Cupid Childs
An excellent contact hitter blessed with a keen eye and quickness on the bases, Cupid Childs was a formidable leadoff man in the late 19th century. With Hardy Richardson and Bid McPhee, he was one of the top three second basemen of his era, and factoring defense and offense, was probably the most balanced of the trio. He had his best success and fame as a member of the Cleveland Spiders in the 1890s, covering the middle of the infield behind Hall of Famer hurlers Cy Young and John Clarkson.
Quotes About Childs
"Childs was considered the fastest second baseman and one of the heaviest hitters in the major leagues. He was the idol of baseball fans and although never playing on the old Oriole team in Baltimore, he was always given a warm welcome because he was a Baltimore boy." — from his obituary in the Baltimore Sun
Played For
Philadelphia Phillies (1888)
Syracuse Stars, American Association (1890)
Cleveland Spiders (1891-1898)
St. Louis Cardinals (1899)
Chicago Cubs (1900-1901)
All-Time Rankings
Cupid Childs ranks #42 among the Top 50 all-time at 2B. Rankings ⇒
Description
According to the Grand Rapids Democrat, "Childs is the most curiously built man in the baseball business: he is about as wide as he is long and weighs about as much as Jeffries, yet there are few men in the league who can get over the ground faster than the 'dumpling.'"
Born
Clarence Algernon Childs was born on August 14, 1867, in Calvert County, MD.
Died
November 8, 1912, Baltimore, MD
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 2B
Primary Team: CL4
Major League Debut
April 23, 1888
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1888
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Related Players
Childs and Fred Clarke had a running feud, which at lest on one occasion, came to blows.
Post-Season Notes
Author Jimmy Keenan writes about the 1892 Championship Series: "The Boston Bean-eaters had the best record for the first half of the season, and Cleveland had the best record for the second. The two teams played each other at the end of the year in a Championship Series that Boston eventually won. Childs played great for Cleveland, finishing the series with a .409 batting average. He had 9 hits including 2 triples and 5 walks in the five Championship games. Childs handled 32 chances at second base during the series without an error."
Learn More about Cupid Childs
Search Amazon.com for Books about Cupid Childs ⇒
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
Sources used for the Cupid Childs Player Page:
Cupid Childs by Jimmy Keenan, for the SABR Bio Project.
