Hack Wilson
Though he played as many as 140 games just five times in his brief 12-year career, Lewis "Hack" Wilson was selected by the Veterans Committee for induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That honor came almost exclusively because of his record-setting 1930 season, in which he set the all-time single-season mark for RBI and blasted 56 home runs. Despite being rather small, Wilson packed a lot of punch and was very popular in every city in which he played.
Played For
New York Giants (1923-1925)
Chicago Cubs (1926-1931)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1934)
Philadelphia Phillies (1934)
All-Time Rankings
Hack Wilson ranks #28 among the Top 50 all-time at CF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1930
He posted career highs in almost every category, including games, at-bats, runs, hits, homers, RBI, walks, total bases, batting average, slugging, and OBP. His 191 RBI may never be challenged. His 56 homers were the NL standard bearer until McGwire and Sosa both shattered it in 1998. Despite his efforts, the Cubs finished two games behind the Cardinals.
Factoids
On January 18, 1930, commissioner Kenesaw Landis halted a proposed boxing match between Wilson and Art Shires, a first baseman with the White Sox. Lendis announced that any player who participated in "professional boxing will be regarded by this office as having permanently retired from baseball."
Re-Count!
In 1999, statisticians helped Hack Wilson when they found an RBI from 1930 that had been falsely credited to another Cub batter. The mistake meant that Wilson actually had driven in 191 runs that season, a record that still stands after all these years.
Born
Lewis Robert Wilson was born on April 26, 1900, in Ellwood City, PA.
Died
November 23, 1948, Baltimore, MD
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: CHN
Major League Debut
September 29, 1923
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1923
Lou Gehrig
Heinie Manush
Bill Terry
Hack Wilson
Willie Kamm
Ted Lyons
Moe Berg
Charley Root
Earl Whitehill
Some historians claim the nickname "Hack," was due to Wilson's resemblance to Russian strongman/wrestler George Hackenschmidt. Others believe it came from a comparison of Wilson to Hack Miller, a Cubs outfielder of the mid-1920s.
Similar Players
Wally Berger, Jeff Heath, Mo Vaughn, Kirby Puckett
Related Players
Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1937 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.5% |
1939 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
2 |
1.7% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
24 |
15.7% |
1949 |
Run Off |
12 |
6.4% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
16 |
9.5% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
21 |
9.3% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
21 |
9.0% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
43 |
16.3% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
48 |
19.0% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
81 |
32.3% |
1956 |
BBWAA |
74 |
38.3% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
94 |
35.3% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
72 |
26.8% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
39 |
24.4% |
1979 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1924 World Series
1929 World Series
Milestones
- June 18, 1931: 200th HR... Became just the fourth player to reach 200 homers…
Batting Feats
Notes
Wilson never finished higher than fifth in MVP tallying.
Hitting Streaks
27 games (1929)
25 games (1926)
22 games (1930)
Learn More about Hack Wilson
Search Amazon.com for Books about Hack Wilson ⇒
Search for Hack Wilson at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
