Born:(1888-04-04)April 4, 1888 Hubbard, Texas, U.S.
Died: December 8, 1958(1958-12-08) (aged 70) Whitney, Texas, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 14, 1907, for the Boston Americans
Last MLB appearance
August 30, 1928, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average
.345
Hits
3,514
Home runs
117
Runs batted in
1,529
Doubles
792
Managerial record
617–520
Winning %
.543
Teams
As player
Boston Americans / Red Sox (1907–1915)
Cleveland Indians (1916–1926)
Washington Senators (1927)
Philadelphia Athletics (1928)
As manager
Cleveland Indians (1919–1926)
Career highlights and awards
3× World Series champion (1912, 1915, 1920)
AL MVP (1912)
AL batting champion (1916)
AL home run leader (1912)
AL RBI leader (1923)
MLB record 792 career doubles
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction
1937
Vote
82.1% (second ballot)
Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder from 1907 to 1928. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 (sixth all-time).[1] His 792 career doubles represent an MLB career record. His 3,514 hits are fifth in the all-time hits list. Defensively, Speaker holds career records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder. He held the major league career record for putouts by a center fielder (6,592) until he was surpassed by Willie Mays in 1971.[2] His fielding glove was known as the place "where triples go to die."[3]
After playing in the minor leagues in Texas and Arkansas, Speaker debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 1907. He became the regular center fielder by 1909 and led the Red Sox to World Series championships in 1912 and 1915. In 1915, Speaker's batting average dropped to .322 from .338 the previous season; he was traded to the Cleveland Indians when he refused to take a pay cut. As player-manager for Cleveland, he led the team to its first World Series title. In seven of his eleven seasons with Cleveland, he finished with a batting average greater than .350. Speaker resigned as Cleveland's manager in 1926 after he and Ty Cobb faced game-fixing allegations; both men were later cleared. During his managerial stint in Cleveland, Speaker introduced the platoon system in the major leagues.
Speaker played with the Washington Senators in 1927 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928, then became a minor league manager and part owner. He later held several roles for the Cleveland Indians. Late in life, Speaker led a short-lived indoor baseball league, ran a wholesale liquor business, worked in sales and chaired Cleveland's boxing commission. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. He was named 27th [4] in the Sporting News 100 Greatest Baseball Players (1999) and was also included in the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
^"Career Leaders & Records for Batting Average". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
^"Career Leaders & Records for Putouts as Center Fielder". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
^Gay, p. 130
^100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News : A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac
Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet TrisSpeaker managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com TrisSpeaker at IMDb TrisSpeaker at Find a Grave...
English ship Speaker (1650), frigate launched in 1650, renamed HMS Mary in 1660 TrisSpeaker (1888–1958), American baseball player Raymond Speaker (born 1935)...
fielder TrisSpeaker holds the Major League Baseball career doubles record with 792. Pete Rose is second with 746, the National League record. Speaker, Rose...
large extent, the leaders reflect longevity rather than lower skill. TrisSpeaker, who holds the modern (post-1900) record of 227 errors committed as a...
run winning pitcher Sherry Smith gave up in a three-hitter came when TrisSpeaker came all the way around on a double that was misplayed in left field...
Americans name change to the Boston Red Sox. By 1909, center fielder TrisSpeaker had become a fixture in the Boston outfield, and the team finished the...
of the Golden Outfield were left fielder Duffy Lewis, center fielder TrisSpeaker, and right fielder Harry Hooper. The three helped the Red Sox win two...
Sox (4) vs. NL New York Giants (3) In batting practice before Game 1, TrisSpeaker drove a ball not only over the right field grandstand but completely...
he is the only outfielder to record more than 7,000 career putouts. TrisSpeaker (6,788), Rickey Henderson (6,468), Max Carey (6,363), Ty Cobb (6,361)...
players share the record for most times leading a league in doubles - TrisSpeaker (AL) and Stan Musial (NL) each led their leagues eight times. Baseball-Reference...
updated as of May 31, 2024. "TrisSpeaker Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 24, 2021. Jensen, Don. "TrisSpeaker Bio". Society For American...
include Paul Waner, Charlie Gehringer, TrisSpeaker and Nap Lajoie. The others are Cobb, Lajoie, and TrisSpeaker. Rhoden, William C. (October 1, 1996)...
bleeding from his left ear, screamed towards the stands for a doctor. TrisSpeaker, who had been on deck, rushed to Chapman, as did several players from...
playoff appearance under TrisSpeaker in 1920. Out of the seven managers that have led Cleveland into the postseason, only Speaker and Lou Boudreau have...
Retrieved 23 Dec 2022. "TrisSpeaker Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2023. Jensen, Don. "WTris Speaker Bio". Society For American...
Eddie Collins, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, and TrisSpeaker. February 5, 1928: TrisSpeaker was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. By this...
updated as of May 31, 2024. "TrisSpeaker Career Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 29, 2021. Jensen, Don. "TrisSpeaker Bio". Society For American...
Behind center fielder TrisSpeaker and pitcher Smoky Joe Wood, the Red Sox led the league in runs scored and fewest runs allowed. Speaker was third in batting...
During several seasons with Boston, he teamed up with Duffy Lewis and TrisSpeaker to form the Golden Outfield, one of the best outfield trios in baseball...
retired, with his 2,314 games in center field trailing only Mays and TrisSpeaker; he also ranked seventh among outfielders with 5,664 putouts. Since retiring...
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