665:, doing so on April 24, 1894, against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. Cross drove in four runs, starting with a double in the first inning, a single in the second inning, a triple in the sixth inning, and a home run in the seventh inning, which was the final one he played, as he was taken out as catcher (having moved there from third base in the first inning due to injury) by his manager in a game that Philadelphia won 22–5. During this period, major league rules did not restrict the size of infielders' gloves, and he continued to use his catcher's mitt in the field; on August 5,
595:. His brother Amos was the regular catcher for Louisville in 1885 and 1886, but only played 8 games in 1887, the year Lave made his major league debut; Lave played in 51 games that year. Amos died in 1888, reportedly of "consumption of the lungs", without playing baseball that year. Oldest brother Joe Cross played a portion of one game in 1888 as a right fielder and Louisville teammate of Lave's, though Lave himself did not play in that particular game due to injury.
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690:, but was returned to St. Louis after an 8–30 start. Cleveland played even worse afterwards, ending the season at 20–134 and being promptly dissolved, later becoming known as the worst club in major league history. Cross hit .303 after returning to St. Louis, and led the league in double plays and fielding. In May 1900 his contract was sold to the
694:, who went on to win the pennant. After over a dozen years on second-rate teams, during which his club managed only a pair of third-place finishes, the move to a championship team was most welcome, and he ended the season among the NL's top ten in RBI (73) while leading the league in fielding for the fourth time.
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to immigrants from
Bohemia; the Kriz family moved to Cleveland during his childhood. By the end of the 1880s, Kriz changed his name to Lafayette Cross, although he was generally referred to as "Lave." A total of four sons of the Kriz (later Cross) family would play major league baseball; older sons
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campaign in which he hit .317 – the first of seven straight seasons at .290 or better – and finished among the league leaders in hits, doubles and total bases, while again leading the league in assists and fielding average. Before the 1899 season, the Browns were purchased by the owner of the
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While Cross played his last professional game in 1907, he continued playing minor league ball until 1912, having played 27 seasons in baseball while also managing for a couple of years. Cross was married twice, and he had one daughter. The Cross family resided in
701:, many stars from the National League saw an opportunity to move away from that league's longstanding turmoil and rowdiness. Cross jumped to the Athletics franchise in the new league and became one of the veteran leaders on
718:. In each of the next two seasons he hit .290 or better while ending the year in the top ten in hits and RBI, and in 1905 he finished second in the league with 77 RBI at age 39 as the team won another pennant. But in the
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and renamed the
Perfectos. The new owners promptly shifted almost all the best players on both teams to St. Louis, with Cleveland being used as a de facto farm club; Cross was sent to Cleveland in the thankless role of
649:. Playing exclusively at third in 1895, he led the National League in assists and fielding average for the first time. He also became a solid hitter, batting a career-high .386 with 125 runs batted in (RBI) and 123
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he improved his average to .342 and was among the league's top three players in hits (191), doubles (39) and RBI (108) as the
Athletics won the pennant; the 108 RBI were a record for a player without any
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after he retired from baseball; he worked as a machinist at an automobile factory. On
September 6, 1927, when walking to work, he suffered a heart attack and died; he was 61 years old. His older brother
472:-based teams in four different leagues. One of the sport's top all-around players in the years surrounding the turn of the 20th century, when he retired he ranked fifth in major league history in
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from 1892 through 1897. In his first two years he played as a catcher and third baseman, while in the last two years he played primarily at third with substantial play as a
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714:. On April 23 of that year he began a streak of 447 consecutive games (all but one of them at third base), then one of the ten longest in history, which ended on May 8,
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after hitting .199 in 41 games. Over 21 seasons he batted .292 with 1,333 runs, 47 home runs and 135
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Cross also excelled as a defensive player. After beginning his major league career as a
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broke it. His career fielding average was topped in the late 1910s by several players.
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he set a still-standing record at second base with 15 assists in a 12-inning game.
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he surpassed Arlie Latham's record of 1,571 career games at third base;
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was a major league catcher from 1885 to 1887, and his younger brother
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With the elevation of the
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448:, May 12, 1866 – September 6, 1927) was an American professional
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657:. Cross has the distinction of being the first player of the
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Cross began his career as a secondary catcher and occasional
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List of Major League
Baseball career runs batted in leaders
861:
List of Major League
Baseball players to hit for the cycle
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April 23, 1887, for the Louisville
Colonels
851:
List of Major League
Baseball career stolen bases leaders
841:
List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
228:
June 6, 1907, for the Washington Senators
836:
List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
831:
List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
826:List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
633:After the American Association's merger with the
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799:played one game as a right fielder for the 1901
468:. Cross played most of his 21-year career with
963:Career statistics and player information from
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856:List of Major League Baseball player-managers
676:after the 1897 season, and responded with an
936:"St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Batting Leaders"
1557:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Toledo, Ohio)
543:teams which captured two of the first five
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606:for the 1889 season, and he jumped to the
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911:"Lave Cross Postseason Batting Game Logs"
626:.301 and finished fifth in the league in
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
1482:Philadelphia Athletics (AA 1891) players
866:List of St. Louis Cardinals team records
1537:New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players
1512:Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
555:Born as Vratislav Kriz, he was born in
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598:Lave Cross's contract was sold to the
1552:Major League Baseball player-managers
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49:adding citations to reliable sources
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16:American baseball player (1866–1927)
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1472:Philadelphia Athletics (AA) players
1457:Major League Baseball third basemen
733:In January 1906 he was sent to the
618:before returning to the AA team in
568:, third son Lave, and youngest son
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1532:Altoona Mountain Cities players
1517:Baseball players from Milwaukee
36:needs additional citations for
1527:Minor league baseball managers
1507:Philadelphia Athletics players
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981:Baseball Reference (Minors)
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1029:Hitting for the cycle
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639:Philadelphia Phillies
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1282:1902 American League
1084:1900 National League
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608:Philadelphia Quakers
604:American Association
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45:improve this article
1373:Ossee Schreckengost
998:at The Deadball Era
735:Washington Senators
593:Louisville Colonels
505:fielding percentage
400:Washington Senators
290:Louisville Colonels
223:Last MLB appearance
1119:Gene DeMontreville
973:Baseball Reference
807:Other achievements
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1387:Rube Waddell
1352:Danny Murphy
1338:Bert Husting
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1182:Frank Kitson
1140:Harry Howell
1133:Duke Farrell
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1006:Find a Grave
943:. Retrieved
939:
930:
918:. Retrieved
914:
905:
893:. Retrieved
889:
880:
788:Toledo, Ohio
784:
732:
696:
671:
632:
597:
579:
554:
533:Arlie Latham
525:double plays
498:
492:(2,275) and
490:games played
476:(2,644) and
470:Philadelphia
445:
441:
440:
203:
197:
188:Toledo, Ohio
183:(1927-09-06)
178:
168:May 12, 1866
158:
145:
107:
98:
88:
81:
74:
67:
60:"Lave Cross"
55:
43:Please help
38:verification
35:
18:
1452:1927 deaths
1447:1866 births
1414:Connie Mack
1359:Eddie Plank
1317:Harry Davis
1310:Monte Cross
1217:Gus Weyhing
1105:Bill Dahlen
797:Frank Cross
755:Pie Traynor
703:Connie Mack
486:total bases
1441:Categories
1366:Doc Powers
1324:Dave Fultz
1303:Lave Cross
1296:Lou Castro
1233:Ned Hanlon
1203:Jerry Nops
1168:Joe Kelley
1098:Lave Cross
1002:Lave Cross
996:Lave Cross
990:Lave Cross
985:Retrosheet
983:, or
979:, or
975:, or
971:, or
967:, or
872:References
793:Amos Cross
781:Later life
681:competing
582:outfielder
551:Early life
547:pennants.
529:Billy Nash
484:(411) and
164:1866-05-12
130:Lave Cross
101:April 2021
71:newspapers
1285:champions
1231:Manager:
1126:Jack Dunn
1087:champions
977:Fangraphs
945:March 29,
747:Cap Anson
712:home runs
647:shortstop
584:with the
537:captained
515:(3,706),
511:(2,306),
496:(9,064).
316:(PL/AA) (
259:Home runs
213:MLB debut
1408:Manager
1112:Tom Daly
890:Sabr.org
820:See also
450:baseball
992:at SABR
920:June 7,
895:June 7,
773:, when
743:triples
688:manager
686:player-
610:of the
602:of the
513:assists
509:putouts
501:catcher
494:at bats
482:doubles
198:Batted:
151:Catcher
85:scholar
624:batted
576:Career
444:(born
388:(AL) (
306:(AA) (
204:Threw:
190:, U.S.
173:, U.S.
87:
80:
73:
66:
58:
749:. In
570:Frank
535:. He
460:from
456:as a
282:Teams
273:1,371
253:2,651
206:Right
200:Right
179:Died:
159:Born:
92:JSTOR
78:books
969:ESPN
947:2015
922:2022
897:2022
771:1964
767:1908
759:1934
751:1906
739:1907
716:1905
707:1902
699:1901
678:1898
667:1897
655:1894
651:runs
645:and
620:1891
616:1890
590:1888
586:1887
566:Amos
564:and
539:the
531:and
474:hits
466:1907
462:1887
408:1907
404:1906
394:1905
390:1901
380:1900
370:1900
366:1899
356:1899
346:1898
336:1897
332:1892
322:1891
318:1890
308:1889
298:1888
294:1887
249:Hits
243:.292
64:news
1004:at
965:MLB
765:in
661:to
653:in
614:in
562:Joe
464:to
47:by
1443::
938:.
913:.
888:.
803:.
630:.
572:.
263:47
149:/
1268:e
1261:t
1254:v
1070:e
1063:t
1056:v
949:.
924:.
899:.
588:-
410:)
406:–
402:(
396:)
392:–
382:)
378:(
372:)
368:–
364:(
358:)
354:(
348:)
344:(
338:)
334:–
330:(
324:)
320:–
310:)
300:)
296:–
292:(
166:)
162:(
114:)
108:(
103:)
99:(
89:·
82:·
75:·
68:·
41:.
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