33 Facts About Hardy Richardson

1.

Hardy Richardson played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, playing at every position, including 585 games at second base, 544 games in the outfield, and 178 games at third base.

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2.

Hardy Richardson was born in 1855 at Clarksboro, which is located in the existing municipality of East Greenwich Township, New Jersey.

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3.

Hardy Richardson's father, Robert D Richardson, was a New Jersey native who worked in 1870 as a house carpenter.

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4.

Hardy Richardson's mother, Naomi Richardson, was a Pennsylvania native.

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5.

Hardy Richardson grew up in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, and Gloucester City, New Jersey.

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6.

Hardy Richardson began playing organized baseball with semipro teams in South Jersey and Philadelphia in the early 1870s.

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7.

Hardy Richardson next played for the "Crickets" from Binghamton, New York, during the 1876 and 1877 seasons.

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8.

Hardy Richardson joined the Buffalo Bisons of the National League in 1879 and remained with Buffalo for seven years from 1879 to 1885.

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9.

Hardy Richardson still hit for power and ranked among the league leaders with eight triples and 26 extra base hits.

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10.

Hardy Richardson led the league's outfielders with 45 assists and a range factor of 2.

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11.

In 1882, and despite his solid defensive performance in the outfield, Hardy Richardson switched positions for the second time in as many years.

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12.

Hardy Richardson handled the move reasonably well, as he led the league's second basemen with 275 putouts and ranked second with a 6.

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13.

Hardy Richardson remained the Bisons' second baseman in 1883, playing all 92 of his games at the position.

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14.

Hardy Richardson was involved in another unusual circumstance in a game against the Chicago White Stockings on August 13,1884.

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15.

Hardy Richardson reached first base, and when the next batter hit a ground ball to Richardson, Anson waved his arms while running to second in an effort to interfere with Richardson's throw.

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16.

Possibly flustered by this display, Hardy Richardson in turn struck Anson square in the head with his throw, which was delivered hard enough that it bounced all the way into the grandstands.

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17.

Hardy Richardson responded to threats to void the transaction by saying that the "Big Four" would "retire to Canada".

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18.

Hardy Richardson had the second highest ratio of at bats to strikeouts at 48.

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19.

Hardy Richardson's playing time was limited to 58 games at second base, and his batting average and WAR rating to.

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20.

Hardy Richardson was a strong supporter of the Brotherhood of Professional Base-Ball Players, the union that represented the players and organized the Players' League in response to unfair treatment by team owners.

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21.

Hardy Richardson played in the outfield for the Boston Players' League club, appearing in 124 games at the position.

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22.

Hardy Richardson stole 42 bases and ranked among the league leaders with 13 home runs, 274 total bases, 181 hits, and 126 runs scored.

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23.

Hardy Richardson set a major league record in July 1890 by hitting home runs in five consecutive games, a record that was unmatched until Babe Ruth accomplished the feat in 1921.

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24.

Hardy Richardson again played in the outfield for the 1891 Reds, but he was limited to 74 games, having been laid up at his home in Gloucester City, New Jersey, after suffering a broken bone in his foot.

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25.

Hardy Richardson did not rank among the American Association's leaders in any major offensive or defensive category, though he ranked second in the league with a ratio of 39.

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26.

Hardy Richardson was then signed by the New York Giants of the National League.

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27.

Hardy Richardson was released by the Giants late in the season, having appeared in his final major league game on September 10,1892, at age 37.

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28.

From May to June 1898, Hardy Richardson made a brief comeback at age 43 as a player for the Utica Pent-Ups in the New York State League.

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29.

In January 1886, Richardson was married in a ceremony at Utica, New York, to Lillie M Davis.

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30.

In late 1910 and early 1911, Hardy Richardson wrote about his baseball memories in a series of articles for the Hearst newspapers.

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31.

Hardy Richardson was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in that city.

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32.

Hardy Richardson was referenced in a first-season episode of the HBO television series, Boardwalk Empire, in October 2010.

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33.

The lead character, Nucky Thompson, portrayed by Steve Buscemi, noted that he had owned an autographed catcher's mitt signed by Hardy Richardson when he was a child.

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