Ed Lafitte
Encyclopedia
Edward Francis Lafitte was a pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who played with the Detroit Tigers
(1909–12), Brooklyn Tip-Tops
(1914–15), and Buffalo Blues (1915). Born in New Orleans, Louisiana
at his family's home located at 319 Bourbon Street
, he batted and threw right-handed.
Lafitte pitched for the Georgia Tech
baseball team
in 1906 and 1907. He also was a starter in the first intercollegiate basketball game ever played by Georgia Tech.
He made his debut with the Detroit Tigers
in 1909. After an 11-8 season with the 1911 Tigers, Lafitte told manager Hughie Jennings
that he wanted to leave early the following season to resume dental school. Jennings told him if he left early to keep on going. Lafitte did. He became a dentist, but also pitched in the Federal League.
He returned to baseball in 1914 as a member of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops
of the fledgling Federal League
. That season he became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter
without throwing a shutout in a 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Packers
on September 19. In 1914, he split his final season between the Tip-Tops and the Buffalo Blues.
He served in the U.S. Army during both World Wars.
Baseball helped him earn a degree in dentistry, and he practiced dentistry for 42 years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, retiring in 1961. The Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
resident died at age 85 at his home and is buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Despite assertions by some authors to the contrary, Ed Lafitte was not a descendant of the famed New Orleans pirate, Jean Lafitte
. Ed Lafitte was the son of James Arnauld Lafitte (born March 31, 1846 in Charleston, South Carolina; died March 16, 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia), who was the son of John Baptiste Lafitte (born June 24, 1822 in Augusta, Georgia; died May 21, 1887 in New Orleans, Louisiana), who was the son of James Bertrand Lafitte (born October 16, 1770 in Tartas, France; died November 13, 1838 in Charleston, South Carolina). Since the pirate Jean Lafitte
's life span was c.1776-c.1823, it is not possible that Ed Lafitte was his descendant. It is unknown if they were more distantly related.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1909–12), Brooklyn Tip-Tops
Brooklyn Tip-Tops
The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team was named by owner Robert Ward, who owned the Tip Top Bakery. They were sometimes informally called the Brooklyn Feds or BrookFeds due to being the Brooklyn team of the Federal...
(1914–15), and Buffalo Blues (1915). Born in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
at his family's home located at 319 Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street is a famous and historic street that spans the length of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. When founded in 1718, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter...
, he batted and threw right-handed.
Lafitte pitched for the Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
baseball team
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Georgia Tech athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1906 and 1907. He also was a starter in the first intercollegiate basketball game ever played by Georgia Tech.
He made his debut with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in 1909. After an 11-8 season with the 1911 Tigers, Lafitte told manager Hughie Jennings
Hughie Jennings
Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...
that he wanted to leave early the following season to resume dental school. Jennings told him if he left early to keep on going. Lafitte did. He became a dentist, but also pitched in the Federal League.
He returned to baseball in 1914 as a member of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops
Brooklyn Tip-Tops
The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team was named by owner Robert Ward, who owned the Tip Top Bakery. They were sometimes informally called the Brooklyn Feds or BrookFeds due to being the Brooklyn team of the Federal...
of the fledgling Federal League
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
. That season he became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
without throwing a shutout in a 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Packers
Kansas City Packers
The Kansas City Packers were a Federal League baseball club in Kansas City from 1914 to 1915. They finished sixth in 1914 with a 67-84 record, and fourth in 1915 with an 81-72 record....
on September 19. In 1914, he split his final season between the Tip-Tops and the Buffalo Blues.
He served in the U.S. Army during both World Wars.
Baseball helped him earn a degree in dentistry, and he practiced dentistry for 42 years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, retiring in 1961. The Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. "Jenkintown" is also used to describe a number of neighborhoods surrounding the borough, which also are known by names such as Rydal, Jenkintown Manor and Noble...
resident died at age 85 at his home and is buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Despite assertions by some authors to the contrary, Ed Lafitte was not a descendant of the famed New Orleans pirate, Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
. Ed Lafitte was the son of James Arnauld Lafitte (born March 31, 1846 in Charleston, South Carolina; died March 16, 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia), who was the son of John Baptiste Lafitte (born June 24, 1822 in Augusta, Georgia; died May 21, 1887 in New Orleans, Louisiana), who was the son of James Bertrand Lafitte (born October 16, 1770 in Tartas, France; died November 13, 1838 in Charleston, South Carolina). Since the pirate Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
's life span was c.1776-c.1823, it is not possible that Ed Lafitte was his descendant. It is unknown if they were more distantly related.