The 5'5" Elberfeld played a fiery brand of baseball, challenging baserunners to slash
him out of their way, living up to the title "The Tabasco Kid." His legs were badly
scarred, and he grimly poured raw whiskey into spike wounds to cauterize them. He
hit .310 as Detroit's shortstop his first full season, 1901, and was the Highlanders'
everyday shortstop from mid-1903 through 1907. After a short, unsuccessful stint
as New York's manager for part of 1908, he went back to playing full time the following
year. He remained in baseball for decades, battling umpires and foes as a hotheaded
minor league manager.
(JK)
Kid Elberfeld
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