Clarence Lemuel "Cupid" Childs (August 8, 1867
[ ] – November 8, 1912) was an American
second baseman 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), ...
with a 13-season career from 1888, 1890–1901, playing for the
Philadelphia Quakers,
Cleveland Spiders
The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed ...
,
St. Louis Perfectos and
Chicago Orphans of the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
and the
Syracuse Stars of the
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 ...
.
Early life
Childs was born in
Calvert County, Maryland. During his career, much was apparently made of Childs' pudgy appearance. Standing 5'8" tall, he weighed 185 pounds. This led to the nickname of "Cupid", as he was said to resemble a cherub.
[
]
Career
Childs led the league in runs (136) in with the Cleveland Spiders. The 1892 Spiders featured several stars, including future Hall of Fame members Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...
, George Davis and Jesse Burkett
Jesse Cail Burkett (December 4, 1868 – May 27, 1953), nicknamed "Crab", was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1890 to 1905 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfe ...
. The team went to the league championship series, where they lost to the Boston Beaneaters. They had similar success in 1895, when they finished second in the league and played in the Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a cup awarded to the winner of an annual best-of-seven postseason championship series for American professional baseball from 1894 to 1897. Competing teams were exclusively from the National League, which had been founded in 1 ...
.
Childs was among the top ten players in the league in walks every season between 1890 and 1900; he finished second in walks every season between 1891 and 1894. He led the league in doubles and extra base hits in 1890. In May 1900, Childs was attempting a double play against the Pittsburgh Pirates when the Pirates player-manager Fred Clarke slid into him. There was a brief confrontation on the field, and then Childs spotted Clarke at a train station after the game. Childs charged Clarke and badly beat the manager in the ensuing fistfight. The next day, fans in Pittsburgh showed up in large numbers (triple the average Monday attendance) hoping to see a continuation of the scuffle, but the game was played without incident.
Childs' playing time fell off in his final season of 1901 (63 games, from 137 the previous year) as Pete Childs
Peter Pierre Childs (November 15, 1871 – February 15, 1922) was an infielder in Major League Baseball in 1901 and 1902. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. ...
(no known relationship) played more of the team's games at second base. A career .306 hitter, Childs retired with a .416 on-base percentage, 991 walks and 269 stolen bases, having played more than 1400 games as a second baseman.
Later life
By the time he was 45, Childs was living in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, and he had developed cirrhosis
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...
and nephritis (known as Bright's disease at the time). He died in Baltimore on November 8, 1912. He was buried there at Loudon Park Cemetery
Loudon Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated on January 27, 1853, on of the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by James Carey, a local merchant and politician. The entrance to the cemetery i ...
.
See also
* List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
* List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
In baseball statistics, a stolen base is credited to a baserunner when he successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is throwing the ball to home plate. Under Rule 7.01 of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Official Rules, a runner acqu ...
* List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
Major League Baseball recognizes runs scored leaders in the American League and National League each season. In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances safely around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching ...
* List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
In baseball, a doubles is recorded when the ball is hit so that the batter is able to advance to second base without an error by a defensive player. In Major League Baseball (MLB), the leader in each league (American League and National League) ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Childs, Cupid
Baseball players from Maryland
Major League Baseball second basemen
Philadelphia Quakers players
Cleveland Spiders players
St. Louis Perfectos players
Chicago Orphans players
Syracuse Stars (AA) players
1867 births
1912 deaths
People from Calvert County, Maryland
Toledo Swamp Angels players
Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players
Jersey City Skeeters players
Montgomery Black Sox players
Baltimore Orioles (IL) players
Schenectady Electricians players
Scranton Miners players
19th-century baseball players
Shamokin Maroons players