Largely unknown by modern fans, Flick was one of the great all-around performers
at the turn of the century. In 1905 he won the AL batting title with a .306 average,
the lowest mark to take the crown until
Carl Yastrzemski's .301 in 1968. Flick narrowly
missed the NL title in 1900, batting .378 to
Honus Wagner's .381. After compiling
a .344 lifetime average in the NL (1898-1901), Flick jumped to the
Philadelphia Athletics,
following
Nap Lajoie, who'd gone a year earlier. When the Phillies obtained an injunction
barring the jumpers from playing in Philadelphia, both Lajoie and Flick, an Ohioan,
wound up in Cleveland.
In his first six seasons in Cleveland, Flick never batted
below .297. The 5'6", lefthanded-hitting right fielder used a thick-handled bat,
enabling him to get solid hits on inside pitches. On July 6, 1902, Flick became the
first American Leaguer to hit three triples in one game, a feat he repeated in the
NL. The speedster set a ML record by leading the AL in triples three consecutive
seasons (1905-07). He also led the circuit in stolen bases twice (1904, 1906) and
runs scored once (1906).
Following the 1907 season, Detroit manager Hughie Jennings
offered Ty Cobb to Cleveland for Flick, but Cleveland declined the offer. The 21-year-old
Cobb had just won his first batting title (.350), while the 31-year-old Flick managed
.302.
Cobb, however, was despised by his teammates. The likable Flick stayed in Cleveland.
The rest of his career was plagued by a mysterious stomach ailment. He played just
99 more games over three seasons, but dragged down his lifetime average. Flick was
elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1963.
(ME)
Elmer Flick
