24 Facts About Harry Wright

William Henry "Harry" Wright was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer.

Harry Wright assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.

Harry Wright is credited with introducing innovations such as backing up infield plays from the outfield and shifting defensive alignments based on hitters' tendencies.

Harry Wright's family emigrated to the US when he was nearly three years old, and his father found work as a bowler, coach, and groundskeeper at the St George's Cricket Club in New York.

Harry Wright dropped out of school at age 14 to work for a jewelry manufacturer, and worked at Tiffany's for several years.

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Harry Wright played against the first English cricket team to tour overseas in 1859.

Harry Wright was already 22 when the baseball fraternity convened for the first time in 1857, at which time he joined the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club.

Harry Wright did not play in a game with the Knickerbockers until July 8,1858, playing the outfield against Excelsior of Brooklyn.

In 1863, the Knickerbocker club all but withdrew from official competition, and Harry Wright joined Gotham of New York, primarily playing shortstop.

Harry Wright left New York on March 8,1865, bound for Cincinnati, where he had been hired on salary at the Union Cricket Club.

In 1869 Harry Wright became the first to make written mention of the Seventh-inning stretch in a game he watched.

From an invitation in 1870 by Ivers Whitney Adams, the founder and President of the Boston Red Stockings, Harry Wright moved from managing the "Cincinnati Red Stockings" to work professionally with the first-ever base ball team in Boston, the "Boston Red Stockings".

Harry Wright pitched in nine games in relief of Albert Spalding, notching one win.

Harry Wright had been the oldest player in the NA for three years running.

Harry Wright assembled a team of amateurs, which would play at Messer Street Grounds while the Grays were on the road, with the intention that if one of the senior members was injured, he could be easily replaced from among these players.

In 1884, Harry Wright was brought in to manage the new Philadelphia team.

Under Harry Wright, they improved enough to finish in sixth place in 1884 while winning 20 games more than they had done the previous year.

The National League, in recognition of Harry Wright's standing, offered him the position of Chief of Umpires.

Harry Wright was the first manager to reach one thousand wins as a manager and Cap Anson was the only other manager who won 1,000 games in the 19th century.

Harry Wright died of a lung ailment on October 3,1895 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, He is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Harry Wright's work was an honor to Philadelphians, who will doubtless turn and give substantial evidence of their appreciation of that honor.

Harry Wright was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.

Harry Wright was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2005.

Harry Wright's brother George is a member of both Halls; a third brother, Sam, played professionally.