Nap Lajoie

Lore & Background

Lajoie was born on September 5, 1874, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, to Jean-Baptiste and Célina Guertin Lajoie. Jean-Baptiste Lajoie was French-Canadian and had immigrated to the United States. He first settled in Rutland, Vermont, then moved to Woonsocket, where Nap, the youngest of eight surviving children, was born. Throughout his childhood Lajoie received little formal education.

Jean, who worked as a teamster and laborer, died not long into Lajoie's childhood, forcing him and his siblings to work. Lajoie dropped out of school to work in a textile mill. He also began playing semi-professional baseball for the local Woonsocket team under the alias "Sandy" because his parents did not approve. He earned money as a taxi driver with a horse and buggy and was locally called "Slugging Cabby."

He received the nickname "Larry" from a teammate who had trouble pronouncing Lajoie. Lajoie admired baseball players such as King Kelly and Charles Radbourn. He left Woonsocket and joined the Class B New England League's Fall River Indians in 1896, playing as a center fielder, first baseman and catcher. He recorded 163 hits in 80 games and led the team in batting average, doubles, triples, home runs and hits.

The Philadelphia Phillies purchased Lajoie and teammate Phil Geier from Fall River for $1,500 on August 9. Lajoie made his major league debut on August 12, 1896, against the Washington Senators of the National League. He played first base and recorded a single. In 1898, new manager George Stallings moved Lajoie to second base.

Lajoie hit .363 and led the NL in slugging percentage in 1897 and doubles and RBIs in 1898. He had a .378 batting average in 1899, though he played only 77 games due to an injury. In 1900, he missed five weeks due to a broken thumb suffered in a fistfight with teammate Elmer Flick. In April 1900, Brooklyn manager Ned Hanlon made a public offer of $10,000 to purchase Lajoie from the Phillies, who rebuffed the offer.

John Rogers, described as a "penny-pinching" majority owner of the Phillies, assured Lajoie he would make the same salary as Ed Delahanty, but Lajoie discovered Delahanty earned more. Rogers increased Lajoie's pay by $200 but the damage was done. In 1901, Lajoie jumped to the crosstown Philadelphia Athletics, owned by Benjamin Shibe and managed by Connie Mack. Frank Hough offered Lajoie a contract for $24,000 for four years.

Reader's Guide

Nap Lajoie is a Hall of Fame second baseman who played 21 MLB seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Bronchos/Naps. He set the American League single-season batting average record (.426) in 1901, led the AL in batting five times, and was the third player to reach 3,000 career hits. He served as player-manager for Cleveland from 1905 through 1909. The team was renamed the Naps in his honor and later became the Indians.

Did You Know?

• Lajoie's .426 batting average in 1901 was originally recorded as .405 due to a transcription error not discovered until 1954.
• He was the first player whose yearly salary was $4,000.
• Lajoie was intentionally walked with the bases loaded in 1901, becoming the second Major Leaguer to do so after Abner Dalrymple in 1881.