Joe Harris (first baseman)

Joseph Harris (May 20, 1891 – December 10, 1959), nicknamed Moon, was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played for ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1914 and 1928 for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Brooklyn Robins.[1]

Joe Harris
Harris in 1925
First baseman
Born: (1891-05-20)May 20, 1891
Coulter, Pennsylvania
Died: December 10, 1959(1959-12-10) (aged 68)
Plum, Pennsylvania
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 9, 1914, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1928, for the Brooklyn Robins
MLB statistics
Batting average.317
Home runs47
Runs batted in516
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Batted .335 for Boston Red Sox in 1923.
  • First player to hit a home run in first appearance in World Series (1925).

Life

He was born in Coulter, Pennsylvania.

In 1918, he was drafted into the United States Army. He served during World War I and was in a truck accident while serving. He suffered 2 broken legs, 3 broken ribs, and a fractured skull, thus creating the 'lump' under his eye. He did need plastic surgery to help fix his facial injury. In 1919, he was discharged due to injury from the army and returned to the Cleveland Indians for part of the season. At season's end, he played for an industrial team, which offered him money and a business. Harris played with the team for the 1920 and 1921 seasons. By violating the reserve clause in his 1919 contract, Harris automatically was placed on organized baseball's ineligible list.[2]

Prior to the 1922 season, Harris applied for and was granted reinstatement by baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, in part due to Harris' war service.[2] In 1923, he led the Red Sox with a .335 batting average, 9th-best in the American League. His .520 slugging percentage was the league's 5th-highest.

He was traded to the Washington Senators early in the 1925 season and helped them win the American League pennant, hitting .323 with a 1.003 OPS in 100 games. In the 1925 World Series, Harris went 11-for-25 with three home runs, though the Pirates would come back from a 3–1 deficit to win the series in seven games. After batting .307 in only 92 games in 1926, Harris was selected off waivers by the Pirates before the 1927 season. Harris had another good year, batting .326 with 73 RBIs in 129 games as the Pirates won the National League pennant. In the 1927 World Series, Harris went 3-for-15 with just one RBI as the Pirates lost to the Yankees in a four game sweep.

Harris died at age 68 in Plum, Pennsylvania.

Career statistics

In 970 games played over 10 seasons, Harris hit .317 (963-for-3035) with 461 runs scored, 201 doubles, 64 triples, 47 home runs, 516 RBI, 413 walks, a .404 on-base percentage and .472 slugging percentage. Defensively, he finished his career with an overall .987 fielding percentage.[1]

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References
  1. "Joe Harris Statistics and History". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  2. James, Bill (2003-04-06). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press. p. 137. ISBN 0743227220.
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