George Fair Explained

George Fair
Position:Second Baseman
Bats:Unknown
Throws:Unknown
Birth Date:13 January 1856
Birth Place:Boston, Massachusetts
Death Place:Roslindale, Massachusetts
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:July 29
Debutyear:1876
Debutteam:New York Mutuals
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:July 29
Finalyear:1876
Finalteam:New York Mutuals
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Games played
Stat1value:1
Stat2label:Runs scored
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:Hits
Stat3value:0
Stat4label:Batting average
Stat4value:.000
Teams:

George T. Fair (January 13, 1856 – February 12, 1939) was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played one game for the New York Mutuals in . The twenty-year-old Fair failed to get a hit in four at-bats in his lone big-league contest on July 29,[1] then was dropped by the club. Subsequently, he played for the Rhode Islands of the New England League, making his last professional baseball appearance in .[2] Born in Boston, Fair died in Roslindale, Massachusetts in 1939 at the age of 83.[3] [4] At the time of his death, Fair was the last living member of the Mutuals National League franchise, which was expelled from the NL after the 1876 season.

The first baseball encyclopedia, Hy Turkin and S. C. Thompson's Complete Encyclopedia of Baseball (first published in 1951), did not list Fair. Instead, his brief accomplishments were credited to Edward L. Thayer; [5] coincidentally, a player named Edward Thayer played in the minor leagues from to .[6] Later references rectified this error, and Fair was given his rightful place in baseball history. (Whoever came up with Fair's pseudonym may have been thinking of the real Edward Thayer, or perhaps Ernest Thayer, author of the famous baseball poem Casey at the Bat.)

Notes and References

  1. According to a story in the Chicago Tribune, "Thayer" (described as being "of the Live Oaks club", presumably the team that played in Lynn, Massachusetts) batted sixth and recorded two putouts, four assists and an error in the field.
  2. Web site: George Fair Career Stats, Leagues, Statistics, & History . Baseball-Reference.com . 27 June 2021 . en.
  3. Web site: George Fair Stats . Baseball-Reference.com . 27 June 2021 . en.
  4. Web site: George Fair . www.retrosheet.org . 27 June 2021 . en.
  5. Book: The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball . Hy . Turkin . Hy Turkin . S. C. . Thompson . S. C. Thompson . . . 1956 . 56-5560.
  6. Web site: Edward Thayer Independent & Minor Leagues Statistics & History . Baseball-Reference.com . 27 June 2021 . en.