1909 American 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."
"You never forget your first hit in the Major Leagues. It was in my third at bat. That was kind of a relief. You could start off 0-for-34." - Ralph Kiner
American League Debuts

1909

n/a Fred Anderson 1909 Boston Red Sox 09-25-1909 23
n/a Ray Collins 1909 Boston Red Sox 07-19-1909 22
n/a Babe Danzig 1909 Boston Red Sox 04-12-1909 21
n/a Charlie French 1909 Boston Red Sox 05-23-1909 25
n/a Harry Hooper 1909 Boston Red Sox 04-16-1909 21
n/a Paul Howard 1909 Boston Red Sox 09-16-1909 25
n/a Bunny Madden 1909 Boston Red Sox 06-03-1909 26
n/a William Matthews 1909 Boston Red Sox 08-28-1909 31
n/a Chet Nourse 1909 Boston Red Sox 07-27-1909 21
n/a Larry Pape 1909 Boston Red Sox 07-06-1909 23
n/a Steve Yerkes 1909 Boston Red Sox 09-29-1909 21
n/a Cuke Barrows 1909 Chicago White Sox 09-18-1909 25
n/a Willis Cole 1909 Chicago White Sox 08-22-1909 27
n/a Bobby Messenger 1909 Chicago White Sox 08-30-1909 25
n/a Barney Reilly 1909 Chicago White Sox 07-02-1909 24
n/a Jim Scott 1909 Chicago White Sox 04-25-1909 21
n/a Harry Suter 1909 Chicago White Sox 04-16-1909 21
n/a Red Booles 1909 Cleveland Naps 07-30-1909 29
n/a Walt Doan 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-20-1909 22
n/a Ted Easterly 1909 Cleveland Naps 04-17-1909 23
n/a Bob Higgins 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-13-1909 22
n/a Willie Mitchell 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-22-1909 19
n/a Milo Netzel 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-16-1909 23
n/a Harry Otis 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-05-1909 22
n/a Tom Raftery 1909 Cleveland Naps 04-18-1909 27
n/a Duke Reilley 1909 Cleveland Naps 08-28-1909 25
n/a Carl Sitton 1909 Cleveland Naps 04-24-1909 27
n/a Dolly Stark 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-12-1909 24
n/a Jerry Upp 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-02-1909 25
n/a Fred Winchell 1909 Cleveland Naps 09-16-1909 27
n/a Lucky Wright 1909 Cleveland Naps 04-18-1909 29
n/a Heinie Beckendorf 1909 Detroit Tigers 04-16-1909 24
n/a Joe Casey 1909 Detroit Tigers 10-01-1909 22
n/a Del Gainer 1909 Detroit Tigers 10-02-1909 22
n/a Ed Lafitte 1909 Detroit Tigers 04-16-1909 23
n/a Bill Lelivelt 1909 Detroit Tigers 07-19-1909 24
n/a Kid Speer 1909 Detroit Tigers 04-24-1909 22
n/a Ralph Works 1909 Detroit Tigers 05-01-1909 21
n/a Jimmy Austin 1909 New York Highlanders 04-19-1909 29
n/a Dick Carroll 1909 New York Highlanders 09-25-1909 25
n/a Ray Demmitt 1909 New York Highlanders 04-12-1909 25
n/a Clyde Engle 1909 New York Highlanders 04-12-1909 25
n/a Russ Ford 1909 New York Highlanders 04-28-1909 26
n/a George McConnell 1909 New York Highlanders 04-13-1909 31
n/a Jack Quinn 1909 New York Highlanders 04-15-1909 25
n/a Butch Schmidt 1909 New York Highlanders 05-11-1909 22
n/a Bobby Vaughn 1909 New York Highlanders 06-12-1909 24
n/a Jack Wanner 1909 New York Highlanders 09-28-1909 23
n/a Tommy Atkins 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 10-02-1909 21
n/a Jim Curry 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 10-02-1909 23
n/a Heinie Heitmuller 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 04-26-1909 25
n/a John Kull 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 10-02-1909 27
n/a Ed Larkin 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 10-02-1909 24
n/a Stuffy McInnis 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 04-12-1909 18
n/a Morrie Rath 1909 Philadelphia Athletics 09-28-1909 22
n/a Ned Crompton 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-13-1909 20
n/a Walt DeVoy 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-13-1909 23
n/a Jack Gilligan 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-16-1909 23
n/a Art Griggs 1909 St. Louis Browns 05-02-1909 24
n/a Bill Killefer 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-13-1909 21
n/a Ed Kusel 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-18-1909 23
n/a Bill McCorry 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-17-1909 22
n/a Ham Patterson 1909 St. Louis Browns 05-18-1909 31
n/a Chuck Rose 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-13-1909 24
n/a Burt Shotton 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-13-1909 24
n/a Wib Smith 1909 St. Louis Browns 05-31-1909 22
n/a Phil Stremmel 1909 St. Louis Browns 09-16-1909 29
n/a Tom Crooke 1909 Washington Senators 09-29-1909 25
n/a Bill Forman 1909 Washington Senators 09-20-1909 22
n/a Dolly Gray 1909 Washington Senators 04-13-1909 30
n/a Bob Groom 1909 Washington Senators 04-13-1909 24
n/a Joe Hovlik 1909 Washington Senators 07-10-1909 24
n/a Speed Kelly 1909 Washington Senators 07-13-1909 24
n/a Jack Lelivelt 1909 Washington Senators 06-24-1909 23
n/a Warren Miller 1909 Washington Senators 07-29-1909 24
n/a Joe Ohl 1909 Washington Senators 07-29-1909 21
n/a Dixie Walker 1909 Washington Senators 09-17-1909 21
n/a Bill Yohe 1909 Washington Senators 08-30-1909 30
1909 American League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the American League during the 1909 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

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.

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.
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