Speaker, Tris

Speaker, Tris

(Tristram Speaker), 1888–1958, American baseball player, b. Hubbard, Tex. He started (1906) in organized baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Cleburne team of the North Texas League. He then became an outfielder with the Houston club and in 1907 was purchased by the Boston Red Sox of the American League. Traded to the Cleveland Indians of the American League in 1916, Speaker was (1919–26) player-manager of the club, leading the Indians to their first pennant and world championship in 1920. He played with the Washington Senators (1927) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1928). One of the outstanding batters in American League history (his major-league lifetime batting average was .345), he was also regarded as one of the best defensive outfielders in the league. In 1937 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Speaker, (Tristram E.) Tris

(1888–1958) baseball player; born in Hubbard, Texas. During his 22-year career (1907–28), mostly with the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, he was considered the greatest defensive center fielder in the game's history. A solid left-handed hitter, he posted a lifetime batting average of .344 and holds the major league record for most doubles in a career (793). He managed the Indians (1919–26) and took them to their first pennant and World Series (1920). Nicknamed "the Grey Eagle," he was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1937.