1899 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."
"Baseball is the sport that cackles back at can't-miss kids. Baseball humbles every player sooner or later. Baseball confers greatness stingily, in its own sweet time. At least that's what the bow-tied essayists and sandlot scouts solemnly tell us." - Johnette Howard in Sports Illustrated
National League Debuts

1899

n/a Pat Crisham 1899 Baltimore Orioles 05-05-1899 21
n/a Charlie Harris 1899 Baltimore Orioles 05-25-1899 21
n/a Joe McGinnity 1899 Baltimore Orioles 04-18-1899 28
n/a Bobby Rothermel 1899 Baltimore Orioles 06-18-1899 28
n/a Harvey Bailey 1899 Boston Beaneaters 06-30-1899 22
n/a Charlie Frisbee 1899 Boston Beaneaters 06-22-1899 25
n/a Billy Ging 1899 Boston Beaneaters 09-25-1899 26
n/a Mike Hickey 1899 Boston Beaneaters 09-14-1899 27
n/a Oscar Streit 1899 Boston Beaneaters 04-21-1899 25
n/a Billy Sullivan 1899 Boston Beaneaters 09-13-1899 24
n/a Erve Beck 1899 Brooklyn Superbas 09-19-1899 21
n/a Bill Bradley 1899 Chicago Orphans 08-26-1899 21
n/a Doc Curley 1899 Chicago Orphans 09-12-1899 25
n/a Frank Quinn 1899 Chicago Orphans 08-09-1899 22
n/a Skel Roach 1899 Chicago Orphans 08-09-1899 27
n/a Jimmy Barrett 1899 Cincinnati Reds 09-13-1899 24
n/a Sam Crawford 1899 Cincinnati Reds 09-10-1899 19
n/a Emil Frisk 1899 Cincinnati Reds 09-02-1899 24
n/a Noodles Hahn 1899 Cincinnati Reds 04-18-1899 19
n/a Lefty Houtz 1899 Cincinnati Reds 07-23-1899 23
n/a Socks Seybold 1899 Cincinnati Reds 08-20-1899 28
n/a George Bristow 1899 Cleveland Spiders 04-15-1899 29
n/a Harry Colliflower 1899 Cleveland Spiders 07-21-1899 30
n/a Jack Harper 1899 Cleveland Spiders 09-18-1899 21
n/a Charlie Knepper 1899 Cleveland Spiders 05-26-1899 28
n/a Eddie Kolb 1899 Cleveland Spiders 10-15-1899 19
n/a Otto Krueger 1899 Cleveland Spiders 09-16-1899 22
n/a Harry Lochhead 1899 Cleveland Spiders 04-16-1899 23
n/a Highball Wilson 1899 Cleveland Spiders 09-13-1899 21
n/a Charlie Ziegler 1899 Cleveland Spiders 09-23-1899 24
n/a Kitty Brashear 1899 Louisville Colonels 06-25-1899 21
n/a Burley Byers 1899 Louisville Colonels 06-17-1899 25
n/a Harry Croft 1899 Louisville Colonels 05-19-1899 23
n/a Clay Fauver 1899 Louisville Colonels 09-07-1899 27
n/a Patsy Flaherty 1899 Louisville Colonels 09-08-1899 23
n/a Rudy Hulswitt 1899 Louisville Colonels 06-16-1899 22
n/a Mike Kelley 1899 Louisville Colonels 07-15-1899 23
n/a Fred Ketchum 1899 Louisville Colonels 09-12-1899 24
n/a Bob Langsford 1899 Louisville Colonels 06-18-1899 33
n/a Tom Messitt 1899 Louisville Colonels 09-14-1899 25
n/a Deacon Phillippe 1899 Louisville Colonels 04-21-1899 26
n/a Farmer Steelman 1899 Louisville Colonels 09-15-1899 24
n/a Harry Wilhelm 1899 Louisville Colonels 08-12-1899 25
n/a Dave Wills 1899 Louisville Colonels 06-08-1899 22
n/a Pete Cregan 1899 New York Giants 09-08-1899 24
n/a Ira Davis 1899 New York Giants 04-22-1899 28
n/a Leo Fishel 1899 New York Giants 05-03-1899 21
n/a Tom Fleming 1899 New York Giants 09-19-1899 25
n/a Willie Garoni 1899 New York Giants 09-07-1899 22
n/a Scott Hardesty 1899 New York Giants 08-17-1899 29
n/a Frank McPartlin 1899 New York Giants 08-22-1899 27
n/a John O'Neill 1899 New York Giants 09-06-1899 0
n/a Doc Sechrist 1899 New York Giants 04-28-1899 23
n/a Franklin Woodruff 1899 New York Giants 09-19-1899 25
n/a Bill Bernhard 1899 Philadelphia Phillies 04-24-1899 28
n/a Pearce Chiles 1899 Philadelphia Phillies 04-18-1899 31
n/a Billy Goeckel 1899 Philadelphia Phillies 08-10-1899 27
n/a Red Owens 1899 Philadelphia Phillies 07-28-1899 24
n/a Roy Thomas 1899 Philadelphia Phillies 04-14-1899 25
n/a Ginger Beaumont 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-21-1899 22
n/a Jack Chesbro 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates 07-12-1899 25
n/a Pop Dillon 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-08-1899 25
n/a Chummy Gray 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-14-1899 26
n/a Jay Parker 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-27-1899 25
n/a Jimmy Williams 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-15-1899 22
n/a Fritz Buelow 1899 St. Louis Perfectos 09-28-1899 23
n/a Mike Donlin 1899 St. Louis Perfectos 07-19-1899 21
n/a Tim Flood 1899 St. Louis Perfectos 09-24-1899 22
n/a Charlie Hemphill 1899 St. Louis Perfectos 06-27-1899 23
n/a Freddy Parent 1899 St. Louis Perfectos 07-14-1899 23
n/a Charlie Atherton 1899 Washington Senators 05-30-1899 25
n/a Shad Barry 1899 Washington Senators 05-30-1899 20
n/a Bill Coughlin 1899 Washington Senators 08-09-1899 21
n/a Jim Duncan 1899 Washington Senators 07-18-1899 28
n/a Lefty Herring 1899 Washington Senators 05-16-1899 19
n/a Bill Leith 1899 Washington Senators 09-25-1899 26
n/a Frank McManus 1899 Washington Senators 09-14-1899 23
n/a Jack O'Brien 1899 Washington Senators 04-14-1899 26
n/a Dorsey Riddlemoser 1899 Washington Senators 08-22-1899 24
n/a Mike Roach 1899 Washington Senators 08-10-1899 29
n/a Jimmy Slagle 1899 Washington Senators 04-17-1899 25
1899 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 1899 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

Ray Jansen (four for five in his first game), Aubrey Epps (three for four in his first game) and Ed Irvin (two for three in his first game) all finished their career with lifetime batting averages which were greater than their career fielding percentages.

Five-for-five debuts? Believe it or not it has happened twice: On June 30, 1894 Fred Clarke of the Louisville Colonels and on May 16, 1933, Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made their Major League debuts and both went five-for-five at the plate.
     

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