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Max Carey Photo Gallery
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Another Edition of Baseball’s Forgotten Stars:
Max Carey Gets Two Hits in One Inning – Twice in the Same Game!
“Stealing bases is the art of picking up little things – things like a spitball pitcher who never threw to first if he was going to throw a spitter to the plate.” – Max Carey
There was a memorable game played at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis between the Cardinals and the Pirates, 99 years ago yesterday, June 22, 1925. In that game, future Hall of Famer Max Carey got two hits in the first inning and then again got two hits in the eighth innings, as his Pirates shellacked the Cardinals 24-6. Fifty years would go by before the feat happened again (1975) when Rennie Stennett, also with the Pirates, collected two hits in one inning twice.
(In the featured photo, we see Max Carey (left) with Coach Honus Wagner, and Manager George Gibson).
I always enjoy checking out the box score of memorable games from days gone by. It was quite a day for Max. Batting leadoff, he came to the plate seven times, going four-for-five, with a walk and being hit by a pitch, and also driving in a run. Surprisingly, with all the activity, Carey, one the great base stealers of all time, did not attempt a steal. I found that there were five future Hall of Famers on the field that day. In the game for the Pirates, in addition to Max Carey, were Kiki Cuyler, and Pie Traynor; while seeing action for the Cardinals were Rogers Hornsby and Jim Bottomley. In addition HOF umpire Hank O’Day was also on the field. In spite of a whopping 30 runs being scored, the game was played in 2:10, with 4,500 fans in attendance.
Reading about this feat got me thinking about Max Carey, surely one of the most overlooked Hall of Famers; and so I decided to take a look at his career. In a recent post in which I suggested Mickey Mantle as being the greatest switch-hitter of all time, I included a list of other great switch hitters. Several readers took me to task and mentioned that switch hitting Max Carey, should also be on that list. After looking at his career accomplishments, I have to agree.
Max Carey was an outstanding defensive center fielder who played 20 seasons in the major leagues (1910-1929), with the Pirates (1910-26), and the Dodgers (1926-29). After coaching a couple years for the Pirates, he managed the Dodgers from 1932-33.
Carey’s career batting average was .285 with 2665 hits, 70 home runs, 802 RBI, a career .361 on-base percentage, and 738 stolen bases. His stolen base total was a National League record until 1974 and is still the ninth-highest total in major league history and third highest in National League history. He led the league in steals 10 times and in triples twice. With a 96.2% stolen base success rate in 1922 he became the only pre-1951 player to record a percentage of 92% or higher. In 1922 he stole 51 bases and was caught only twice. He also stole home 33 times in his career, second best only to Ty Cobb’s 50 on the all-time list.
In the 1925 World Series, Carey starred for the Pirates, helping them win their second World championship. In the deciding game, Carey had four hits, including three doubles, off of Walter Johnson. His .458 batting average led all players, as the Pirates defeated the Washington Senators.
In 1944, Carey became the manager of the Milwaukee Chicks in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. That year, Milwaukee won the AAGPBL pennant. Beginning in 1945, he spent several years as the league’s president. He then spent three seasons managing the league’s Fort Wayne Daisies. Max Carey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961.
So today, I’m happy to shine our baseball spotlight on Hall of Famer, Max Carey…as we recall his big day in 1925!
Gary Livacari
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Information: Excerpts edited from the Max Carey Wikipedia page.
Hi Gary,
Interesting player to talk about since by the numbers it’s head scratching to me as to why Max Carey is in the HOF. Maybe his Baseball-Reference numbers don’t do him justice. He had an amazing 1925 World Series in a winning cause and was elected by the Veteran’s Committee in 1961 32 years after his playing career ended. Fortunately Max was still around to experience being inducted at age 71. My guess is he had a big-time advocate or advocates on the Veteran’s Committee.
Thanks Mark. You’re right, it’s hard to look at his numbers and understand how he got in. I checked out “The Cooperstown Casebook” which analyses all HOFers to see if they belong. The author’s opinion is that his selection was legitimate as he was the premier base stealer of the era, but he really doesn’t make much of a case for him. I also checked Max Carey’s entry in “The Baseball Hall of Fame Corrected.” This author calls him “the Lou Brock of the teens and ’20s,” and mentions that he was a great fielder. Other than that, he doesn’t make much of a case either, but his conclusion is that Carey belongs. I have to agree with you that he’s a very marginal HOFer, and that might be stretching it.
Thanks Gary/ You know I lean toward having a few more HOFers than a few less. Seems to me that Max Carey on the strength of a terrific World Series was much like Bill Mazeroski – really good players that shined in the biggest moment!
Yeah, I agree.
Yeah, Gary and Mark,
But c’mon you guys–Mazeroski? Please.
And speaking of the biggest moment, then Bobby Thomson has to go in immediately!
And I get to make a speech at Cooperstown because I interviewed him.
And the moon is made out of green cheese.