Frank Chance

Frank Chance
First Baseman/Manager
Born: September 9, 1876(1876-09-09) Fresno, California
Died: October 15, 1924(1924-10-15) (aged 48) Los Angeles, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 29, 1898 for the Chicago Orphans
Last MLB appearance
April 21, 1914 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
Batting average	.296
Stolen bases	401
Runs batted in	596
Teams
As Player Chicago Orphans/Cubs (1898-1912) New York Yankees (1913-1914) As Manager Chicago Cubs (1905-1912) New York Yankees (1913-1914) Boston Red Sox (1923)
Career highlights and awards
World Series Champion: 1907, 1908 National League pennant: 1906, 1910 Managerial record: 946-648 2-time National League stolen base leader 4 seasons with a .300+ batting average
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1946
Election Method	Veterans Committee

Frank Leroy Chance (September 9, 1876 – September 15, 1924) was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. Performing the roles of first baseman and manager, Chance led the Chicago Cubs to four National League championships in the span of five years (1906–1910) and earned the nickname "The Peerless Leader".

Chance was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.

Career

Born in Fresno, California, Chance began his career in 1898 with the Chicago Cubs and played irregularly until 1902. In 1903 he asserted himself with a .327 batting average, 67 stolen bases and 81 RBI in 441 at-bats. Chance was the first player ever ejected from a World Series game, doing so in Game 3 of the 1910 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics.

He was part of the trio of infielders remembered for their double-play ability in "Tinker to Evers to Chance", also known as "Baseball's Sad Lexicon," written by the twenty-eight-year old New York Evening Mail newspaper columnist Franklin Pierce Adams in July 1910,.^[1]

Chance took over as Chicago's manager in 1905, taking the helm of a very good team. Although his playing time decreased towards the end of the decade, as a manager he proved inspirational. The Cubs won the NL pennant in 1906, 1907, 1908 and 1910, and won the World Series in 1907 and 1908. He left the Cubs after the 1912 season to manage the New York Yankees, which he did for two seasons. He returned to his native California, and was manager of the Los Angeles Angels (Pacific Coast League) team in 1916-17, winning the league championship in 1916. He also was granted a part ownership in the Angels from the majority owner, John F. Powers. Powers and Chance remained good friends for the rest of his life. After a brief retirement, he returned to coach the Boston Red Sox in 1923 before retiring for good. His lifetime record as a manager was 946-648.

Later life

He died at age 48, and was interred in the Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles, California. His death was greatly mourned, and his funeral received widespread publicity in Los Angeles and Chicago. Among his pallbearers were Barney Oldfield, noted race car driver and close friend, and good friend John Powers.

Career Hitting^[2]

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	SB	BB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
1,287	4,297	1,273	200	79	20	797	596	401	554	.296	.394	.394	.788

See also

• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
• List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

Sources

• The Editors of Total Baseball (2000). Baseball:The Biographical Encyclopedia. Sports Illustrated. pp. 191–192. ISBN 1-892129-34-5. 

References

1. ^ Ashley, Sally (1986). F.P.A.: The Life and Times of Franklin P. Adams. Beaufort. p. 65. 
2. ^ Baseball-Reference.com.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Frank Chance managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
• Frank Chance at the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Frank Chance at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Chance, Frank
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 9, 1876
Place of birth	Fresno, California
Date of death	October 15, 1924
Place of death	Los Angeles, California