45 Facts About Nap Lajoie

Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, known as Larry Lajoie and nicknamed "The Frenchman", was an American professional baseball second baseman and player-manager.

Nap Lajoie played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Naps between 1896 and 1916.

One year later, Nap Lajoie went to the Cleveland Broncos, where he would play until the 1915 season, when he returned to play for Mack and the Athletics.

Nap Lajoie led the AL in batting average five times in his career and four times recorded the highest number of hits.

Nap Lajoie led the NL or AL in putouts five times in his career and in assists three times.

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Nap Lajoie was born on September 5,1874, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, to Jean Baptiste and Celina Guertin Nap Lajoie.

Jean Nap Lajoie was French-Canadian and had immigrated to the United States.

Nap Lajoie began playing semi-professional baseball for the local Woonsocket team, under the alias "Sandy" because his parents did not approve of their son playing baseball.

Nap Lajoie received the nickname "Larry" from a teammate who had trouble pronouncing Lajoie.

Nap Lajoie admired baseball players such as King Kelly and Charles Radbourn.

Nap Lajoie played as a center fielder, first baseman and catcher, earning $25 weekly.

Nap Lajoie recorded 163 hits in 80 games and led the team in batting average, doubles, triples, home runs and hits.

Nap Lajoie was "widely regarded as an outstanding prospect, " and Indians owner Charlie Marston rejected an offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Nap Lajoie in exchange for $500.

Nap Lajoie was scouted by the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Beaneaters.

Nap Lajoie clearly represented a financial asset to Marston, who did not give him away.

However, Nap Lajoie discovered that while he was earning $2,600, Delahanty earned $3,000.

Nap Lajoie was considered "the first superstar" to join the newly formed AL.

Nap Lajoie was pursued by Charles Comiskey, owner of the Chicago White Sox.

Nap Lajoie forbade his players from card playing and gambling during the regular season.

Nap Lajoie contracted sepsis from an untreated spike injury after a game in July 1905.

Dye from Nap Lajoie's stockings entered his bloodstream and led to blood poisoning.

Nap Lajoie finished the season having only appeared in 65 games.

Nap Lajoie was not only the team's superstar, after 1905 he was the manager.

Nap Lajoie finished second in the AL to George Stone in batting average, slugging and on-base percentage.

Nap Lajoie was out five weeks, and Cleveland lost the pennant to Detroit by half a game.

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Nap Lajoie finished the season tied for third-most in hits while Cobb's batting average, slugging and on-base percentages, and hit total led the American League.

Somers responded to Nap Lajoie by giving him more time to finalize his decision but when Nap Lajoie came back days later and announced the same decision, Somers acted quickly to find a replacement.

Nap Lajoie later described the decision to take on the added duties as a player-manager as the biggest mistake of his career as he felt it negatively affected his play.

Nap Lajoie missed significant parts of back-to-back seasons, the first in 1911 when he appeared in just 90 games.

Nap Lajoie was forced to sit out six weeks of the 1912 season when he sprained his back in May during a practice session in Chicago.

In 1913, Birmingham and Nap Lajoie had arguments in the open, including one incident in June when Nap Lajoie cursed Birmingham openly to reporters after being benched during a batting slump.

Only two other major league players had attained 3,000 career hits until Nap Lajoie hit a double on September 27,1914, and so joined Cap Anson and Honus Wagner in the 3,000 hit club.

In 1917, Nap Lajoie joined the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League as manager.

Nap Lajoie appeared in 151 of 156 games and, for the first time in his career, played on a team that won a pennant.

Nap Lajoie later was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers for $3,000 in March 1918 but the contract was annulled by the Commissioner's office and made a free agent to which Lajoie was "well pleased".

Nap Lajoie reached the milestone later in the summer with even less hoopla, in an age when individual records received little attention from the press and were generally scorned by many players.

Nap Lajoie finished the doubleheader a perfect 8-for-8 and his batting average increased to.

Nap Lajoie initially refused the car, but eventually relented and accepted it.

Nap Lajoie was among the second group of players elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937 and was later inducted on June 12,1939, when the Hall opened that same year.

Nap Lajoie led all second basemen in the NL in putouts and the AL four times in his career.

Nap Lajoie led the league in double plays six times in his career.

Nap Lajoie was a competent fielder, even a good fielder.

Nap Lajoie had fallen in the autumn of 1958 and fractured his arm.

Nap Lajoie is mentioned in the poem "Line-Up for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:.

Nap Lajoie's likeness made a brief cameo appearance in the 1992 The Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat" as one of the would-be ringers for Mr Burns' company softball team.

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