Francis Patrick "Frank" Crossin, Sr. (June 15, 1891 – December 6, 1965) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player whose career spanned seven seasons, three of which were 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)
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 ...
(1912–14). Over his Major League career, Crossin, 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 ...
, compiled a .147
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 eight
runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...
, 17
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 ...
, one
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
, one
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
, and seven
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 ...
(RBIs) in 55
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
. He made his professional debut with the
minor league
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 Nor ...
Binghamton Bingoes in 1912. His MLB debut came on September 24, 1912. Crossin played parts of the next two seasons in the majors. In 1915, a year after his MLB career ended, he returned to the minors. Over his career in the minors, Crossin compiled a .261 batting average with 303 hits in 381 games played. He batted, and threw right-handed. During his career, he stood at , and weighed .
Early life
Crossin was born on June 15, 1891, in
Avondale, Pennsylvania
Avondale is a borough in Chester County, in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Avondale is located on Pennsylvania Route 41 just south of U.S. Route 1. The community is on the East B ...
, to James, and Mary Crossin, of New York, and England, respectively.
James Crossin, who was of
Irish American
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
heritage, worked as a
miner
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...
, and a
day laborer
Day labor (or day labour in Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work.
Types
Day laborers (also kn ...
.
Frank Crossin had nine siblings; brothers James, William, Edward, John, Joseph, and Leo; and sisters Alice, Marian, and Alberta.[ In 1910, Frank Crossin was working as an ]auto mechanic
An auto mechanic (automotive technician in most of North America, light vehicle technician in British English, and motor mechanic in Australian English) is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more ...
.[ In his youth, Crossin played amateur ]baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
with the Luzerne Reds, who represented Luzerne, Pennsylvania
Luzerne is a borough located north of Wilkes Barre in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States.
The population was 2,703 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
The community was first settled in 1807. It was later incorporated as a boroug ...
. He also played amateur baseball in Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
, and Susquehanna, Pennsylvania
Susquehanna Depot, often referred to simply as Susquehanna, is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on the Susquehanna River southeast of Binghamton, New York. In the past, railroad locomotives and railroad cars ...
.[
]
Professional career
Early career, and St. Louis Browns (1912–14)
In 1912, Crossin signed his first 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
contract with the Binghamton Bingoes
Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluenc ...
of the Class-B New York State League
The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eight ...
. It was reported that the Wilkes-Barre Barons
The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playing in the American Basketball ...
were interested in Crossin, but signed with Binghamton instead.[ Crossin played with future, and former ]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) players Jack Barnett, Cad Coles, Rankin Johnson, Jim Jones
James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...
, Harry Lumley, John McCloskey
John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of ...
, Chick Robitaille
Joseph Anthony Robitaille (March 2, 1879 – July 30, 1947), was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in and with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted and threw right-handed.
He was born in Whitehall, New York and died in Waterford, New ...
, and Allan Sothoron. Early in the season, Crossin replaced Binghamton's regular 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 ...
George Vandegrift at that position.[ ]Scouts
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
from several MLB team were reportedly interested in Crossin.[ '']Times Leader
The ''Times Leader'' is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Founding
Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978.
Early history
On November 27, 1907, the ''Wilkes-Barre Times' ...
'' described Crossin as "one of the sensations of the league", and wrote that he had a "remarkable throwing and hitting" ability.[ On July 11, Crossin was sold to the MLB ]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 ...
, but was allowed to finish the season with Binghamton. With the Bingoes, he batted .235 with 63 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 89 games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
.
Crossin was issued to report to the St. Louis Browns in September 1912. Before reporting, he returned to his home in Luzerne, Pennsylvania, where the manager, and players from his former amateur team the Luzerne Reds held a banquet
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...
in honor of Crossin. The Browns paid the Binghamton Bingoes, the team in which they purchased him from, US$1,000 for Crossin. He made his MLB debut on September 24. With the Browns that year, he played in eight games. In those games, he batted .227 with two runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...
, five hits, two 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 ...
(RBIs), and one stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
. Defensively, he played all of his games at the catcher position.
In February 1913, Crossin was issued to report to spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
for the St. Louis Browns. Crossin's friends accompanied him to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station before he left for spring training.[ Crossin made the Browns roster 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 Se ...
in 1913. As a part of their earlier deal, the St. Louis club had to pay the Binghamton Bingoes US$1,500 to use Crossin's services during the 1913 season.[ Early in the season, he was sent down to the minor leagues. He played with his former team, the Binghamton Bingoes. In the minors that season, he batted .269 with 47 hits in 62 games played. On August 1, Crossin was recalled to the Major Leagues. He played four games with the Browns that season. In those games, he had one hit in four ]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 bat ...
s.
On January 20, 1914, Crossin was traded by the Binghamton Bingoes to the Nashville Vols
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 ...
of the Class-A 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), Cl ...
. However, he spent the entire season with the St. Louis Browns. On April 19, Crossin hit a bases loaded
B backdoor breaking ball
:A breaking pitch, usually a slider, curveball, or cut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of the strike zone on the outside edge of the plate after seeming as if it would miss the p ...
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
, which helped the Browns beat the 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 p ...
. His last MLB appearance came on August 8, 1914. With the Browns that year, he batted .122 with five runs scored, 11 hits, one double, one triple, five RBIs, and three stolen bases in 43 games played.
Later career (1915–1920)
Before the start of the 1915 season, Crossin signed with the 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 ...
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 ...
. Out of spring training that season, Crossin made the Colonels roster. At the end of May, Crossin's batting average was .367. With the Colonels, Crossin batted .254 with 63 hits, five doubles, one double, and one triple in 83 games played. Crossin re-signed with the Louisville Colonels at the start of the 1916 season. On June 8, Crossin was sold by Louisville to the Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966.
History
Atlanta played its first ...
of the Double-A Southern Association. He suffered a sore arm that year, causing him to miss the entire season.
At the start of the 1917 season, Crossin re-signed with the Louisville Colonels.[ In May, he was released by the Colonels. After that, he signed with the ]Scranton Miners
The Scranton Miners, known as the Scranton Apollos from 1970 to 1977, were a professional basketball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania that was a member of the American Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association. Arthur Pacht ...
of the Class-B New York State League. However, in August, the Scranton club could not pay Crossin his salary, and he was released.[ With the Miners, he batted .265 with 70 hits in 76 games played. Crossin was re-signed by the Colonels after he was released.][ He also played with the ]Toledo Iron Men
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
, who also played in the American Association. Between the two teams, be batted .298 with 14 hits, and two doubles in 20 games played.
In October 1917, Crossin was drafted into the United States Army to fight in World War I. He fought in France as a member of the 35th Field Artillery Regiment I was station with 35th artillery in 1962 to 1964 in Munich Germany. originally the 92nd artillery. I help design the crest known as the Red Lions original the Red Devils
My name Spec/ 4 Valerio M. Dimaya. at that time work as the driver for the S4 ...
. In 1919, Crossin returned from the war, and signed with the Reading Coal Barons
The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Rea ...
of the Double-A International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
.[ On July 1, Crossin fractured his ]fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
after sliding into second base.[ On the season, he batted .265 with 35 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, and one home run in 34 games played. His final professional baseball season would come in 1920. He was a member of the Reading International League team, now renamed the Marines. He batted .234 with 11 hits, one double, and one triple in 17 games played.
]
Later life
In 1920, Crossin was living in Luzerne, Pennsylvania with his wife, Margaret Crossin, his brother, Leo, and his father, James. By 1930, Frank and Margaret Crossin had three children; sons Francis, Jr. (who became a professional basketball
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
player) and John, and daughter Mary. They later had another son, Joseph. In 1942, Frank Crossin was self-employed
Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than an employer. Tax authorities will generally view a person as self-employed if the person chooses to be recognised as such or if the person is generating income for which a tax return n ...
. Crossin operated his business in Swoyersville, Pennsylvania
Swoyersville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,008 at the 2020 census. Swoyersville is located within the Wyoming Valley West School District.
History
The community was originally called ''Swoyervil ...
, for 35 years.[ He died on December 6, 1965, at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, where he had been a patient for five days, in ]Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite the city of Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was incorporated as a borough in ...
.[ He was buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.][
]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crossin, Frank
1891 births
1965 deaths
Sportspeople from Chester County, Pennsylvania
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Major League Baseball catchers
Binghamton Bingoes players
St. Louis Browns players
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Scranton Miners players
Reading Coal Barons players
United States Army personnel of World War I
20th-century American businesspeople
Semi-professional baseball players