Ginger Beaumont

Clarence Howeth "Ginger" Beaumont (July 23 1876 - April 10  1956) was an American  center fielder in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899-1906) and Boston Braves (1907-09). He was born in Rochester, Wisconsin, and attended Beloit College. During the years 1900-1904 – with the Pirates winning pennants from 1901-03 – Beaumont led the National League in hits three times, scored 100 runs four times, leading the league once, and also captured the 1902 batting championship with a .357 mark.

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 * Team(s) = Pittsburgh Pirates (1899-1906), Boston Doves (1907-1909), Chicago Cubs (1910)

Background
As the Pirates' regular leadoff hitter, he was the first player ever to come to bat in a World Series game. Nicknamed "Ginger" for his thick red hair, he used his excellent speed to great advantage; on the day before his 23rd birthday in his rookie season, he had six infield singles and scored all six times. He was the first player in major league history to lead the league in hits three consecutive years, since accomplished by only five others; he led the NL in hits a fourth time with the 1907 Braves. Often bothered by leg injuries, he joined the Chicago Cubs for the 1910 season, and made pinch-hitting appearances in the first three games of the 1910 World Series before leaving the major leagues with a .311 career batting average. He played one more season in the minor leagues before retiring to his Honey Creek, Wisconsin farm. He was one of the first inductees to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1951. Beaumont suffered two strokes in his 70s, and died at age 79 in Burlington, Wisconsin.