Nate Berkenstock
Encyclopedia
Nathan "Nate" Berkenstock (1831 - February 23, 1900) was the earliest-born professional baseball player, nearly four years older than the next-"oldest" player, Harry Wright
, who born in 1835 and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Berkenstock played in just one pro league game: the game that decided the first professional baseball championship in the United States
, in 1871. He was Jewish.http://books.google.com/books?id=qJEQTaE7JEAC&pg=PA10&dq=%22berkenstock%22+baseball++jewish&hl=en&ei=uk9HTrjPGY3VgAe958yyBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CFMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22berkenstock%22%20baseball%20%20jewish&f=false
, the first organized amateur league, wasn't even founded until 1857, when he was 26. According to Marshall D. Wright's book The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870, Berkenstock debuted with the Athletic Club of Philadelphia (the original team of this name, and not related to the American League
team that now plays in Oakland
) in 1863, when he was already 32.
Statistics were very sketchy in the early days of baseball; the only numbers available today are Games Played, Runs Scored and "Hands Lost" (a player was charged with a Hand Lost every time he made an out at bat or on the basepaths). Stats like hits, walks, total bases and runs batted in were still years away from being compiled. Generally speaking, a good player would score more runs than have Hands Lost.
Berkenstock played four years with Athletic, from 1863-66:
Athletic was among the top teams in the nation in the 1860s, winning an (unofficial) national championship in 1867, the year after Berkenstock retired.
at the Union Grounds
in Brooklyn
, to decide the 1871 championship. In the first season of America's first professional league, the National Association
, the title was decided not by winning percentage but simply wins; going into the final game, the Athletics had 20 victories (as did the Boston Red Stockings) while Chicago had 19; the "Championship Committee" decreed before the contest that the winner would take the pennant.
The fact that the White Stockings were playing at all was significant: the Great Chicago Fire
had earlier that month wiped out their ballpark and all their equipment, forcing them to play their remaining games on the road, wearing makeshift and borrowed uniforms. The Athletics also had problems: center fielder
Count Sensenderfer
had injured his knee, so they called on Berkenstock -- by now a 40-year-old out of the game for five years -- to play right field, while right fielder George Bechtel moved to center. Philadelphia won the game, and the championship, by a 4-1 count. (The White Stockings' defeat would foreshadow decades of frustration for the franchise that still plays today, as the Chicago Cubs
.) Berkenstock failed to get a hit in four trips to the plate (striking out three times), but recorded three putouts in the field, including the final out of the game.
Little else is known of Berkenstock's life; a SABR report indicates he served in the American Civil War
, enlisting in 1862 and mustering out after two weeks. He died in Philadelphia on February 23, 1900.
Harry Wright
William Henry "Harry" Wright was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings...
, who born in 1835 and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Berkenstock played in just one pro league game: the game that decided the first professional baseball championship in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in 1871. He was Jewish.http://books.google.com/books?id=qJEQTaE7JEAC&pg=PA10&dq=%22berkenstock%22+baseball++jewish&hl=en&ei=uk9HTrjPGY3VgAe958yyBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CFMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22berkenstock%22%20baseball%20%20jewish&f=false
Early baseball career
Exactly when Berkenstock first took up the game of baseball is unknown; The National Association of Base Ball PlayersNational Association of Base Ball Players
The National Association of Base Ball Players was the first organization governing American baseball. The first, 1857 convention of sixteen New York City clubs...
, the first organized amateur league, wasn't even founded until 1857, when he was 26. According to Marshall D. Wright's book The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870, Berkenstock debuted with the Athletic Club of Philadelphia (the original team of this name, and not related to the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
team that now plays in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
) in 1863, when he was already 32.
Statistics were very sketchy in the early days of baseball; the only numbers available today are Games Played, Runs Scored and "Hands Lost" (a player was charged with a Hand Lost every time he made an out at bat or on the basepaths). Stats like hits, walks, total bases and runs batted in were still years away from being compiled. Generally speaking, a good player would score more runs than have Hands Lost.
Berkenstock played four years with Athletic, from 1863-66:
| Year | Positions | Games | Runs | Hands Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863 | 1B-OF | 9 | 19 | 25 |
| 1864 | 1B | 8 | 28 | 20 |
| 1865 | 1B | 15 | 59 | 38 |
| 1866 | 1B (reserve) | 13 | 66 | 48 |
| Totals | 45 | 172 | 131 |
Athletic was among the top teams in the nation in the 1860s, winning an (unofficial) national championship in 1867, the year after Berkenstock retired.
Berkenstock comes back
On October 30, 1871, the Athletics met the Chicago White StockingsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
at the Union Grounds
Union Grounds
Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862 and was the first baseball park enclosed entirely by a fence, thereby allowing proprietor William Cammeyer or his tenant to charge admission, permitting only paying customers to...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, to decide the 1871 championship. In the first season of America's first professional league, the National Association
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
, the title was decided not by winning percentage but simply wins; going into the final game, the Athletics had 20 victories (as did the Boston Red Stockings) while Chicago had 19; the "Championship Committee" decreed before the contest that the winner would take the pennant.
The fact that the White Stockings were playing at all was significant: the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
had earlier that month wiped out their ballpark and all their equipment, forcing them to play their remaining games on the road, wearing makeshift and borrowed uniforms. The Athletics also had problems: center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Count Sensenderfer
Count Sensenderfer
John Phillips Jenkins "Count" Sensenderfer was a professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1866 to 1874.-Career:...
had injured his knee, so they called on Berkenstock -- by now a 40-year-old out of the game for five years -- to play right field, while right fielder George Bechtel moved to center. Philadelphia won the game, and the championship, by a 4-1 count. (The White Stockings' defeat would foreshadow decades of frustration for the franchise that still plays today, as the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.) Berkenstock failed to get a hit in four trips to the plate (striking out three times), but recorded three putouts in the field, including the final out of the game.
Little else is known of Berkenstock's life; a SABR report indicates he served in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, enlisting in 1862 and mustering out after two weeks. He died in Philadelphia on February 23, 1900.