Speaker, Tristram E.
Baseball
b. April 4, 1888, Hubbard, TX
d. Dec. 8, 1958
Originally a right-hander, Speaker broke his arm in a fall from a horse as a youngster, so he learned to bat and throw left-handed. He played baseball at Ft. Worth Polytechnic Institute, where he was spotted by a scout during his sophomore year.
Speaker left school to play professionally in 1906. He was a pitcher until the team's right fielder was injured. Speaker volunteered to replace him and was an outfielder for the rest of his career.
After brief stints with the AL's Boston Red Sox in 1907 and 1908, Speaker became the team's starting centerfielder in 1909. He batted .309, .340, and .334 in his first three full seasons, then won the league's most valuable player award in 1912, when he led the league with 53 doubles and 10 home runs, batted .383, stole 52 bases, and scored 136 runs.
The Red Sox won the pennant that year and Speaker batted .300 in the team's seven-game World Series victory over the New York Giants. He led the AL with 193 hits, 46 doubles, and a .503 slugging percentage in 1914, then hit .322 to help led Boston to another pennant in 1915. He batted .294 when the Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies in a five-game World Series.
Boston wanted to cut his salary from $18,000 to $9,000 the following season and Speaker refused to take the cut. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians for two players and $50,000. Speaker responded by leading the league in hitting with a .386 average. He was also the league leader with 211 hits, 41 doubles, and a .502 slugging percentage.
Speaker batted over .300 in 10 of the next 11 seasons and led the league in doubles with 33 in 1918, 50 in 1920, 52 in 1921, and 59 in 1923. He took over as Cleveland's playing manager in 1919 and guided the team to a pennant and World Series victory in 1920.
Late in 1926, he suddenly resigned. It was later revealed that he and Ty Cobb had been accused of fixing a 1919 game between the Indians and the Detroit Tigers. Both men were cleared by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Speaker went to the Washington Senators in 1927, batting .327. He ended his playing career with the Washington Senators in 1928.
Not just a great hitter, Speaker was one of the finest defensive outfielders in history. Because of his great speed and ability to go back on the ball, he could play a very shallow centerfield. Twice in 1918, he caught shallow drives and made unassisted double plays at second base. He also had a strong arm; his 35 assists in 1909 tied the AL record for outfielders that still stands.