Cap Anson called Williamson "the greatest all-around ballplayer the country ever saw." Williamson led National League third basemen or shortstops in assists seven times, double plays six times, fielding average four times, and putouts twice. Though an unremarkable hitter, he used the short rightfield fence in Chicago's Lake Front Park to set a major league record for doubles, with 49 in 1883, when balls hit over that fence counted for only two bases. In 1884, when the ground rules were changed, he set a ML home run record with an unprecedented 27, nearly doubling the record of 14 set the previous year. The record stood until Babe Ruth hit 29 in 1919. (FIC)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»March 8, 1889: The touring teams play their only game in Paris, the All-Americas winning 6–2 at Parc Aristotique. Chicago SS Ned Williamson suffers a knee injury sliding on the cinder playing field, disabling him until August 14th and effectively ending his days as a top player.
»July 20, 1922: At Sportsman's Park, Rogers Hornsby belts a 2-out 9th inning home run with two men on the give the Cards a 7–6 win over Boston. It is the Rajah's 25th home run of the year, breaking Gavvy Cravath's National League home run mark (post-1900). In two weeks, Hornsby will break the record of 27 homers set in 1884 by Chicago's Ned Williamson.
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