At times, Lord inspired his teammates with his hustle, earning the White Sox captaincy;
at other times, it seemed he didn't want to play. The two years he batted more than
.310 (1909 and 1911), he followed with marks of .267. He excelled at stretching doubles
into triples. But as a fielder, he was virtually immobile. In 1913, he set single-season
AL records for fewest chances accepted (364) and fewest assists (221) by a third
baseman in 150 or more games. He jumped the White Sox in 1914, returned only to demand
his release, and disappeared again when Charles Comiskey turned him down. Ten days
later, Buffalo (Federal League) announced they had signed Lord, who didn't show up
until the next year to serve as player-manager.
(DB)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»May 30, 1908: Washington 1B Jerry Freeman's single is the only hit allowed by Boston's Cy Young. Harry Lord has four hits to back Cy's pitching.
»August 11, 1910: The White Sox trade P Frank Smith, whose best days are behind him, and 3B Billy Purtell to the Red Sox in exchange for 2B Amby McConnell and 3B Harry Lord. On July 10th, a Walter Johnson fast ball broke Lord's finger, and the stellar play of his substitute Clyde Engle has made Lord expendable. Lord becoming the one threat in the weak White Sox lineup, hitting .297 through the end of the year, but the Sox will still finish last in hitting, slugging, and homers.
»May 8, 1912: The White Sox beat Washington 7–6, snapping Walter Johnson's five-game win streak. Johnson gives up two 2-run home runs, one to Harry Lord in the 1st and another to Ping Bodie in the 5th. A Johnson fastball breaks the arm of 3B Lee Tannehill, an injury that will hamper the infielder's throwing ability, and ends the career of the 10-year veteran. Sox starter Joe Benz leaves with an injury after pitching one 1/3 inning. Ed Walsh pitches the next five 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, and Frank Lange allows the same in his two innings.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
