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With Providence in 1878, Hines's career-high .358 average, four HR, and 50 RBI in 62 games were enough to earn him baseball's first triple crown. He hit over .300 eleven times. Rarely ranked among the leaders in fielding, he was famous for his running outfield catches. One such catch in 1878 began a triple play. Boston runners on first and third took off on a short fly over the shortstop's head which seemed a sure hit. Hines charged in from centerfield to make a spectacular shoestring catch, ran to third base to double off one runner, then threw to second base to catch the other and complete the triple play. Some of the game's participants later argued that both runners had rounded third before Hines tagged the base, thereby giving him an unassisted triple play. But newspaper accounts agree that Hines's contribution was two putouts and an assist. (FIC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » January 10, 1885: As noted by Jerry Molloy, The "New York Clipper" reports that Paul Hines, an outfielder for the Providence club, and resident of Washington, D.C., had been challenged to catch a ball dropped from the top of the Washington Monument, a distance of "over 535 feet from the ground." The "Clipper" calculated the "natural philosophy" involved, and warned Hines of the danger he would confront in attempting such a foolish stunt. "Hines would probably prefer to stop a pistol ball when it was coming down, hurtful as it would be to his hand, than to interfere with it when it left the barrel. It would be a good idea for Hines to first practice both ways with the pistol ball. If he likes it, he will certainly enjoy the baseball which, by the time he can see it, will be coming at a 'stand-from-under' gait of 140-ft. a second. It will not weigh much when it starts on its journey, but, great Scott, there is a rule of natural philosophy that will tell Hines before he begins just how many dozens of pounds it practically will weigh when it lands on his sconce, in case he fails to judge it correctly." The "Clipper" thought that if Hines thought matters through, there was "a possibility that Paul is not going to fool much with a baseball around the base of the Washington Monument." » January 17, 1885: The New York Clipper reports that Paul Hines cancels his Washington Monument ball-drop exhibition. "The experiment of trying to catch a ball thrown from the top of the Washington Monument has proved to be a failure. The ball reaches the ground with such great speed that it indents the ground almost as much as a heavy cannon ball would dropped from a proportionate height. The fact is that, independently of the difficulty of judging the ball balling from such a height, the speed is too great to allow of any one holding it when it nears the ground." » December 20, 1885: The St. Louis Maroons announce that Jerry Denny, Dude Esterbrook, Paul Hines, and George Myers are to play for them in 1886. Denny and Myers do so, but Esterbrook stays with the Giants and Hines goes to the newly formed Washington Nationals. » November 4, 1887: Washington sells veteran Paul Hines to Indianapolis for $5,000. » August 14, 1902: Little Tommy Leach of Pittsburgh, never considered a long-ball threat, hits two HRs over the fence at Boston. He will close out the season with only 6, but it is enough to give him sole leadership of the NL, which totals only 99. Leach's leading number is the lowest since Paul Hines hit four in a 60-game schedule in 1878. » November 15, 1922: Former Providence OF Paul Hines is arrested on charges of pick pocketing. The 69-year-old Hines made a famous play in a game on May 8, 1878 -- the disputed first unassisted triple play.