1903 National League Debuts

Willie Mays played his first Major League game on May 25, 1951, and went 0-for-5 at the plate. He started his career 1-for-25 and told his manager, "I can't do it, Mr. Leo. You better bench me."

Casey Stengel played his first Major League game on July 27, 1912, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. He commented later in his life, "I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression."

Both Mays and Stengel would continue their Major League careers down separate paths of greatness, but each still had to appear in that memorable first Major League game. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present what Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone once described as, "His first Major League debut."
"There is a certain amount of fascination to the big league debut of any athlete. Sometimes they are incredible successes. Sometimes they are frenetic failures." - Sportswriter Arthur Daley
National League Debuts

1903

n/a Harry Aubrey 1903 Boston Beaneaters 04-22-1903 21
n/a Matt Broderick 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 05-01-1903 25
n/a Doc Gessler 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 04-23-1903 22
n/a Ed Householder 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 04-17-1903 33
n/a Ed Hug 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 07-06-1903 22
n/a Oscar Jones 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 04-20-1903 23
n/a Dutch Jordan 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 04-25-1903 23
n/a Walt McCredie 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 04-20-1903 26
n/a Bill Pounds 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 05-02-1903 25
n/a Henry Schmidt 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 04-17-1903 29
n/a Grant Thatcher 1903 Brooklyn Superbas 09-09-1903 26
n/a Jim Cook 1903 Chicago Cubs 07-02-1903 23
n/a Jack Doscher 1903 Chicago Cubs 07-02-1903 22
n/a Bill Hanlon 1903 Chicago Cubs 04-16-1903 26
n/a George Moriarty 1903 Chicago Cubs 09-27-1903 18
n/a Tommy Raub 1903 Chicago Cubs 05-03-1903 32
n/a Jake Weimer 1903 Chicago Cubs 04-17-1903 29
n/a Charlie DeArmond 1903 Cincinnati Reds 09-19-1903 26
n/a Dan Kerwin 1903 Cincinnati Reds 09-27-1903 29
n/a Rip Reagan 1903 Cincinnati Reds 09-19-1903 25
n/a Jimmy Wiggs 1903 Cincinnati Reds 04-23-1903 26
n/a Harry Wood 1903 Cincinnati Reds 04-19-1903 22
n/a Red Ames 1903 New York Giants 09-14-1903 21
n/a Charlie Babb 1903 New York Giants 04-17-1903 30
n/a Bill Bartley 1903 New York Giants 09-15-1903 18
n/a Fred Burchell 1903 Philadelphia Phillies 04-17-1903 23
n/a Frank Roth 1903 Philadelphia Phillies 04-18-1903 24
n/a Dutch Rudolph 1903 Philadelphia Phillies 07-03-1903 20
n/a John Titus 1903 Philadelphia Phillies 06-08-1903 27
n/a John Walsh 1903 Philadelphia Phillies 06-22-1903 24
n/a Fred Carisch 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 08-31-1903 21
n/a Gene Curtis 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-21-1903 20
n/a Ernie Diehl 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 05-31-1903 25
n/a Cy Falkenberg 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-21-1903 22
n/a Reddy Grey 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 05-28-1903 28
n/a Solly Hofman 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 07-28-1903 20
n/a Hans Lobert 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-21-1903 21
n/a Joe Marshall 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-07-1903 27
n/a Lew Moren 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-21-1903 20
n/a Jack Pfiester 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-08-1903 25
n/a Doc Scanlan 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 09-24-1903 22
n/a Gus Thompson 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 08-31-1903 26
n/a Bucky Veil 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-19-1903 21
n/a Kaiser Wilhelm 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-18-1903 29
n/a Harry Berte 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 09-17-1903 31
n/a Harry Betts 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 09-22-1903 22
n/a Mordecai Brown 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 04-19-1903 26
n/a Jack Coveney 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 09-19-1903 23
n/a Lee DeMontreville 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 07-10-1903 28
n/a Jack Dunleavy 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 05-30-1903 23
n/a Pat Hynes 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 09-27-1903 19
n/a John Lovett 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 05-22-1903 26
n/a Larry Milton 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 05-07-1903 24
n/a Charlie Moran 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 09-09-1903 25
n/a War Sanders 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 04-18-1903 25
n/a Ed Taylor 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 08-08-1903 26
n/a Lon Ury 1903 St. Louis Cardinals 09-09-1903 26
1903 National League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the National League during the 1903 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

On April 13, 1954, Hank Aaron made his Major League debut and went 0-for-5. However, in his own autobiography Aaron wrote that he went 0-for-4.

Five-for-five debuts? Believe it or not it has happened twice: On June 30, 1894 Fred Clarke of the Louisville Colonels and on May 16, 1933, Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made their Major League debuts and both went five-for-five at the plate.
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