Wagner, Honus

Britannica Concise

Print Article :: Email Article :: Cite Article

Honus Wagner

orig. John Peter Wagner

Honus Wagner
Culver Pictures

born Feb. 24, 1874, Mansfield, Pa., U.S.

died Dec. 6, 1955, Carnegie

U.S. baseball player.

Wagner played principally for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–17) and coached the team from 1933 to 1951. The right-handed hitter led the National League in batting average in eight seasons (1900, 1903–04, 1906–09, 1911) and in stolen bases five seasons. His total of 252 three-base hits remains a National League record. Nicknamed the “Flying Dutchman” for his speed, Wagner is considered one of the greatest shortstops and all-around players in baseball history.

Images and Media:

More on "Honus Wagner" from the 32 Volume Encyclopædia Britannica:

Wagner, Honus - American professional baseball player, one of the first five men elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (1936). He was generally considered the greatest shortstop in baseball history and by some was regarded as the finest all-around player in the history of the National League.

Baseball - As part of its millennium celebration, major league baseball conducted fan balloting to honor the All-Century Team. Twenty-five players were selected via the voting process; five others were added to bring the roster to 30; and the living members of the elite squad were sent to Atlanta for a ceremony before game two of the World Series. Among those present was Pete Rose, who had been banned from ...

Lloyd, John Henry - American baseball player and manager in the Negro leagues, considered one of the greatest shortstops in the game.

baseball - The infielders form the inner ring of defense. They sometimes catch line drives on the fly, but mainly they pick up ground balls that roll toward the outfield or shoot swiftly across the grass on one or more bounces. When a batted ball strikes the ground, the play becomes a race between the batter running to first and an infielder trying to gain control of the ball and throw it. Like the ...

Gwynn, Tony - U.S. athlete Tony Gwynn declared 1997 his best year in major league baseball. Few would argue with him. The San Diego Padres right fielder won his 8th batting crown, tying Honus Wagner for the National League record (Ty Cobb held the major league mark with 12), and recorded his 5th consecutive season batting .350 or better with an average of .372; his career average (.340) placed him 14th on the ...

To cite this article:

MLA style:
"." Encyclopædia Britannica. . Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. <>.
APA style:
. (). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved , , from Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

Search for "Honus Wagner" at Encyclopædia Britannica Online for all this plus dictionary definitions, magazine articles, and more.

Britannica Concise is a complete, 28,000 article, single-volume encyclopedia from the editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Visit Encyclopædia Britannica Online to access the complete Encyclopædia Britannica, the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, a world atlas, interactive timelines, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, hundreds of magazine titles, daily features and much more.