Francis Patterson "Frank" Abercrombie (January 2, 1850November 11, 1939) was an American

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 ...

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 who ...

who made one appearance in the National Association for 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 ...

in .

Early life and education

Abercrombie was born in

Fort Towson, Oklahoma Fort Towson is a town in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 510 at the 2010 census, a 15.1 percent decline from the figure of 611 recorded in 2000. It was named for nearby Fort Towson, which had been established in May 1 ...

, then part of

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

. His father was

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer

John Joseph Abercrombie John Joseph Abercrombie (March 4, 1798 – January 3, 1877) was a career United States Army officer who served in numerous wars, finally reaching the rank of brigadier general during the American Civil War. Early life and career Abercrombie w ...

, who would later go on to be one of the oldest field officers to serve in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Abercrombie attended

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

, where he played baseball.

Professional baseball career

Abercrombie played in his only professional baseball game on October 21, 1871, against the Chicago White Stockings. Batting seventh in the Haymakers' lineup, Abercrombie recorded zero hits in four

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, and in six fielding chances at short, recorded three assists, one

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

, and two errors (out of 11 total committed by Troy). The Haymakers lost by a score of 11-5. For Troy's next game (their last of the season), their regular shortstop Dickie Flowers reclaimed his usual position.

Later life and death

After his brief time in professional baseball, Abercrombie worked as a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

, and at one point served as the superintendent of the New York Division of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

. Abercrombie died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1939.

References

External links

1850s births 1939 deaths Major League Baseball shortstops Troy Haymakers players Baseball players from Oklahoma People from Choctaw County, Oklahoma 19th-century baseball players Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni American civil engineers Pennsylvania Railroad people {{Oklahoma-sport-stub