Ollie Pickering
| Birthdate | 4/9/1870 |
| Death Date | 1/20/1952 |
| Debut Year | 1896 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Athletics, Blues, Browns, Colonels, Senators, Spiders |
| Positions | Center Field, Outfield, Right Field |
On April 24, 1901 right fielder Ollie Pickering of the Cleveland Blues became the first batter in the history of the American League.
Leave a commentIn the collection:
Oliver Pickering was the first batter in American League history on April 24, 1901
Oliver Pickering was the first batter in American League history on April 24, 1901
On April 24, 1901, the baseball landscape changed forever as a new league played its very first game. The initial American League contest featured the Cleveland Blues playing in Chicago against the White Stockings.
On the hill for the home team was Roy Patterson. When he delivered his first offering to Cleveland’s Ollie Pickering, a new era was ushered in as the American League was born.
In the collection is a 1931 handwritten letter from Pickering, the AL’s first batter.
The home plate ump in Pickering's first AL at bat was Cooperstown's Tommy Connolly
The home plate ump in Pickering's first AL at bat was Cooperstown's Tommy Connolly
When Ollie Pickering took the first pitch in American League history, the umpire behind the plate was Hall of Famer Tommy Connolly. In fact, as was the practice of the day Connolly was the only umpire on the field.
Playing right field for the Cleveland Blues, Pickering swatted Roy Patterson’s second pitch to center field where it was caught by William “Dummy” Hoy. Baseball’s greatest deaf player, Hoy caught the ball and recorded the first out in American League history.
Shown here is an index card autographed by Connolly. The umpire also had the distinction of working the first World Series in 1903.
More on Connolly can be found by clicking here.
Pickering appeared in the iconic T206 set made famous in part by Honus Wagner
Pickering appeared in the iconic T206 set made famous in part by Honus Wagner
The T206 set features cards of many of the game’s greats including perhaps the most famous baseball card of all time — the iconic 1909 Honus Wagner card.
The set also features the card shown here of the American League’s first hitter, Ollie Pickering. An otherwise nondescript career that saw Pickering play for six different teams in eight years. His time in baseball was made memorable by the timing and circumstances of his at bat on April 24, 1901. On that date Pickering ushered in the era by taking the first pitch in American League history.
Ollie Pickering hit the original "Texas Leaguer" and a baseball term was born
Ollie Pickering hit the original "Texas Leaguer" and a baseball term was born
The term “Texas Leaguer” refers to a bloop single, but how did it originate? We have to go back to the 1800s and Ollie Pickering.
In 1892 he played for Fort Worth and Houston of the Texas League. The turn-of-the-century stadiums in the league seldom had fences, forcing the outfielders to play deeper and creating holes in the outfield.
Otherwise routine fly balls often fell in for base hits. When the former Texas Leaguer Pickering made his AL debut in 1901 as the league’s first hitter he had seven consecutive bloop singles and his teammates decided to name that sort of hit after the league that made the style famous. The term “Texas Leaguer” was born.
MY INTEREST IS IN THE HISTORY OF THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES AND BLONDIE PURCELL WAS THE FIRST BATTER AND GOT THE FIRST HIT (A BASE HIT TO LEFT FIELD) ON TUESDAY,MAY 1,1883 AT RECREATION PARK, PHLADELPHIA OFF OF OL HOSS RADBOURN