Francis R. Hafner (August 14, 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri – March 2, 1957 in Hannibal, Missouri) 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), ...

player. A right-handed

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 ...

, Hafner started two games for the Kansas City Cowboys of the

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in May 1888. He pitched a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

both times, but allowed 23 runs (14

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) to score, while surrendering two

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, throwing six

wild pitch In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third stri ...

es, and allowing 41 men to reach base safely. The total of six wild pitches ranked second in the league, and with one hit batsman Hafner tied for fourth in that category as well. He never pitched in the major leagues again, and the Cowboys themselves lasted only one more season before folding.

Sources

1867 births 1957 deaths Baseball players from Missouri Major League Baseball pitchers Kansas City Cowboys players People from Hannibal, Missouri Topeka (minor league baseball) players Peoria Canaries players 19th-century baseball players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1860s-stub