Butch Henline

Infobox MLB retired
name=Butch Henline
position=Catcher


bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=black
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=December 20 1894
deathdate=death date and age|1957|10|9|1894|12|20
debutdate= April 13
debutyear= by|1921
debutteam= New York Giants
finaldate=July 18
finalyear=by|1931
finalteam=Chicago White Sox
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.291
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=40
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=268
teams=
* New York Giants (1921)
* Philadelphia Phillies (1921-1926)
* Brooklyn Robins (1927-1929)
* Chicago White Sox (1930-1931)
highlights=

Walter John "Butch" Henline (December 20 1894 - October 9 1957) was an American catcher and umpire in Major League Baseball who played from 1921-1931 for the New York Giants, Brooklyn Robins, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. He spent most of his career with the Phillies, batting .316 as a rookie in 1922 and .324 in 1923 before his playing time gradually decreased.

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Henline was working in Cleveland, Ohio in 1918 when a local restaurant owner – aware of Henline's play on semi-pro teams – encouraged him to contact former star Nap Lajoie, who lived nearby. After doing so, he was signed two weeks latercite news |title=Obituary |work=The Sporting News |page=34 |date=1957-10-16] by the Indianapolis club of the American Association, but did not join the team until the following year due to military service during World War I.cite book |title=The Sporting News Baseball Register |year=1948 |pages=p. 248] In his 1922 rookie year with the Phillies, he led the National League in fielding percentage with a .983 mark, and on September 15 of that year he hit three home runs.

After his playing career ended in the minor leagues in 1934, he became a motel operator in Florida, but took up umpiring soon afterward after recalling that Bill Klem had encouraged him to pursue the profession. He began working in the Southeastern League before moving up to the International League from 1940 to 1944, and then the NL.

Henline served as an NL umpire from 1945 to 1948, and officiated in the 1947 All-Star Game. He went on to become supervisor of umpires in the Florida International League from 1949 to 1954 before that league folded. He died of cancer at age 62 at his home in Sarasota, Florida, and his cremated remains were interred at Manasota Memorial Park in Bradenton.

ee also

*Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

References

External links

*baseball-reference|id=h/henlibu01
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Phenlb101.htm Retrosheet]
* [http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Henline.Butch.Obit.html "New York Times" obituary]
*