|stat1label=[[Batting average]]
+|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
 |stat1value=.254
 |stat2label=[[Home run]]s
 |stat2value=4
-|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
+|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
 |stat3value=92
-|teams=<nowiki></nowiki>
+|teams=
-* [[Oakland Athletics|Philadelphia Athletics]] (1909–1910)
+* [[Philadelphia Athletics]] ({{baseball year|1909}}–{{baseball year|1910}})
-* [[Cleveland Indians|Cleveland Naps]] (1910)
+* [[Cleveland Naps]] ({{baseball year|1910}})
-* [[Chicago White Sox]] (1912–1913)
+* [[Chicago White Sox]] ({{baseball year|1912}}–{{baseball year|1913}})
-* [[Cincinnati Reds]] (1919–1920)
+* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{baseball year|1919}}–{{baseball year|1920}})
+|highlights=
+* [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1919}})
 }}
-'''Morris Charles "Morrie" Rath''' (December 25, 1886 – November 18, 1945) was an [[United States|American]] [[baseball]] player. After attending [[Swarthmore College]], he played [[Second baseman|second base]] for the [[Chicago White Sox]] and [[Cincinnati Reds]] in the 1910s.  Rath was the batter hit by [[Eddie Cicotte]] in the [[1919 World Series]] as Cicotte's signal to gamblers that the "[[match fixing|fix was on]]" in that series. In an era before [[on-base percentage]] was a valued statistic, Rath was known for an ability to get on base by drawing [[base on balls|bases on balls]]. His name was often reported as Maurice Rath.
+'''Morris Charles Rath''' (December 25, 1887 – November 18, 1945) was an American [[baseball]] player. He played [[Second baseman|second base]] in [[Major League Baseball]] for the [[Philadelphia Athletics]], [[Cleveland Naps]], [[Chicago White Sox]], and [[Cincinnati Reds]].  Rath was the batter hit by [[Eddie Cicotte]] in the [[1919 World Series]] as Cicotte's signal to gamblers that the "[[match fixing|fix was on]]" in that series. In an era before [[on-base percentage]] was a valued statistic, Rath was known for his ability to get on base by drawing [[base on balls|bases on balls]]. His name was sometimes reported as Maurice Rath.
-==Biography==
+==Baseball career==
-Born in [[Mobeetie, Texas]], Rath moved with his family to [[Philadelphia]] where he grew up. Rath attended [[Swarthmore College]], but did not play for the Garnet Tide, for the school had not yet established a baseball program, but did pledge [[Delta Upsilon]] Fraternity during his tenure.  He played on teams in the Philadelphia area and moved to professional baseball in 1908, playing in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]] and [[Lynchburg, Virginia]]. After playing for the [[Reading Pretzels]], Rath began his major league career as a bench player for the [[Oakland Athletics|Philadelphia Athletics]] in 1909, appearing in seven games. He was traded in the middle of the 1910 season to the [[Cleveland Indians|Cleveland Naps]] because the Athletics already had star second baseman [[Eddie Collins]]. He was sent to the [[Baltimore Orioles (minor league)|Baltimore Orioles]] of the Eastern League before the end of the season.
+Born in [[Mobeetie, Texas]], Rath moved with his family to [[Philadelphia]] where he grew up. Rath attended [[Swarthmore College]] but did not play for the Garnet Tide, as the school had not yet established a baseball program, but he did pledge the [[Delta Upsilon]] fraternity during his tenure.  He played on teams in the Philadelphia area and moved to professional baseball in 1908, playing in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], and [[Lynchburg, Virginia]]. After playing for the [[Reading 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 baseman [[Eddie Collins]]. He was sent to the [[Baltimore Orioles (minor league)|Baltimore 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 [[batting average|.272]] with 95 [[base on balls|bases on balls]] and 30 [[stolen base]]s, in addition to outstanding defensive numbers. After a slow start in 1913, he was sent down to the [[Kansas City Blues (American Association)|Kansas City Blues]] of the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]], remaining in the minor leagues until 1917. In 1915, he led the [[International League]] with a .332 batting average while playing for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs (International League)|Toronto Maple Leafs]]. Rath played for the [[Salt Lake City Bees]] in the [[Pacific Coast League]] in 1916 and 1917.
+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, [[batting average (baseball)|hitting]] .272 with 95 [[base on balls|bases on balls]] and 30 [[stolen base]]s, in addition to outstanding defensive numbers. After a slow start in 1913, he was sent down to the [[Kansas City Blues (American Association)|Kansas City Blues]] of the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]] and remained in the minor leagues until 1917. In 1915, Rath led the [[International League]] with a .332 batting average while playing for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs (International League)|Toronto Maple Leafs]]. He then played for the [[Salt Lake City Bees]] in the [[Pacific Coast League]] in 1916 and 1917.
-In 1918, Rath joined the [[U.S. Navy]] and missed the 1918 baseball season. In 1919, he was back in the major leagues, given a chance to start by the Cincinnati Reds. In his comeback season he hit for a .264 batting average, drew 64 walks, and was the leadoff hitter for the [[Pennant (sports)|pennant]]-winning Reds. He led all [[National League]] second basemen that year in assists, putouts and double plays.<ref name=Jackson>{{cite book|last=Sagert|first=Kelly Boyer|title=Joe Jackson: A Biography|year=2004|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=0313329613|page=85|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6U1zWw2OqTkC&pg=PA85}}</ref>  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 the [[Black Sox Scandal|fix of the World Series]] was on.<ref name=James/> After a mediocre 1920 season, Rath was sent to the [[Seattle Rainiers]] in the Pacific Coast League and then to the [[San Francisco Seals (baseball)|San Francisco Seals]], where he ended his playing career.
+In 1918, Rath joined the [[U.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 the [[Pennant (sports)|pennant]]-winning Reds. He led all [[National League (baseball)|National League]] second basemen that year in assists, putouts, and double plays.<ref name=Jackson>{{cite book|last=Sagert|first=Kelly Boyer|title=Joe Jackson: A Biography|year=2004|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=0313329613|page=85|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6U1zWw2OqTkC&pg=PA85}}</ref>  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 the [[Black Sox Scandal|fix of the World Series]] was on.<ref name=James/> 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 was [[Cotton Tierney]]).  Rath only played in one further ML game after the tripleheader; after a mediocre 1920 season, Rath was sent to the [[Seattle Rainiers]] in the Pacific Coast League and then to the [[San Francisco Seals (baseball)|San Francisco Seals]], where he ended his playing career.
+According to statistician [[Bill 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."<ref name=James>{{cite book|last=James|first=Bill|title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract|year=2010|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=978-1439106938|page=534|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC&pg=PA534}}</ref>
-After his retirement, Rath ran a sporting goods store in [[Upper Darby, Pennsylvania]]. It was in that town that he took his own life at age 58. He had reportedly been in poor health for a couple of years. He is buried at [[Arlington Cemetery (Pennsylvania)|Arlington Cemetery]] in [[Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania]].
+==Personal life==
-According to statistician [[Bill 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."<ref name=James>{{cite book|last=James|first=Bill|title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract|year=2010|publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]]|isbn=1439106932|page=534|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC&pg=PA534}}</ref>
+Rath was the half-uncle of [[Mike Balenti]], an opposing ballplayer in the [[American League]], in that Balenti's mother was Rath's [[Sibling#Half|half-sister]]. There is no indication that either player was aware of this relationship during their lifetimes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Anderson |first=H. Allen |title=Rath, Charles |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/rath-charles |website=www.tshaonline.org |publisher=[[Texas State Historical Association]] |access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Weiser |first1=Kathy |title=Charles Rath, Buffalo Entrepreneur |url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-charlesrath/ |website=www.legendsofamerica.com |access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref>
+After his retirement from baseball, Rath ran a sporting goods store in [[Upper 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 at [[Arlington Cemetery (Pennsylvania)|Arlington Cemetery]] in [[Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania]].
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
-== External links ==
+==External links==
+{{commons category}}
-* {{baseballstats|br=r/rathmo01}}
+{{Baseballstats|br=r/rathmo01}}
-* {{Find a Grave|6792776}}
+* {{Find a Grave}}
 {{1919 Cincinnati Reds}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Rath, Morrie
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American baseball player
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = December 25, 1886
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Mobeetie, Texas]]
-| DATE OF DEATH     = November 18, 1945
-| PLACE OF DEATH    = [[Upper Darby, Pennsylvania]]
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rath, Morrie}}
-[[Category:1886 births]]
+[[Category:1887 births]]
+[[Category:1945 suicides]]
 [[Category:1945 deaths]]
+[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
 [[Category:Philadelphia Athletics players]]
+[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
 [[Category:Cleveland Naps players]]
 [[Category:Chicago White Sox players]]
 [[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
-[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
 [[Category:Wilmington Sailors players]]
 [[Category:Lynchburg Shoemakers players]]
 [[Category:Reading Pretzels players]]
-[[Category:Baltimore Orioles (IL) players]]
+[[Category:Baltimore Orioles (International League) players]]
 [[Category:Kansas City Blues (baseball) players]]
 [[Category:Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players]]
 [[Category:Salt Lake City Bees players]]
 [[Category:San Francisco Seals (baseball) players]]
-[[Category:Suicides by firearm in Pennsylvania]]
-[[Category:Baseball players who committed suicide]]
 [[Category:Baseball players from Texas]]
+[[Category:People from Mobeetie, Texas]]
+[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I]]
+[[Category:Suicides by firearm in Pennsylvania]]
+[[Category:Burials at Arlington Cemetery (Pennsylvania)]]

v t e Cincinnati Reds 1919 World Series champions
Jake Daubert Pat Duncan Hod Eller Ray Fisher Heinie Groh Larry Kopf Dolf Luque Sherry Magee Greasy Neale Bill Rariden Morrie Rath Jimmy Ring Edd Roush Dutch Ruether Slim Sallee Jimmy Smith Ivey Wingo
Manager Pat Moran
Regular season