Robert Hamilton Hyatt (November 1, 1884 – September 11, 1963) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1909 to 1918 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees.
| Ham Hyatt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman / Outfielder | |
| Born: November 1, 1884 Buncombe County, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: September 11, 1963 (aged 78) Liberty Lake, Washington, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1909, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 2, 1918, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .267 |
| Home runs | 10 |
| Runs batted in | 146 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Hyatt started his professional baseball career with the Vancouver Beavers of the Northwestern League. In 1908, he hit .323 with 15 home runs; he led the league in hits, home runs, and runs scored.[1] He was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates after the season.
From 1909 to 1914, Hyatt served mostly as a pinch hitter for the Pirates; Steve Treder of The Hardball Times credits him as baseball's first pinch-hitting specialist. His 181 OPS+ in 1913 is the highest for a single season of any player deployed in this role.[2] Hyatt also had one-year stints playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees.[3] After his time in the major leagues ended, Hyatt played in the minors. He spent 1920–1923 with the Pacific Coast League's Vernon Tigers, hitting over .300 each year.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ham Hyatt Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ Treder, Steve (February 7, 2006). "Pinch-Hitting Specialists: A History". The Hardball Times. FanGraphs. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "Ham Hyatt Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Ham Hyatt at Find a Grave
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