Ernest George Krueger (December 27, 1890 – April 22, 1976) born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

was 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 ...

for the

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 ...

(1913),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1915),

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

(1917),

Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

(1917–1921) and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1925).

Biography

Ernie Krueger graduated from

Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducational since 1876 and an undergraduate-focused liberal arts inst ...

. During his playing career at

Krueger resided in the famed 80 Washington Circle, which to this day houses some of LFC's greatest athletes. He made his professional debut with the Class D

Traverse City Resorters The Traverse City Resorters were a professional minor league baseball team located in Traverse City, Michigan, United States, playing in the Class D Michigan State League and the precursor West Michigan League from 1910 to 1914. The Resorters p ...

of the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

in 1912. He would advance to

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), ...

in 1913 and would go on to help the Giants win the 1917 National League Pennant and the Robins win the 1920 NL Pennant. In eight seasons, Krueger played in 318 Games and had 836 At Bats, 87 Runs, 220 Hits, 33 Doubles, 14 Triples, 11 Home Runs, 93 RBI, 12 Stolen Bases, 64 Walks, .263 Batting Average, .319 On-base percentage, .376 Slugging Percentage, 314 Total Bases and 8 Sacrifice Hits. On May 1, 1920, Ernie Krueger was the catcher for the Brooklyn Robins in the "longest game in baseball history"–27 innings. Asked how he managed such a feat, he indicated that at the time there was no night baseball, so the game was played on two consecutive days. In later years, when baseball became a passion in Japan there were several Ernie Krueger fan clubs formed that honored his playing days. He was also one of the founders of the Old Timers Baseball Association and was often asked to throw out the first ball of the season at major league games in Chicago. He died in

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife, Ruth Talcott Krueger, and one niece, Judith Talcott Rogers. A street was named in his honor in Waukegan, Illinois.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krueger, Ernie 1890 births 1976 deaths Cleveland Naps players New York Yankees players New York Giants (NL) players Brooklyn Robins players Cincinnati Reds players Major League Baseball catchers Minor league baseball managers Traverse City Resorters players Toledo Mud Hens players Omaha Rourkes players Indianapolis Indians players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Peoria Tractors players Nashville Vols players Atlanta Crackers players Reading Keystones players Albany Senators players Williamsport Grays players Baseball players from Chicago