IN 1869, THE CINCINNATI RED STOCKINGS BECAME THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL TEAM. THE NATIONAL LEAGUE WAS FOUNDED IN 1876 AND THE AMERICAN LEAGUE STARTED IN 1901. FROM THESE DATES UNTIL NOW, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BASEBALL GAMES HAVE BEEN PLAYED IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES, BUT ONLY ONCE DID A PLAYER ACTUALLY REFUSE A BASE HIT.
BUT HOW? WHY? WELL, READ ON......
PAUL WANER PLAYED BASEBALL IN THE BIG LEAGUES FOR 20 SEASONS, FROM 1926 TO 1945. THEY CALLED HIM "BIG POISON". WANER WAS A SMALL MAN, 5'8 1/2" IN HEIGHT AND NEVER WEIGHING MORE THAN 145 POUNDS, BUT PAUL WAS A SUPERB HITTER. ALONG WITH HIS BROTHER, LLOYD "LITTLE POISON" WANER, THE TWO COLLECTED A RECORD 5,611 HITS- THE MOST EVER BY TWO BROTHERS.
ANYWAY, LET'S GET BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL QUESTION - WHY WOULD ANYONE REFUSE A BASE HIT?
IT WAS JUNE 19, 1942.
AFTER PLAYING A MAJORITY OF HIS CAREER FOR THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES, WANER WAS IN THE TAIL END OF HIS CAREER, PLAYING FOR THE BOSTON BRAVES.
HE HAD ACCUMULATED 2,999 HITS UP TO THIS GAME AND WAS SHOOTING FOR NUMBER 3,000.
AT THIS POINT IN HISTORY, ONLY 5 PLAYERS HAD EVER GOTTEN 3,000 HITS- SO THIS WAS TO BE A HISTORIC OCCASION.
TRUETT "RIP" SEWELL WAS PITCHING FOR THE PIRATES AT FORBES FIELD IN PITTSBURGH. WANER CAME TO BAT AT HIT A LINE DRIVE THAT WAS KNOCKED DOWN BY THE PIRATES' SHORTSTOP, BUT THE SHORTSTOP COULDN'T MAKE THE PLAY, AND PAUL RAN HARD AND BEAT IT OUT.
THE OFFICIAL SCORERS, AFTER A FEW MINUTES, DECIDED TO AWARD WANER WITH A "HIT"- NUMBER 3,000.
THE CROWD, OF COURSE, CHEERED WILDLY.
BUT THEN, WANER DID SOMETHING NO BASEBALL PLAYER HAS EVER DONE- BEFORE OR SINCE.
HE WENT OVER TO THE SCORERS AND ASKED THEM TO TAKE BACK THE HIT.
"I WANT MY 3,000TH TO BE A CLEAN HIT", HE PROTESTED.
INCREDIBLY, THE SCORERS DID JUST AS HE ASKED - THEY ACTUALLY "TOOK BACK" THE CHEAP HIT, AND CALLED THE PLAY AN "ERROR".
SO, WITH THIS NEW RULING, PAUL STILL SAT AT 2,999 HITS.
LATER IN THE SAME GAME, WANER CAME UP TO BAT AND MADE A CLEAN HIT.
HE PROUDLY STOOD ON BASE AND LISTENED TO THE FANS GO CRAZY, WANER NOW HAD AN "OFFICIAL" AND CLEAN HIT FOR NUMBER 3,000.
PAUL WAS TO END HIS CAREER WITH 3,152 HITS.
YOU CAN FIND PAUL WANER- "THE ONLY BASEBALL PLAYER EVER TO REFUSE A HIT"- IN BASEBALL'S HALL OF FAME IN COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK.
Comments