- Nat Hicks
-
Nat Hicks 
Catcher Born: April 19, 1845
Hempstead (village), New YorkDied: April 21, 1907 (aged 62)
Hoboken, New JerseyBatted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut April 22, 1872 for the New York Mutuals Last MLB appearance June 5, 1877 for the Cincinnati Reds Career statistics Batting Average .263 Home runs 1 Runs batted in 116 Teams - National Association of Base Ball Players
- Eagle of New York (1866–1869)
- Star of Brooklyn (1870)
- Washington Nationals (1870)
- League player
- New York Mutuals (1872–1873), (1875–1876)
- Philadelphia White Stockings (1874)
- Cincinnati Reds (1877)
- League manager
- New York Mutuals (1875)
Nathaniel Woodhull "Nat" Hicks (April 19, 1845 – April 21, 1907) was an American Major League Baseball player born in Hempstead, New York. He played for a total of six seasons, two in the National League.[1] A popular and highly regarded player during his time in baseball, but injuries sustained over the course of his career cut his playing time short.[2]
Contents
Career
Nat began playing professional baseball in the National Association of Base Ball Players through 1871, most notably for the Eckford of Brooklyn. He played catcher behind the popular and future Hall of Famer, Candy Cummings.[2] Later moved on and spent most of his career playing in the National Association. He joined the New York Mutuals in 1872 and became their everyday catcher. He batted .306 that season as the Mutuals finished third.[3] Nat returned with the Mutuals in 1873, but that season saw his skills decline significantly both in the field and at the bat. He played in only 28 games and shared the catching duties that season with Dick Higham and Doug Allison.[4]
On July 24, 1873, Bob Ferguson of the Brooklyn Atlantics was the umpire in a game between the New York Mutuals and the Baltimore Canaries which ended with the Mutuals scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning for an 11-10 victory. Ferguson and the Mutuals' Nat Hicks got into a verbal altercation which ended with Ferguson breaking Hicks' arm by hitting him with a bat. Ferguson required a police escort to leave the field and Hicks was out of action for 2 months.[5]
Nat changed teams in 1874, joining the Philadelphia White Stockings and enjoyed a bounce back season, batting .274, and caught every game the team played.[6] He returned to the mutuals in 1875 when he was named the player-manager, the only stint as a manager in his career.[7] There is some dispute with this notion, as other baseball references have him as player-manager for the White Stockings the previous year as well,[1] instead of Bill Craver.[6] When the Association folded, the Mutuals and Hicks moved over to the newly formed National League in 1876, and then finished his career with the Cincinnati Reds.[1]
Post-career
After his baseball days were over, he became a professional singer and proprieter of a billiard academy.[8] Nat died in Hoboken, New Jersey at the age of 62 of accidental gas asphyxiation in a hotel room,[9] and was interred in St. Peter Cemetery in Jersey City, New Jersey.[1]
See also
- Denny Mack - the Radcliffe affair
References
- ^ a b c d "Nat Hicks' Stats". retrosheet.org. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Phickn101.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ a b "Behind The Bat With Nat Hicks". The New York Times, May 12, 1907. 1907-05-12. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A05EEDE1539E733A25751C1A9639C946697D6CF. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ "1872 New York Mutuals team page". baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYU/1872.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ "1873 New York Mutuals team page". baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYU/1873.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ "19th Century Baseball: Bob Ferguson". 19cbaseball.com. http://www.19cbaseball.com/players-bob-ferguson.html. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ a b "1874 Philadelphia White Stockings team page". baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1874.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ "Nat Hicks' Managerial Stats". baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/hicksna01.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ "The Dead Ball Era: Heading Home". thedeadballera.com. http://www.thedeadballera.com/HeadingHome.html. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
- ^ "The Dead Ball Era: Accidents". thedeadballera.com. http://www.thedeadballera.com/accidents.html. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Nat Hicks at Find a Grave
Categories:- Major League Baseball catchers
- Baseball player–managers
- Brooklyn Stars players
- Washington Nationals (NABBP) players
- New York Mutuals players
- New York Mutuals managers
- Philadelphia White Stockings players
- Cincinnati Reds (1876–1880) players
- People from Hempstead (village), New York
- Baseball players from New York
- Accidental deaths in New Jersey
- Deaths from asphyxiation
- 19th-century baseball players
- 1845 births
- 1907 deaths
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