Heinie Reitz
Template:Mlbretired Henry P. Reitz (June 29, 1867 - November 10, 1914) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.[1]
In 1893, Reitz was sold, for $300, by a team based in San Francisco, California to the Baltimore Orioles.[2] His five year tenure at Baltimore included his most notable season, 1894, during which he collected 31 triples. At the time, this tied Dave Orr's mark, set in 1886, for most triples in a single season. Although Chief Wilson surpassed both of them with his 36 triple season in 1912, Reitz and Orr still hold second place for this record.[3] Contributing to Reitz's 31 triples in 1894 were two bases loaded triples he hit in the 3rd and 7th inning on June 4 against the Chicago Colts that led Baltimore to a 12-4 victory.[4] Reitz's two bases loaded triples in a single game matched a feat achieved by Sam Thompson in 1887.[4] The frequency with which Reitz hit triples in 1894 was marked departure from every other season in his career. Excluding his record-tying season, he averaged under six triples per year.
On December 10, 1897, he was traded (with Jack Doyle and Doc Amole) to the Washington Senators in exchange for Doc McJames, Gene DeMontreville, and Dan McGann.[2] After one season in Washington, Reitz was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Dick Padden, Jimmy Slagle, and Jack O'Brien.[2] Reitz played 34 games for Pittsburgh in the 1899 season, and was traded in March 1900, to Milwaukee of the American Association in exchange for a player to be named later. In September 1900, Pittsburgh received Harry Smith to complete the transaction.[2]
Reitz was killed in a car accident at the age of 47 in Sacramento, California.[5] This marked the first time that a car accident claimed the life of a major league baseball player, although it would not be until 1924 that an active major-leaguer, Boston Braves shortstop Tony Boeckel, would die in an auto accident.[6]
Major League Heinie's
Today considered a slang term for the buttocks, "Heinie" was previously a generic, sometimes derogatory, term for persons of German descent. Its origin is as a short version of Heinrich. "Heinie" was also a popular nickname for German baseball players in the early part of the 20th Century. Reitz was one of 22 Major League Heinie's in the first half of the century. Others include:
Heinie Beckendorf 1909-1910 Heinie Berger 1907-1910 Charles Carl Berger Heinie Elder 1913-1913 Heinie Groh 1912-1927 Heinie Heitmuller 1909-1910 Heinie Heltzel 1943-1944 Heinie Jantzen 1912-1912 Heinie Kappel 1887-1889 Heinie Manush 1923-1939 - the only Hall of Fame "Heinie" Heinie Meine 1922-1934, also known as "The Count Of Luxemburg" Heinie Mueller 1920-1935 Clarence Francis Mueller Heinie Mueller 1938-1941 Heinie Odom 1925-1925 Heinie Peitz 1892-1913 Heinie Reitz 1893-1899 Heinie Sand 1923-1928 Heinie Scheer 1922-1923 Heinie Schuble 1927-1936 Heinie Smith 1897-1903 Heinie Stafford 1916-1916 Heinie Wagner 1902-1918 Heinie Zimmerman 1907-1919 -- implicated in the Chicago "Black Sox" scandal
References
- ^ "Heinie Reitz's Stats". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "Heinie Reitz". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- ^ "Single Season Leaders for Triples". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- ^ a b Charlton, James. "Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1894". BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- ^ "The Obit for Heinie Reitz". TheDeadballEra.com. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
- ^ Charlton, James. "Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1914". BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
External links
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference