Chief Wilson

[Ordep]

I was wondering if anyone could assist me on locating information pertaining to Chief Wilson in 1912.

This is a man whose second best season in the triples department was 22 fewer than the 36 he attained. One whose personal best up until that point was 13. Now I know he had 31 career inside the park homeruns. Also the last attempt of one in 1912 resulted in being called out at the plate, which in turn was scored a triple.

So my questions are as such:

How many of those triples came while being called out at home while trying to stretch an inside the park homerun?

And

How many of his homeruns that season were of the inside the park variety?

[Brian McKenna]

i'd suggest first hand newspaper accounts - love to hear the research

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I was wondering if anyone could assist me on locating information pertaining to Chief Wilson in 1912.

This is a man whose second best season in the triples department was 22 fewer than the 36 he attained. One whose personal best up until that point was 13. Now I know he had 31 career inside the park homeruns. Also the last attempt of one in 1912 resulted in being called out at the plate, which in turn was scored a triple.

So my questions are as such:

How many of those triples came while being called out at home while trying to stretch an inside the park homerun?

And
How many of his homeruns that season were of the inside the park variety?


No way to know how many triples came on attempted inside the park home runs. The reason, Wilson's name does not appear that often in the news archives, hardly any box scores or game recaps of games he played in 1912.
He did hit 3 inside the park home runs(IPH's) in 1912. I don't think attempted IPH's was the big factor in 1912 that contributed that much in those 36 triples hit. Why would he attempt more IPH's in 1912 than other seasons. He never hit half as many as that 36 in any season and often the number was about one third or a bit more 12-13-12-14-12 in other seasons.

The cork center ball coming in the 1911 season boosted his home run numbers.

Home runs
1908------3
1909------4
1910------4
1911-----12
1912-----11
1913-----10

What has to be remembered here is that he played only 3 seasons with the cork center ball 1911-12-13 in Forbes Field a park built for triples, then traded to the Cardinals. Who can say maybe with a few more seasons at Forbes he may have gotten a bit closer to that 36 triples hit in 1912.

I do agree, strange he hits 36 in 1912 and then hits a total of 26 in the next two seasons 1913 and 1914.

[leecemark]

--The forerunner to Brady Anderson. On the juice, no doubt:) .

[FatAngel]

Back then spectators were allowed in the outfield - separated by a band from the playing field. All balls hit under/over the band were a triple by ground rules if Impossible to retrieve. I suspect wilson was granted a lot of triples by hitting there, with the ball vanishing forever in home crowds (in contrast to "magically" rolling back so the outfielder could relay it on road games).
My second observation to is that he had only 19 doubles this season and wasn´t an exceptionally fast runner.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Back then spectators were allowed in the outfield - separated by a band from the playing field. All balls hit under/over the band were a triple by ground rules if Impossible to retrieve. I suspect wilson was granted a lot of triples by hitting there, with the ball vanishing forever in home crowds (in contrast to "magically" rolling back so the outfielder could relay it on road games).
My second observation to is that he had only 19 doubles this season and wasn´t an exceptionally fast runner.

That is true but I would have to wonder why so many in that one season(1912) compared to other seasons, a hugh gap in number of triples.

What would happen when balls were hit into the overflow crowds, that is spectators on the playing field, roped off.

The crowd figured in. When one of their own hitters would hit balls that rolled into the crowd they would step aside allowing the ball to roll into the crowd, the rule then a ground rule triple.

When a hitter from the opposing team did the same the crowd would deflect and at times even kick the ball back on to the field, no triple, what ever the hitter could get, usually a double.

What I am now wondering, was that ground rule changed after 1912, have to check.

Quick check, that ground rule did not change after 1912. I found one game played at Forbes Field in the 1920s and 9 triples were hit in that game. There was an overflow crowd and spectators were in the outfield in roped off sections.