1897 National League Debuts

Willie Mays played his first Major League game on May 25, 1951, and went 0-for-5 at the plate. He started his career 1-for-25 and told his manager, "I can't do it, Mr. Leo. You better bench me."

Casey Stengel played his first Major League game on July 27, 1912, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. He commented later in his life, "I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression."

Both Mays and Stengel would continue their Major League careers down separate paths of greatness, but each still had to appear in that memorable first Major League game. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present what Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone once described as, "His first Major League debut."
"You never forget your first hit in the Major Leagues. It was in my third at bat. That was kind of a relief. You could start off 0-for-34." - Ralph Kiner
National League Debuts

1897

n/a Chick Stahl 1897 Boston Beaneaters 04-19-1897 24
n/a Claude Ritchey 1897 Cincinnati Reds 04-22-1897 23
n/a Louis Sockalexis 1897 Cleveland Spiders 04-22-1897 25
n/a Aleck Smith 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 04-23-1897 0
n/a Bill Dammann 1897 Cincinnati Reds 04-24-1897 24
n/a Roger Denzer 1897 Chicago Colts 04-24-1897 25
n/a Jack Fifield 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 04-28-1897 25
n/a Pat Hannivan 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 04-29-1897 31
n/a Youngy Johnson 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 04-29-1897 23
n/a Cy Swaim 1897 Washington Senators 05-03-1897 23
n/a Jack Dunn 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 05-06-1897 24
n/a Dick Cogan 1897 Baltimore Orioles 05-10-1897 25
n/a Tom O'Brien 1897 Baltimore Orioles 05-10-1897 24
n/a Roy Evans 1897 St. Louis Browns 05-15-1897 23
n/a Tom Leahy 1897 Pittsburgh Pirates 05-18-1897 27
n/a Bill Magee 1897 Louisville Colonels 05-18-1897 0
n/a Mike Mahoney 1897 Boston Beaneaters 05-18-1897 23
n/a Dick Harley 1897 St. Louis Browns 06-02-1897 24
n/a Charlie Kuhns 1897 Pittsburgh Pirates 06-04-1897 20
n/a John Pappalau 1897 Cleveland Spiders 06-09-1897 22
n/a Dick Butler 1897 Louisville Colonels 06-16-1897 27
n/a Jack Powell 1897 Cleveland Spiders 06-23-1897 22
n/a Henry Clarke 1897 Cleveland Spiders 06-26-1897 21
n/a Jim Jones 1897 Louisville Colonels 06-29-1897 20
n/a Frank Martin 1897 Louisville Colonels 06-30-1897 18
n/a Irv Hach 1897 Louisville Colonels 07-01-1897 24
n/a Percy Coleman 1897 St. Louis Browns 07-02-1897 20
n/a George Blackburn 1897 Baltimore Orioles 07-06-1897 25
n/a Win Clark 1897 Louisville Colonels 07-12-1897 22
n/a Bert Miller 1897 Louisville Colonels 07-15-1897 21
n/a Pete Dowling 1897 Louisville Colonels 07-17-1897 21
n/a Honus Wagner 1897 Louisville Colonels 07-19-1897 23
n/a Jesse Hoffmeister 1897 Pittsburgh Pirates 07-24-1897 25
n/a John Grimes 1897 St. Louis Browns 07-28-1897 28
n/a Fred Cooke 1897 Cleveland Spiders 07-30-1897 0
n/a Jack Rothfuss 1897 Pittsburgh Pirates 08-02-1897 25
n/a Charlie Brown 1897 Cleveland Spiders 08-04-1897 25
n/a John Brown 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 08-11-1897 20
n/a Doc Amole 1897 Baltimore Orioles 08-19-1897 19
n/a Doc Nance 1897 Louisville Colonels 08-19-1897 21
n/a Bill Fox 1897 Washington Senators 08-20-1897 25
n/a Jake Gettman 1897 Washington Senators 08-20-1897 21
n/a Willie Sudhoff 1897 St. Louis Browns 08-20-1897 22
n/a Roger Bresnahan 1897 Washington Senators 08-27-1897 18
n/a Davey Dunkle 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 08-28-1897 24
n/a Heinie Smith 1897 Louisville Colonels 09-01-1897 25
n/a Ed Abbaticchio 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 09-04-1897 20
n/a Bob Becker 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 09-06-1897 22
n/a Charlie Hickman 1897 Boston Beaneaters 09-08-1897 21
n/a Ossee Schreckengost 1897 Louisville Colonels 09-08-1897 22
n/a Rube Waddell 1897 Louisville Colonels 09-08-1897 20
n/a Joe Stanley 1897 Washington Senators 09-11-1897 16
n/a Tom Hernon 1897 Chicago Colts 09-13-1897 30
n/a Jimmy Sheckard 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms 09-14-1897 18
n/a Tully Sparks 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 09-15-1897 22
n/a Ira Belden 1897 Cleveland Spiders 09-17-1897 23
n/a Tom Lipp 1897 Philadelphia Phillies 09-18-1897 27
n/a Ed Biecher 1897 St. Louis Browns 09-26-1897 22
n/a Frank Huelsman 1897 St. Louis Browns 10-03-1897 23
1897 National League Debuts


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Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the National League during the 1897 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

When Christy Mathewson made his Major League debut the newspaper wrote, "The untried semi-professional possessed great speed and plenty of confidence in himself, but could not control his curves."

Rich Amaral spent nine seasons in the Minor Leagues and upon his callup he commented, "I've been to every baseball park in America, except those in the American and National League."
     

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