David Tilden Altizer (November 6, 1876 – May 14, 1964) was a

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), ...

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 ...

who played six seasons for the Washington Senators,

Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, and Cincinnati Reds of

. Altizer served in the military in the early 20th century, and he did not appear in professional baseball until he was 25. He spent four seasons playing mostly in the

Connecticut State League The Connecticut League, also known as the Connecticut State League, was a professional baseball association of teams in the state of Connecticut. The league began as offshoot of the original Connecticut State League, which dates back as far as 1884 ...

before he debuted in the major leagues with the 1906 Washington Senators. On July 23, 1908, the

of the American League purchased Altizer and

Cy Falkenberg Frederick Peter "Cy" Falkenberg (December 17, 1879 – April 15, 1961) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1903 to 1917 for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League, the Washington S ...

from the Senators for $10,000 ($ in current dollar terms). Altizer's youngest brother, Oren, was killed in military action in France in 1918. Newspaper reports initially mischaracterized Oren as Altizer's son, but Altizer's only son was a school-aged child at the time. In 514 games over six seasons, Altizer posted a .250

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 ...

(433-for-1734) with 204 runs, 4 home runs, 116

RBIs 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 bat ...

, and 119 stolen bases. He finished his career with a .952 fielding percentage playing at all positions except catcher and pitcher. He died in Pleasant Hill, Illinois, at the age of 87.

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1876 births 1964 deaths Baseball players from Illinois Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball first basemen Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Cleveland Naps players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players People from Pike County, Illinois Minor league baseball managers Meriden Silverites players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Toledo Mud Hens players Springfield Ponies players Lancaster Red Roses players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Madison Greys players {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub