Willard Elmer White (December 7, 1849 – March 17, 1872) was an American professional baseball player. He served primarily as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

but also as a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

in 1871 with the

Cleveland Forest Citys The Forest Citys were a short lived professional baseball team based in Cleveland in the early 1870s. The actual name of the team, as shown in standings, was Forest City, not "Cleveland". The name "Forest Citys" was used in the same generic styl ...

of the National Association. Although he broke his arm running into a fence during a game on June 22, he played 15 of Cleveland's 29 games in their inaugural season,

batting Batting may refer to: * Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs * Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...

.257. However, he died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in March 1872, becoming the first player from a professional baseball league to die. White was the cousin of

Deacon White James Laurie "Deacon" White (December 2, 1847 – July 7, 1939) was an American baseball player who was one of the principal stars during the first two decades of the sport's professional era. The outstanding catcher of the 1870s during baseball ...

and

Will White William Henry "Whoop-La" White (October 11, 1854 – August 31, 1911) was an American baseball pitcher and manager from 1875 to 1889. He played all or parts of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds in the National ...

Early life

Willard Elmer White was born in

Caton, New York Caton is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 2,046 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Richard Caton. The Town of Caton is in the southeast part of the county, south of Corning. History Caton was ...

, on December 7, 1849. His parents were Benjamin and Minerva White, and he was the oldest of three children, along with sisters Ada (born sometime around 1852) and Ina (born sometime around 1862). Growing up, White played baseball with his cousin

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

(nicknamed Deacon), two years his senior. Though his parents thought he was squandering his time with the game, White had decided by the mid-1860s that he wanted baseball to be his occupation.

First years with the Cleveland Forest Citys

In 1868, White began playing for the Forest Citys, an amateur team in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Deacon played for them as well. The team folded after the season, but a new one was formed the next year that featured a mix of professional and amateur players. The Whites signed on with the new club, joining a roster that included Al Pratt and

Art Allison Arthur Algernon Allison (January 29, 1849 – February 25, 1916) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1871 to 1876, who played his career primarily as an outfielder. Allison is known for playing in the first professional baseball game ...

. All these men were still with the team in 1871 when it became a founding member of the National Association, the first professional baseball league.

National Association (1871)

On May 4, 1871, White played in the first professional league baseball game in history, when the Forest Citys took on the

Fort Wayne Kekiongas The Fort Wayne Kekiongas were a professional baseball team, notable for winning the first professional league game on May 4, 1871. Though based in Fort Wayne, they were usually listed in game reports as simply "Kekionga" or "the Kekiongas", per the ...

at the Kekionga Ball Grounds. Playing

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

for the Forest Citys, White

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...

three times against

Bobby Mathews Robert T. Mathews (November 21, 1851 – April 17, 1898) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the National League of Major League Baseball and the ...

, who hurled a

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

in Fort Wayne's 2–0 victory. Though White normally served as an

Charlie Pabor Charles Henry Pabor (September 24, 1846 – April 23, 1913), also spelled Charley, nicknamed "The Old Woman in the Red Cap", was an American Major League Baseball left fielder and manager throughout the existence of the National Association, –. ...

, Cleveland's

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 o ...

, also had him catch three games. His season was interrupted on June 19, in a game he was catching against the

New York Mutuals The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York was a leading American baseball club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Asso ...

. A poor throw from an outfielder caused him to race to the edge of the

playing field Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

, and he broke his arm as he ran into a fence. The Forest Citys lost 10–6, and White was unable to play following the incident. However, the injury did not end White's season. After missing 11 games, he was back playing for the ballclub on August 30, when Cleveland was defeated 12–10 by the

Troy Haymakers The Troy Haymakers were an American professional baseball team. History Established in 1860 as the Union Base Ball Club Lansingburgh, located in neighboring Lansingburgh, New York, the Haymakers participated in the first professional pennant ra ...

. On the last day of the season, September 27, White recorded two

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

in five

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s. He scored a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

in the game and drove in two more, though Cleveland lost 9–7 to the Boston Red Stockings. Despite the injury, White played more than half of the games on Cleveland's schedule (15 of 29). In 71

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

s (70 at bats), he batted .257 with 13 runs scored, 18 hits, two doubles, and nine

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 bat ...

(RBI). He only struck out three times after the season's first game, but his total of six tied him with

Al Reach Alfred James Reach (May 25, 1840 – January 14, 1928) was an Anglo-American sportsman who, after becoming one of the early stars of baseball in the National Association, went on to become an influential executive, publisher, sporting goods manuf ...

and John McMullin for fifth in the league. White made seven errors defensively, and his .788

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

was below the league's .833 average.

Death

After the season, White was sure he would play for Cleveland again in 1872. However, he was diagnosed with

over the offseason. At first, he was optimistic he would recover; Deacon remembered that he fought the "good fight." His condition continued to worsen, and he died of the disease on March 17, 1872, in

Scio, New York Scio is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,625 at the 2020 census. The town is in the southern half of the county and north of the village of Wellsville. History The town was first settled in 1805 by Jose ...

, at the age of 22. With his decease, White became the first recorded professional league baseball player to die. The whereabouts of White's burial have remained a mystery. According to baseball historian Frank Russo in his book ''The Cooperstown Chronicles'', "There is some evidence that his body was brought back to his hometown of Caton for burial."

Baseball-Reference.com Baseball-Reference is a website providing baseball statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. The site is often used by major media organizations and baseball broadcasters as a source for statistics. It offers a variety of advan ...

states that White is buried at the Elmwood Cemetery in Caton, but Russo indicates that this has not been confirmed.

Relatives

White's cousin Deacon went on to play for 20 seasons and was elected into the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

in 2013. Another of White's cousins,

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for 10 years, winning 40 or more games in a season four times. The January 1889 issue of '' Sporting Life'' indicates that White was also related to Warren White, who played in the National Association from 1871 to 1875.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Elmer Major League Baseball right fielders Cleveland Forest Citys (NABBP) players Cleveland Forest Citys players 19th-century baseball players 1849 births 1872 deaths People from Steuben County, New York Baseball players from New York (state) 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in New York (state)