Honus Wagner

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Wagner began his baseball career in the minor leagues in 1889 at age 15. After being noticed by a talent scout, he made his MLB debut in 1897 with the Louisville Colonels. Wagner excelled at playing any position both in the infield and in the outfield, eventually becoming a regular shortstop by 1903. After the Colonels folded in 1899, club president Barney Dreyfuss bought the Pittsburgh Pirates and brought along Wagner with him, where he would spend the rest of his career. He quickly established himself as the National League's premier star. Wagner won a joint-record eight NL batting titles, led the league in slugging six times, stolen bases five times and RBIs four times. Wagner played at least ten career games at every position except pitcher and catcher. With Pittsburgh, Wagner appeared in two World Series, including the inaugural 1903 World Series and 1909 World Series, the latter of which was the Pirates' first World Series title. After a brief stint as player-manager, Wagner retired in 1917 having set numerous MLB career records, extra-base hits (996), most runs scored (1,739), most games played (2,794), most hits (3,420), most total bases (4,870), and most at-bats (10,439), all of which would be broken by Ty Cobb in the following decade. He also retained many other NL career records for decades, including most triples (252, still a league record), most stolen bases in the modern era (703) until 1927, most runs scored until 1944, most doubles (640) until 1958, and most hits until 1962. Wagner still ranks in the top 10 for hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases, and WAR among all major league players; and among National League record holders, he maintains his ranking in the top 10 players for games played, at-bats, runs scored, runs batted in, and total bases. Wagner remained involved with baseball after retirement, serving as a coach for the Pirates. During his tenure, he helped tutor future Hall of Famers Arky Vaughan and Ralph Kiner. He was widely praised by contemporary players and journalists alike for his playing ability. Wagner is also the subject of the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the rarest baseball cards in existence. One specimen sold for $7.25 million, putting it on the list of most expensive sports cards.

In Their Own Story

In August 1899, Wagner became the first player credited with stealing second base, third, and home in succession under the new rule differentiating between advanced bases and stolen bases. He repeated the feat in 1902, 1907, and 1909. In September 1905, Wagner signed a contract to produce the first bat with a player's signature, the Louisville Slugger, becoming the first sportsperson to endorse a commercial product. The Honus Wagner bat became a best-seller for years. In 1908, Wagner briefly retired, but owner Barney Dreyfuss offered him $10,000 per year, making him the highest-paid Pirate at the time.

Reader's Guide

Wagner was born on February 24, 1874, to German immigrants Peter and Katheryn Wagner in the borough of Chartiers, in what is now Carnegie, Pennsylvania. He was one of nine children. As a child, he was called Hans by his mother, which later evolved into Honus. "Hans" was also an alternate nickname during his major league career. Wagner dropped out of school at age 12 to help his father and brothers in the coal mines. In their free time, he and his brothers played sandlot baseball and developed their skills to such an extent that three of his brothers went on to become professionals as well. According to Wagner's own testimony, the name "Honus" (pronounced: "HAW-nus") was a shortened form of "Johannes", adopted by baseball teammates as a nickname. Wagner's older brother, Albert "Butts" Wagner, who had a brief major league career himself, is often credited with getting Honus his first tryout. Butts persuaded his manager to take a look at his younger brother. Following his brother, Wagner trained to be a barber before becoming successful in baseball. In 1916, Wagner married Bessie Baine Smith, and the couple had three daughters: Elva Katrina (b. 1918, stillborn), Betty Baine (1919–1992), and Virginia Mae (1922–1985).

Did You Know?

• Wagner led the NL in slugging percentage six times, not five.
• Wagner played at least ten career games at every position except pitcher and catcher.
• Wagner began his minor league career at age 15 in 1889.