Abner Charles Powell (December 15, 1860 – August 7, 1953) was an American Major League Baseball player who was a member of the Washington Nationals of the Union Association in 1884.
| Abner Powell | |
|---|---|
 Powell in 1890 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: December 15, 1860 Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: August 7, 1953 (aged 92) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 4, 1884, for the Washington Nationals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 13, 1886, for the Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Wins–Losses | 8-18 |
| Earned run average | 4.00 |
| Strikeouts | 97 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
He later played for the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1886. He also managed and owned several teams, and is best known for his innovations as a manager.
Personal life
editPowell was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania He died in New Orleans, aged 92.
Innovations
edit
Powell is credited with various innovations that changed baseball, though in many cases this is incorrect or overstated.[1]
He is incorrectly credited with inventing rain checks and "ladies' day," but both of these were in use in New Orleans before Powell. Powell did improve the existing rain check system, however, by adding a perforated stub to tickets when sold so that only purchasers of tickets (and not other spectators, notably free-riders and fence-climbers) could get new tickets.[2][3]
The idea of Ladies Day was to create an environment in the stands that would be free of unsavory characters and conduct, as well as to make baseball a family-oriented event; it dates at least to 1880 in New Orleans.[1] Powell scheduled a recurring Ladies Day in 1887.[4]
Powell is also credited with using an infield tarpaulin so that fields could be ready immediately after rain storms.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Somers, Dale A. The Rise of Sports in New Orleans: 1850-1900. p. 132.
- ^ Morris, Peter. "15.1.3 Rain Checks". A Game of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball. pp. 411–412.
- ^ Flanagan, Val J. (April 8, 1943). "Rain-Check Evolved to Check Flood of Fence-Climbers, Says Originator, Now 83". Sporting News.
- ^ Gisclair, S. Derby (March 11, 2019). Early Baseball in New Orleans: A History of 19th Century Play. McFarland. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4766-3598-9.
- ^ "Dog Day Afternoon". Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
External links
edit- "Abner Powell". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 3, 2010.