Arthur Emil Kores (July 22, 1886 – March 26, 1974) was a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player whose career spanned nine seasons, one of which was spent in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) with the St. Louis Terriers (1915). In the majors, he compiled a .234

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 18 runs scored, 47 hits, nine doubles, two triples, one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, and 22

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs) in 60 games played. He played all of his Major League games at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. Kores played the majority of his career in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

with the

Des Moines Boosters The Des Moines Boosters were a Western League minor league baseball team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States that existed from 1908 to 1924. Des Moines fielded teams in the Western League from 1900-1937 and 1947–1958. Hall of Famers Geor ...

(1911–1912),

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

(1913–1914),

Rochester Hustlers The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in down ...

(1915),

Nashville Volunteers The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...

(1916–1917),

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

(1918),

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

(1920), and Indianapolis Indians (1920). In the minors, he compiled a career .274 batting average with 1,225 hits, 212 doubles, 91 triples, and 29 home runs in 1,243 games played. Kores batted and threw right-handed. During his playing career, he stood at and weighed .

Early life

Kores was born on July 22, 1886, in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

to John and Theresa Kores, both of Bohemia. John Kores worked as a

cabinet maker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

. Art Kores had five siblings; sisters Cecilia, and Josephine; and brothers Chas, Fred, and Joseph. Art Kores played semi-professional baseball, and

sandlot ball Sandlot ball or sandlot baseball is a competitive and athletic sports game that follows the basic rules and procedures of baseball. It is often less organized and structured, as the name alludes to a makeshift field or an empty lot. History and ...

in Milwaukee, before turning professional.

Professional career

Kores'

career began in 1910 with the

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Fi ...

of the Class-C

Wisconsin–Illinois League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin State Leagu ...

. He played just a month and a half with the Racine club, being used as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. Kores spent his first full professional season with the

of the Class-A Western League in 1911. With the Boosters, he batted .215 with 127 hits, 17 doubles, nine triples, and four

s in 161 games played. Defensively, he played all of his games as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. After the season, Des Moines

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Jack Holland attempted to trade Kores to another team, but no organization showed interest. Art Kores fielding

The day before the Des Moines Boosters opening series of the 1912 season, Kores signed a new contract with the team. In his season debut, on April 19, Kores got three hits. With Des Moines that year, he batted .298 with 182 hits, 25 doubles, 10 triples, and 10 home runs in 162 games played. In the field, he played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

, committing 60 errors in 674

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

. At the end of the 1912 season, the

of the Double-A Pacific Coast League drafted Kores from the Boosters. He was later drafted by the Chicago Cubs, but passed up the opportunity to play in

(MLB). On March 1, 1913, Kores joined the Portland Beavers at their spring training camp in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

. He played 165 games with Portland that season, batting .282 with 24 doubles, eight triples, and five home runs. In the field, Kores played shortstop. At the start of the 1914 season, Kores was moved from shortstop to third base. During the season, ''

The Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...

'' described Kores as "the best

clean-up hitter In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", i.e., drive in base runners. Theory The thinking behind the us ...

in the Coast league". With the Beavers that year, he batted .296 with 54 doubles, 21 triples, and five home runs in 187 games played. He led the Pacific Coast League in doubles, and triples that season. Kores was also third in the league in

(RBIs) with 94 that season. In September, 1914, the New York Giants drafted Kores from the Portland Beavers in what the ''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

'' a "secret lottery". Kores rejected the Giants contract offer, stating that he could make as much money in the Pacific Coast League then he could in the majors. He demanded a US$2,100 a year salary from the Giants, which New York declined to give him. He eventually signed a contract with the Giants for an undisclosed amount. According to Beavers officials, Kores, who told the Giants he was only 23 years old, had to confess his real age to get the contract. Before the 1915 season, it was reported that the St. Louis Terriers of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

were interested in Kores, whose contract was owned by the New York Giants. At the start of the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

, Giants

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

offered Kores' contract back to the Portland Beavers for a price of US$2,500, but Beavers manager Walter McCredie declined. Instead, McGraw sent Kores to the Double-A

of the International League. In 75 games with Rochester that year, he batted .275 with 76 hits, 11 doubles, 11 triples, and two home runs. On July 23, it was reported that Kores had left the Hustlers to join the Major League St. Louis Terriers. As a result, the Rochester club suspended him and fined him US$250. Officials from the Hustlers said that it did not come as a surprise that Kores had left the team, because he was in talks with the St. Louis club for months. Kores made his MLB debut on July 24, 1915. With St. Louis that season, he batted .234 with 18 runs scored, 47 hits, nine doubles, seven triples, one home run, and 22 RBIs in 60 games played. In the field, he played all of his games at third base, committing 10 errors in 251 total chances. In 1916, the Federal League dissolved and the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

took over their operations. The Browns then sold Kores to the Class-A

of the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

. With Nashville that season, he batted .275 with 117 hits, 21 doubles, and seven triples in 129 games played. In the field, he played third base. Kores re-signed with the Nashville Volunteers in 1917. That year, he batted .275 with 152 hits, 30 doubles, 13 triples, and two home runs in 154 games played. Defensively, he played all of his games at third base, committing 27 errors in 583 total chances. After the season, Kores joined a

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

team in Milwaukee. Before the start of the 1918 season, Kores was sold from the Nashville Volunteers to the

of the Double-A

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. With Louisville, he batted .304 with 78 hits, 10 doubles, and seven triples in 71 games played. He played third base for the Colonels that season. After he completed his season with the Colonels, Kores signed with the semi-professional Lake Shore League. In 1919, he continued to play semi-pro baseball. He also injured his right arm that season. In late-March during the 1920 season, Kores signed with the Double-A

of the American Association. Later that season, he joined the Indianapolis Indians, who were also members of the American Association. Between the two clubs, he batted .253 with 123 hits, 20 doubles, five triples, and one home run in 139 games played. He played all of his games at third base, committing 25 errors in 435 games played.

Later life

After his baseball career, Kores settled in his home-town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his wife Alma R. and their son Vernon T. Art Kores worked for a local

oil company The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest ...

. He died on March 26, 1974, in Milwaukee. He was buried at Wisconsin Memorial Park in

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States in the Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeast ...

References

External links

Player statistics from Baseballalmanac.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kores, Art 1880s births 1974 deaths Baseball players from Milwaukee Major League Baseball third basemen Racine Belles (1909–1915) players Des Moines Boosters players Portland Beavers players Rochester Hustlers players St. Louis Terriers players Nashville Vols players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Toledo Mud Hens players Indianapolis Indians players