Whitey Witt
Encyclopedia
Lawton Walter "Whitey" Witt (born Ladislaw Waldemar Wittkowski, September 28, 1895-July 14, 1988) was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball
. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics
, New York Yankees
, and Brooklyn Robins
. In his career, he hit 18 home runs and had 302 RBI. He was the last surviving person to have played on the 1923 New York Yankees team, the first year the Yankees won the World Series.
Witt was well known for having been knocked unconscious by a thrown soda bottle at a game in Sportsman's Park
in St. Louis in 1922. The Yankees were locked in a tight pennant race with the St. Louis Browns
that year. The person who threw the bottle from the stands was never identified, though the Yankees and Witt came back to win the series (thanks to a key hit by Witt) and beat the Browns by one game for the pennant.
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...
. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, and Brooklyn Robins
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. In his career, he hit 18 home runs and had 302 RBI. He was the last surviving person to have played on the 1923 New York Yankees team, the first year the Yankees won the World Series.
Witt was well known for having been knocked unconscious by a thrown soda bottle at a game in Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...
in St. Louis in 1922. The Yankees were locked in a tight pennant race with the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
that year. The person who threw the bottle from the stands was never identified, though the Yankees and Witt came back to win the series (thanks to a key hit by Witt) and beat the Browns by one game for the pennant.