On This Date in Sports July 16, 1897: Cap 3,000
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Cap Anson of the Chicago Colts becomes the first player in baseball history to collect 3,000 hits. Anson, who is the final season of a long career dating back the National Association in 1871 would retire following the season with 3,012 hits more than any player in the 19th Century. With some questionable recording keeping, it is believed Anson could have had as many as 3,435 hits if you count his years before the NL was founded.
Adrian Constantine Anson was born April 17, 1852, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He is regarded by most experts as the best player from the 19th Century. A mischievous youth, Anson often found himself in trouble as he was forced to spend two years in boarding school and kicked out of the University of Iowa. Fortunately, he was able to tie some of his energy into baseball, when he was 19, Anson singed to play with Rockford Forest Citys in the National Association a new professional baseball league. He moved on to spend four seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics before the NA folded. In those five years, Anson was one of the league’s top hitters, but with the sport of baseball growing a new league with more rigid rules and a formal setup was needed, giving birth to the National League.
In the National League, Cap Anson found himself on the Chicago White Stockings. Anson earned the name Cap as he was often team captain and leader of all the teams he played for. The White Stockings were the first champions of the National League, with Anson quickly becoming their brightest star. After a few down years, Anson became player-manager in Chicago in 1879 and began creating many of the techniques that would define the role of manager for years to come, including creating the role of third baseball coach and hand singles to players. It was also Cap Anson who helped Al Spaulding come up with the idea of preparing for the season in warmer climates, giving birth to Spring Training.
Cap Anson though had his dark side, as he was an overt segregationist. In 1883, he refused to allow his team to play an exhibition game against the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association, who had two African American players in Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy on the team. Anson was so influential that he had the National League set forth a gentlemen’s agreement to never sign any players of dark skin. This would, of course, establish a long-held color barrier that would not be broken until Jackie Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
As for how many hits Cap Anson really had, it is a matter of conjecture. In 1887, walks counted as hits, a rule that was quickly done away with, bring Anson’s total to as low as 2,995. However, most records have his total hits around 3,012 in 22 National League seasons. Though there is disagreement on which date his actual 3,000th occurred. Most seem to place it on July 16, though it could have happened as late as September of that final season. However, among those that consider the National Association a major league the total is 3,435 hits.
After retiring the team Cap Anson played on became known as the Chicago Orphans who losing their leader. A few years later due to the number of young players on the team, they adopted the moniker of the Chicago Cubs, a name they have held ever since. Anson who has been retired for over 120 years, still holds several franchise records, including most hits and RBI, though the latter is unofficial, as his 2,075 RBI are only speculative since that was not an official stat during the 19th century.