Baker, "Frank" (John Franklin)
Baseball
b. March 13, 1886, Trappe, MD
d. June 28, 1963
Although he hit fewer home runs in his 13 major league seasons than Babe Ruth hit in 1926 and 1927, Baker was one of the premier power hitters during baseball's dead ball era.
He joined the AL's Philadelphia Athletics in the 1908 season and became the team's starting third baseman the following year, when he hit .308 and led the league with 19 triples.
The left-handed-hitting Baker won the first of his four home run titles in 1911, with 11. He won the nickname "Home Run Baker" by hitting 2 homers in the World Series that year. His .375 average helped lead the As to a six-game victory over the New York Giants.
In 1912, Baker hit .347, again led the league in home runs with 10, and was also the RBI leader with 130. He led the AL in home runs once more with 12 and in RBI with 117 in 1913, when he batted .450 in Philadelphia's five-game World Series victory over the Giants.
Baker and Sam Crawford tied for the home run title with 9 in 1914. When he failed to get a raise, Baker sat out the 1915 season and was then sold to the New York Yankees. After his wife's death, Baker missed the 1920 season and finished his career with the Yankees in 1921 and 1922.